Luxury group Lalique acquires Sauternes vineyard near Bordeaux

Swiss luxury firm Lalique Group SA is adding the Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey vineyards in the Bordeaux region to its growing portfolio that includes perfume brands, hotels, restaurants, crystal artworks and Scotch whisky. 

The Zurich-based company will acquire a 75% stake in the sweet Sauternes wine producer for €18 million ($19 million) from its biggest shareholder, Chairman Silvio Denz, according to a statement Wednesday. The estate ranked Premier Grand Cru Classe is adjacent to the renowned Chateau d’Yquem, which is owned by fashion empire LVMH.

Under the deal expected to close in December, Lalique will issue new shares to Denz at 40 Swiss francs ($44) each, raising his stake in the company to 53%. The shares rose 6.2%.

The acquisition of 30 hectares of vineyards comes two years after Lalique completed a related deal with Denz, paying €4.4 million for a 75% stake in the Sauternes domain’s chateau, transformed into a high-end hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant sitting on seven hectares of land.

The Swiss group’s history dates back to founder Rene Lalique, a French jeweler who began selling his own collection in Paris in 1888 and later branched out into perfume bottles, glassworks and interior design. The business passed down to his son and then granddaughter before being taken over in 2008 by Denz’s Art & Fragrance, now Lalique Group.

The company distributes perfume under the Bentley, Brioni, Gres, Jaguar and Lalique brands as well as owning 50% of the Glenturret distillery in Scotland, and the Villa Rene Lalique and Chateau Hochberg restaurant and hotels in France’s Alsace region.