History

Our story started in 1985 when Andrew Gordon, an English wine merchant, bought Domaine du Grand Mayne. Andrew transformed the property from what was an abandoned vineyard with semi-derelict buildings, overgrown copses and fields of maize and golden-headed sunflowers, to the flourishing vineyard and winery that we see today. The wonderful south-facing slopes with fantastic potential within striking distance of better known Bordeaux, were instantly appealing.

In 1985 the vineyard had just 1200 established merlot vines and produced just 200 cases of wine. The first step was to deep plough and prepare the land. Then from 1986 onwards they embarked on an ambitious planting programme.

Between 1985 and 2007, Domaine du Grand Mayne was totally transformed into a show-piece artisan winery and vineyard and there are now more than 120,000 vines planted on some 34 hectares (84 acres) producing an average of around 200,000 bottles a year. The old stone cow barn was used to form the shell of the new winery in 1988. Then, in 1992, the size of the winery was tripled by the addition of a modern building to create a special vinification area for the white wines and a barrel cellar. Each year more money was invested to maintain the most modern technology and attention to quality, both in the vineyard and the winery.

Andrew sold the vineyard in 2008 and for a short period until 2013, it suffered from a lack of direction and investment, although top quality wine making continued under the control of talented winemaker Mathieu Crosnier, who had taken over the management in 2011. Mathieu also benefitted from a small, dedicated team who had worked at the vineyard for many years.

A period then followed when two successful crowdfunding offers in 2014 and 2018 led to an ever growing community of wine loving customers.

Underpinned by this supportive  base, Mathieu and his team have continued to produce some wonderful wines that have received many awards and commendations.

Now under the ownership of a Netherlands based Trust the future is bright, with further investment planned to ensure that this drive for quality continues against a backdrop of sustainability and biodiversity.