History Château de Villegeorge's wines were highly sought after as early on as the 18th century, to the extent that they fetched prices equal to those of wines that would be classified as 3rd growths in 1855. In 1880 the domain was bought by the Clauzel family who turned it into a model vineyard. When a group of Bordeaux wine merchants established the Crus Bourgeois classification in 1932, only six were awarded the coveted title of Crus Exceptionnels, among them Château de Villegeorge. Its classification was re-confirmed in 1966. The fine quality of the deep gravelly soils did not go unnoticed by Lucien Lurton who acquired the domain in 1973 and began to bring it to life again. In 1992, when he divided his Château among his children, Mr Lurton put Villegeorge in the capable hands of his daughter Marie-Laure, a qualified oenologist, who had already been in charge of the vinification since 1986. In 1997, in the first stage of many renovations, the tank room was enlarged and an automated treatment centre for waste product was installed. In the Cru Bourgeois classification of 2003, Villegeorge was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur. Terroir The 18ha estate is located in the communes of Avensan and Ludon. The parcels in Avensan are made of deep gravel soils and are particularly conducive to the production of great wines. The soil contains little clay, which attracts many gravel dealers; in order to preserve the territorial integrity, Lucien Lurton strongly opposes the extension of gravel pits. In 2003, the Château was granted the Terra Vitis status for adhering to the strict rules and standards set for integrated production methods, Emily Roullé, the technical director since 1999 having introduced this environmentally friendly practice.