Château Haut-Brion: Arnaud III de Pontac

Arnaud III de Pontac is a hugely influential figure in the history of Château Haut-Brion, particularly in the way in which he set about marketing his wine in foreign markets. His first act, however, seems to have been to expand the château so that it was more in keeping with his standing, and within a few years of his taking the reins the residence had doubled in size. Then he began to look to sell his wine, preferably to Europe’s wealthiest nobility, and naturally at the best price.

An obvious market for his wine was England, but following the English Civil War, which ended with the Battle of Worcester in 1651, this market naturally atrophied. Charles I had already been executed in 1649, and after the battle Charles II went into exile in Europe, principally the Netherlands.

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