Château d'Arsac is also open to artistic creation. Every year since 1992, the estate has acquired a work by a major contemporary artist. Over the years, the château has amassed an impressive collection of works of art known as the "Garden of Sculptures". Vines and art are intimately linked here. Indeed, it is the former that finances the annual acquisition of a work of art, and in return, it is art that gives the estate its original and exclusive personality, making it one of the most visited sites in the Médoc. 

Practical information 

Adress: 1, allée du Comte Arsac-en-Médoc, 33460 MARGAUX 
Website: https://chateau-arsac.com/ 

For the past few years, Château Chasse-Spleen has been curating a collection of contemporary art focused on emerging artists.  

This collection is the result of choices made by the Villars-Foubet couple, owners of the Chasse-Spleen, Camensac, and Gressier Grand Poujeaux estates. 

Within the estate’s grounds and cellar, permanent artworks by Felice Varini, Benoit Maire, Liam Gillick Neu, Ann Veronica Janssens, and Lillian Bourgeat can be found. 

The restoration of the 18th century charterhouse, opened to the public on June 1,2017 was entrusted to architects Oriane Deville and Céline Petreau. The majority of the space is dedicated to the art center, with three guest rooms opening onto the garden and exhibition halls, and a wine bar extending onto the terrace facing the water mirror. 

According to Jean-Pierre Foubet, General Manager of the Domaine Chateau Chasse-Spleen, “While wine can sometimes evoke great emotions, those generated by art are distinctly superior and indispensable.”  This sentiment is confirmed by Céline Villars-Foubert: “Wine requires genuine true craftmanship, but it’s a craft not an art. It demands true sensitivity, precise and meticulous work, with somewhat cultural, with somewhat cultural, hedonistic, and sensual connotations, allowing connections to be drawn with artistic creation, but without conflating these two activities. We are not artists.” 

Practical information  

Director: Jean-Pierre Foubet  
Adress: 32 chemin de la Razé, 33480 Moulis-en-Médoc  
Website: www.chasse-spleen.com  

Set on the heights of Saint-Emilion, just a few kilometres from the famous medieval town Château de Ferrand is a magical place where history, wine, and the art of French living ( Art de vivre )  blend seamlessly.  

Led by Pauline Bich Chandon-Moët and her husband Philippe Chandon-Moët, Château de Ferrand stands as a key player in wine tourism in Bordeaux. 

Wine, architecture, gastronomy, design... today, Château de Ferrand is undoubtedly a place where the arts converge. This cultural dimension took root in 2021 with the launch of the "BIC Art @ Ferrand" project led by Alix Dufour, niece of Pauline and granddaughter of Marcel Bich.  

The Bich family has long been aware of how artists and creators of all kinds have embraced the humble Bic Cristal pen and has embarked on building a collection of contemporary art alongside the BIC company. 

 This collection can be visited during a lunch at the Table de Ferrand or during a stay at the Château. 

Château de Ferrand, has recently opened up to a new artistic and cultural dimension, giving birth today to the unique exhibition showcased in its cellars.  

Practical information

Owners: Pauline Bich Chandon-Moët et Philippe Chandon-Moët  
Adress: Château de Ferrand Saint-Hippolyte, 33330 Saint-Emilion  
Website: www.chateaudeferrand.com  

Confirmation of a Grand Cru 

A family-owned property for nearly 100 years, Château Kirwan has continuously evolved to reveal the full potential of its magnificent terroir. 

Spread across the iconic gravelly plateau of Cantenac, the vineyard embodies the characteristic variations of the Margaux appellation. Expertly cultivated, it produces wines with a distinct identity, representing the epitome of the richness of this 3rd Grand Cru Classified in 1855, with a vineyard that has remained virtually unchanged. 

The Schÿler and Thierry families, alongside Philippe Delfaut, Managing Director, are dedicated to perpetuating their efforts to create exceptional wines, promising an ongoing pursuit of excellence in a property renowned for its undeniable charm. 

Practical information

Adress: 33460 Cantenac 
Website: Château-kirwan.com

Ideally situated on the banks of the Dordogne in Arveyres, the vineyard of Château Larteau enjoys a mild and temperate climate where the vine has thrived for three centuries. 

A gem of architecture lies hidden just twenty minutes from the center of Bordeaux. This magnificent Bordeaux building now opens its doors to the public for cultural events, oenotourisim, and receptions. 

In 2023, Château Larteau was acquired along with three other properties with strong potential and complementary terroirs (Clos Bel Air in Pomerol, Château Tour Saint Pierre in the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation, and Château Sénilhac, Cru Bourgeois of Haut-Médoc) by the duo of Pierre-Yves Rigaux, owner, and Denis Chazarain, General Manager. Together, they are spearheading the renewal and development of exciting projects for these vineyards. 

Practical information 

Adress: 1 lieu dit Larteau, 33500 Arveyres 
Website: https://chateau-larteau.com/

Eve de Rothschild, one of the four daughters of Benjamin and Ariane de Rothschild, has contributed to the revitalization of the castle by lending her name to a new cuvée, thus honoring values dear to the Rothschild family: audacity, excellence, and transmission. Since May 2022, the Malengin and des Laurets castles have been hosting the artwork Vortex, a special commission by Ariane and Eve de Rothschild to Florian and Michael Quistrebert, two prominent figures in the contemporary art scene. 

The Cuvée Eve of Château de Malengin is aged for twelve months predominantly in amphorae, whose shape creates a vortex that naturally re-suspends the fine lees, enriching and softening the wine. Enthralled by the amphora, Florian and Michael Quistrebert immediately seized upon it to conceive the artwork VORTEX, two spirals of light revealing the beauty of the cellars without disrupting their functionality. Discreet presences in the dimness when turned off, they illuminate their surroundings when switched on. According to the duo: "What's interesting about light is the ambivalence that swings it from the sacred to the material, from the esoteric to the technological..." 

Practical information 

Website: https://edmondderothschildheritage.com/fr/  

Château Smith Haut Lafitte invites you to uncover the secrets of its sculptures amidst the Bordeaux vineyards. As you stroll through the rows of Cabernets and other emblematic grape varieties of the estate, you'll discover, through quirky anecdotes, the reasons behind the presence of these artworks in the vineyards of this classified growth.  

While the rabbit, fond of young vine shoots, is not the winegrower’s friend, the hare, which does not consume them, keeps the rabbit away and thus protects the vineyard.  

It is with this vigneron emblem that the discovery of the chateau's sculptures begins Barry Flanagan's bronze hare watches over its plot of Cabernet. Florence and Daniel Cathiard have scattered monumental sculptures throughout their vineyard over the years for personal reasons and because of encounters. 

Pactical information

Owners: Florence et Daniel Cathiard  
Adress: 33650 Martillac  
Website: www.smith-haut-lafitte.com  

From March to September 2024, Danish artist Nina Beier is invited to occupy the Nave of the Capc for a mid-career retrospective spanning nearly twenty years of practice. The artist's project, titled "Auto," is presented jointly at the Capc and at Kiasma in Helsinki, Finland. "Auto" marks the artist's first solo exhibition in a French institution. 

Marble lions, remote-controlled luxury cars, elephant slides, fake Chinese porcelain: using objects gleaned from online platforms, Nina Beier employs juxtapositions and distortions to reveal the mutations and paradoxes of our cultural archetypes. For over 15 years, the artist has been exploring the underlying narratives contained within everyday consumer objects that we produce, acquire, use, and discard. 

Practical information

Adress: 7 rue Ferrère, Bordeaux 
Website: https://www.capc-bordeaux.fr/ 

Supporting contemporary creation through the establishment of an art collection to bring it to the attention of the widest audience possible is the commitment that formed the DNA of Frac Aquitaine in 1982, renamed Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA in February 2019. Combining missions of dissemination and mediation, collection, and production in close collaboration with artists, Frac develops an artistic program with a range of partners in the region, resulting in inventive actions and shared moments around the artworks. 

Practical information

Adress: 5 Parv. Corto Maltese, 33000 Bordeaux 
Website: https://fracnouvelleaquitaine-meca.fr/ 

The late 2000s marked a turning point for Bordeaux as it became a UNESCO World Heritage city. The eyes of the world turned to the "sleeping beauty," whose architectural potential is unparalleled. Agnès Guiot, who studied there, remembers it as a city where life is good. After 15 years spent imagining, creating, and managing a brasserie and two hotels facing the ocean in Biarritz, Agnès feels the growing enthusiasm for majestic Gascony. Her international clients who stay in her Biarritz establishments echo the interest in her. 

So Agnès, who had in mind to create a new hotel, visits the port city. She has an appointment for her first visit at 108 rue de l'Abbé de l'Épée. It's love at first sight! The perfect encounter between a creative woman and a typically Bordelais mansion from the 19th century. 

Practical information

Adress: 108 rue de l'Abbé de l’Épée, 33000 Bordeaux 
Website: https://www.yndohotelbordeaux.fr/

The museum offers visitors from all backgrounds a broad panorama of European art from the 15th to the 20th century. It features works by renowned artists such as Titian, Veronese, Rubens, Van Dyck, Chardin, Delacroix, Corot, Picasso, and Matisse, as well as significant holdings such as those from the Dutch school of the 17th century. The collections also include rich sets of works by three famous artists of Bordeaux origin, Redon, Marquet, and Lhote. 

Practical information  

Adress: 20, cours d'Albret, 33 000 Bordeaux 
Website: https://www.musba-bordeaux.fr/