Enjoying wine is certainly the least selfish of pleasures, and establishing a vineyard is equally ill-suited to a retiring or solitary person. When I decided to restore Château Clarke, in the heart of Médoc, my idea was to throw open the gates of this sizeable estate so that everyone could discover my passion for wine.

Wine is a living substance, and every step of its development reflects the rich complexities of life: the riot of organisms at work in the vineyard; the quickening of fermentation; the teeming minds of the vintner and his staff. I wanted to acquaint you with all these stages and let you sense their quiet vitality.

The essential feature of life is continuity, the unbroken chain of operations which ends when a Bordeaux we have so patiently nurtured delights your palate at last.

Reviving a vineyard demands much time and effort. When you taste my wines, you will understand the pride I feel in having re-established a great estate and in seeing you experience its modern facilities, where new enhancements are being found each year for the wines we bring forth from the earth.