L’Entre-deux-Mers and Saint-Emilion

A spell-binding natural region in Aquitaine renowned for its vineyards and cultural heritage, L’Entre-deux-Mers proposes undulating and very varied scenery. Just like the remarkable medieval town of Saint-Emilion, just nearby.

Lying east of Bordeaux between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, L’Entre-deux-Mers (from the Gascon term “mar” meaning both “sea” and “river”) consists of vine-covered slopes and wooded hillsides skirted by many streams and addresses of character with rich gastronomic and architectural heritages. Ancestral know-how and an appealing environment also discovered in Saint-Emilion (pop. approx. 2,000), a medieval village listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage and a big tourist draw.

“In this sought-after area, we propose lots of charming properties with generous living space and valuable historic features, such as authentic master residences, “chartreuses” and “vigneronnes” (vintners’ homes), but also high-class contemporary and architect-designed homes,” explains William Andrieu, property consultant with the Agence B. Lafaye (ex-Maison Le Deunff founded in 1935 and taken over in 1979), specializing in prestige properties in Bordeaux and within a radius of 100 km. “Some clients also appreciate proximity to water and views of the Garonne or Dordogne.” By way of example, he mentions among his most recent transactions a fully renovated property of 325 m2 (plus outbuildings) on about 6.4 acres of land covered with vines, which sold for 900,000 €, and an 18th-C. master residence with a guardians’ house and outbuildings on almost 10 acres of land, priced at 1.1 million euros. “We also see steady demand for vineyard properties with budgets usually ranging from 1 to 1.3 million euros : young or future retirees, who want to experience the adventure of cultivating vines. Above 1.5 million euros, it usually involves institutions which prefer to invest in “grands crus”.” Ex-pats preparing their return to the region and residents of Bordeaux wanting to distance themselves from the city centre and obtain larger surface areas also form part of the agency’s clientele.

”Our buyers in this area are mostly businessmen from all over the world looking for main or holiday homes,” says Karin Maxwell, associate manageress of Christie’s Inter­national Real Estate - Maxwell-Storrie-Baynes, an agency opened in 2009 specializing in high-end properties in Bordeaux and all of south-west France. Its portfolio contains country houses priced from 500,000 € and vineyard properties ranging from 1 million to several hundred million euros for listed vintages. “Properties in perfect condition with high-quality appointments and well-maintained exteriors are the most widely sought-after.” As witnessed by a vineyard property of approx. 74 acres in L’Entre-deux-Mers with a swimming pool and beautiful view, acquired by a French client, and a “Girondine” house near Saint-Emilion with six bedrooms and 4.45 acres of land, acquired by English clients, in the 850,000 to 1 M € bracket. “As regards the vineyard market, the clientele is, of course, aware of the importance of the wine’s quality, but also of the installations and their level of conformity, although Chinese buyers focus their attention on the château’s architecture and the natural beauty of the environment,” says Karin Maxwell, previously a wine-dealer and an expert on Bordeaux wines in the UK.