CHÂTEAU LANDAT BORDEAUX, FRANCE

Listed as a wine growing estate in 1881, Château Landat was already registered as Cru Bourgeois in 1908 and was famous for producing charming and elegant wines. In the mid-seventies, Gabriel Fabre purchased the estate from Mr. Normandin, the former owner. In 1982 Vincent Fabre joined his father in running not just Landat but the other properties his family owns, almost all in the HautMédoc near Vertheuil and Cissac-Medoc. Today Domaines Fabre is unusual not just for the quality and value of their wines, but for the fact that they sell their wines directly, rather than going through agents, courtiers or the informal network of wine negotiants that control most sales in Bordeaux.