Our origins
Cordouan Lighthouse
Cap Royal owes its name to the Cordouan lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Europe.
A lighthouse steeped in history...
Since ancient times, the mouth of the Gironde estuary has had a dismal reputation. The dangerous nature of the area has earned it the reputation of a marine cemetery. However, as far back as ancient times, tradition records the presence of hermits who lit fires for sailors and prayed for their souls on the islet of Cordouan… Several buildings are said to have stood in the sea on the present site of Cordouan before historical documents attested to this.
"The English Tower
Around 1360, a fire tower was rebuilt, nicknamed the “Tour aux Anglais”. The Black Prince (Edward Prince of Wales), leader of the English armies occupying Guyenne, ordered that the mouth of the Gironde be secured. The primitive Cordouan lighthouse emerged, a 16-metre-high polygonal tower, topped by a platform on which a hermit was in charge of stoking a nightly wood fire. Over the centuries, the primitive lighthouse evolved into its present form.
"The Versailles of the Sea"
Classified as a historic monument in 1862, at the same time as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, it is now classified as a Monument Historique and officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021. Its grandiose architecture makes the Cordouan lighthouse the “Versailles of the sea”, a lighthouse unique in the world. It was nicknamed “King of Lighthouses”, “Lighthouse of Kings”.
Cap Royal, an exclusivivty of
Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus
In less than 35 years, Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus has established itself as a key player in the Bordeaux wine trade, both in France and abroad.
More than a company, it’s above all a team that listens to you every day and does its utmost to offer you the assurance of top-quality wines.
Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus is a 100% subsidiary of AXA Millésimes, the AXA Group’s wine business unit, which includes some of the world’s finest Châteaux.
Pierre Montégut,
A signature
Arrived in May 2022 following the retirement of Jean-René Matignon, after 36 years as Technical Director of Château Pichon Baron and Château Pibran. Technical Director of Château Suduiraut in Sauternes since 2004, Pierre now holds this position for all three estates, Château Pichon Baron, Château Pibran and Château Suduiraut.
A promise
“Cap Royal is a new philosophy, a new challenge for me: to select the best and create a pleasure wine that can be enjoyed by wine lovers all over the world.”
Cap Royal, an art of living
Pierre Montégut’s team works with different estates from one vintage to the next, in search of the best terroirs in Bordeaux. The aim is to offer maximum diversity in the wines selected.
Cap Royal Bordeaux Supérieur
The different batches selected by Pierre Montégut are all vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats to preserve the wine’s fruity character. The richness on the palate that we aim to achieve with Cap Royal is expressed through a smooth texture enhanced by vanilla notes brought out by ageing in oak barrels.
