At this year’s edition of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, set to run from 14 to 16 February,
seven Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels estates in the Médoc will share a stand inspired by
“the Exceptional”, and featuring artist Camille Rousseau creating a new artwork in realtime. The official unveiling of the completed work is scheduled for Tuesday 15 February
at noon. After the trade fair, the painting will be donated to charity.
7 Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels
United under the “Exceptional Médoc” banner, 7 of the 14 châteaux in the region which were
awarded Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel status in the 2020 classification will be on hand to present their wines at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris. Visitors can find “L’Exceptionnel” (Stand no. H3 EF 128) in the exhibition centre.
The 7 Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels taking part are:
• Château d’ARSAC, Margaux
Among the oldest estates in the Médoc, Château d’Arsac has a long and storied history.
Over the past 30 years, Château d’Arsac has carved its own path, combining “Taste and
Beauty” in both its exceptional wine and its renowned collection of contemporary
sculptures. A thousand-year-old history, vast grounds and vines as far as the eye can see,
brightly coloured contemporary artworks: the estate is a real fairy tale setting, where you
can almost imagine a unicorn peeking out from behind the Klein blue cellar.
• Château BELLE VUE, Haut-Médoc
A small, family estate owned by the heirs of Vincent Mulliez, and very recently acquired by
Treasury Wine Estates France, Château Belle-Vue is a charming manor house located on the
famous Route des Châteaux. Winner of the Cru Bourgeois Cup in 2016 and awarded Cru
Bourgeois Exceptionnel status in 2020, the vineyard is located on the border with the
Margaux appellation. The vines are tended in the traditional manner. Château Belle-Vue is
an original wine, characterised by a high proportion of Petit Verdot in the final blend.
The same team is behind the wines of Château de Gironville, Château Bolaire and Petit
Verdot by Belle-Vue, a rare and sought-after cuvée made with 100% Petit Verdot from old
vines, and partly aged in Italian amphorae.
• Château CAMBON LA PELOUSE, Haut-Médoc
Another of the oldest surviving châteaux in the Médoc, this estate is known to have
exported wine to England since the 17th century, and to the Netherlands since the 18th
century. At the time of the French Revolution the château belonged to the Cambon family,
after whom it is named. Remarkably located on the fringes of the Margaux appellation,
Château Cambon La Pelouse boasts a superb, 65-hectare vineyard. In August 2019, the
Australian firm Treasury Wine Estates made their very first acquisition in France when they
took over the reins at Château Cambon la Pelouse. The group’s priorities are clear: the
quality of the terroir, the excellence of the technical facilities and the superb work of the
estate’s staff.
Château LESTAGE, Listrac-Médoc
Set atop the highest point in the Médoc, on a terroir of Pyrenean gravel and clay-limestone
soils, Château Lestage is one of the jewels in the crown of the Listrac-Médoc appellation.
Its wines, which feature a high proportion of Merlot, are powerful, elegant and velvety
smooth, while maintaining perfectly balanced freshness. The Chanfreau family has owned
the château for 60 years, transforming it into an exceptional estate!
Château MALESCASSE, Haut-Médoc
Located in Lamarque, between Margaux and Saint-Julien and just a stone’s throw from the
Gironde estuary, Malescasse occupies a superb gravelly outcrop which produces one of the
finest wines in the Haut-Médoc appellation.
The estate is blessed with some formidable assets, not least its terroir, its winemaking
practices, its technical facilities and its wealth of expertise. Over the past decade, Château
Malescasse has undergone a quality revolution which puts it at the forefront of
contemporary viticulture and wine culture. Committed to protecting the environment, the
terroir and the well-being of the estate’s team, Château Malescasse has adopted
sustainable practices. With its bespoke tasting room, boutique, gardens and fullyrenovated manor house, Château Malescasse has become a popular, bustling wine tourism
destination.
• Château MALLERET, Haut-Médoc
Located in the southern reaches of the Haut-Médoc appellation, Château de Malleret is a
legendary estate whose name has been familiar to lovers of fine wine since 1860. After all
this time, the estate has never looked better and is resolutely turned towards the future.
The vines, planted in Médoc gravel soils, are now hitting peak maturity, and the most recent
vintages have benefited from the installation of state-of-the-art winemaking facilities,
allowing for precise plot selection and gravity-flow fermentation. With guidance from
Stéphane Derenoncourt, Château de Malleret began the process of converting to organic
winemaking practices in 2021, and will be fully certified in 2023.
• Château PAVEIL DE LUZE, Margaux
Owned by the Luze family since 1862, Château Paveil de Luze is distinctive in more than one
respect. In front of the château, laid out like a garden, the estate’s 32 hectares of vines are
planted in a single block, running east to west and rooted in the same deep gravel soils that
have provided natural drainage and produced wines of finesse and character for three
centuries. This is the perfect terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to express
themselves to the full. The estate is a family affair first and foremost, with a reputation
founded on respect for the terroir and the environment, and benefiting from the invaluable
advice of Stéphane Derenoncourt and Simon Blanchard since 2010.
A celebration of the Exceptional by artist Camille Rousseau
“Exceptional”: a term with a long history which has become synonymous with the 7 châteaux
represented here at Wine Paris. Used in the very first official Crus Bourgeois classification in 1932 to denote an estate of the utmost distinction, the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel label recognises the supreme quality of the wines, a consecration for the châteaux ushered into the elite circle of Crus Bourgeois.
“Exceptional” carries the promise of a tasting experience that entrances the senses, with a rich
array of aromas and a texture of palpable elegance backed up by a rich, dense substance. It is these sensations and emotions that Camille Rousseau will explore as she paints a 200 x 125 cm canvas live at the L’Exceptionnel stand. The official unveiling of the completed work is scheduled for Tuesday at noon. After the event, the painting will be donated to charity and take on a whole new life.
Exceptional earth
Camille Rousseau’s colour palette is dominated by warm hues, golds and greens, evoking the
nourishing power of the earth. The artist drills down into the most minute details, bringing out
facets invisible to the naked eye. In the process, she rediscovers the sparkle hidden in the depths of the earth. A sort of alchemy reminiscent of the famous soils of the Médoc, an age-old history of absorption and extraction which the Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels draw upon to produce their extraordinary wines.
Camille Rousseau is a French artist whose work spans multiple disciplines. Born in
Paris, she has lived and worked in Amsterdam since 2015. She studied graphic design,
then specialised in film and 3D animation in Arles, France, before studying for an MA
in Illustration and Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, London. Her work reflects a
fascination with the concept of gesture and a constant exploration of the potential of
a single, simple form: the line. Her visual language, infused with movement and
repetition, is built upon simple raw materials: carbon paper, ink, pigments and pastels
that she uses to craft poetic evocations of the organic world. In her works, birds,
branches, stones and feathers form harmonious wholes in full bloom, inspired by the
air and sometimes by music. Her artistic career thus far has followed two parallel
paths: the first is a journey of individual expression which has seen her works exhibited
in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Amman, Salzburg and Amsterdam. The second is a series
of commissioned projects which have seen her collaborate as both illustrator and
designer with a vast array of clients, from advertising to publishing, packaging, interior
design and brand development. These projects provide opportunities for exploration
and investigation, feeding into her more abstract, experimental creations.
EXHIBITION – LECTURE – TEACHING :
2021 La Bourboule, FR : Les Grands Thermes
NNIPAS in Residence
2019 Amsterdam, NL: Exhibition: New Werktheater Gallery
IN STILLNESS WE MOVE
2017 Vienna, Austria: Exhibition: Les Invisibles Leica Gallery
2016 Superette Gallery: Watch the music.
2016 Leitz-Park, Germany: Exhibition: Les Invisibles Leica Gallery
2015 BA, Teaching Illustration Brighton University tutorial
2014 Jordan: Exhibition: Amman Festival de L’image 2014, NNIPAS in Residence
2014 Lecture Diploma in Architecture – RIBA Part 2 Gesture of drawing
2013 Lecture MA Graphic design Kingston University Lecture on Interdisciplinary
2013 BA, Teaching Illustration Brighton University tutorial
2009 Exhibition London Kiddel Gallery, Sotheby’s London Small Show Huge Talent Series based on New York City
2007 MA Final Show Exhibition at the Mall Gallery, London
