The French oenologist and former winery owner Bruno Prats shaped a new quality standard through his activities. In 1970, he inherited the Château Cos d'Estournel in Saint-Estèphe with two brothers and managed it until 1998. During this time, he achieved an enormous improvement in quality through meticulous and uncompromising measures and methods. In the Bordeaux classification of 1855, the château was classified second (Deuxième Cru Classé). Prat's wine was later given the winged term "Super-Second". This means that it would actually earn the first rank (Premier Cru Classé) due to its high quality. His son Jean Guillaume has followed in his footsteps, now running the winery as his father's successor. Bruno Prats always attached great importance to the distinctiveness of the origin and the associated philosophy of the unity of soil, climate and grape varieties. He created a memorable definition for the term terroir. Since the sale of his winery, he has been active worldwide as a consultant or in joint ventures, among others in Portugal with the port house Symington, as well as in Chile and South Africa.
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Sigi Hiss
freier Autor und Weinberater (Fine, Vinum u.a.), Bad Krozingen