Jonathan Maltus - Château Teyssier, (St-Emilion)

"Since purchasing the estate in 1994, Jonathan and Lyn Maltus have raised the quality of Château Teyssier to rival that of the Crus Classés" (Oz Clarke & Steven Spurrier's Fine Wine Guide, Websters). 

"Everything is done as at the very best châteaux to make a deeply coloured, aromatic wine with ripe fruit, charm and structure and, above all, character. Teyssier is currently among the legion of Grand Crus and is easily of Grand Cru Classé quality" (Steven Spurrier, Decanter 1999)

"Château Teyssier is in hot pursuit of proving that these sandier flat lands can make head turning wines." (The World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson, 2001)

Bordeaux' Château Teyssier is a rising star in St-Emilion - one of two right bank "stellar cellars" according to Williamson & Moore's Wine Behind the Label (the other is the rather more expensive Ausone). The Vineyard Manger is Robert Fortin (ex-Petit-Village, Pomerol), the Consulting Oenologist is Gilles Pauquet (Cheval Blanc etc) and the winemaker is Jonathan Maltus assisted by Cyril Beziat.

The team has steadily improved Teyssier which now must surely rank as one of the greatest value Bordeaux available. Meanwhile, Jonathan has been purchasing more land around the appellation and now produces premium wines including Le Dôme and Laforge. In 2004 he made, for the first time, a wine from the recently acquired Château Grand Destieu which promises great things.

The white Teyssier, "Contre le Vent" is so-called because whilst it is on a par, qualitatively, with the St-Emilion Grand Cru wines, there are of course no white wines permitted by the appellation's rules so it remains an outsider, a mere Bordeaux Blanc, flying against the wind. It seems that Jonathan has stopped making this wine now, focusing his efforts for good everyday white Bordeaux on Pezat (see below).