After 20 years owning and managing wine bars and restaurants in the City of London, Philip and Sarah Iles bought Château Lezongars to fulfil a lifelong dream to make and sell wine.

The Iles family took over at Château Lezongars in 1998 and since then the winery has gone from strength to strength. Formerly a bulk wine business, Philip, Sarah and Russell changed the direction of the winery to make and bottle premium wines that are a true reflection of the surrounding terroir.

Russell Iles joined the family business in September 1999 after a career in Marine Underwriting in London and a year working with wine negociants Cheval Quancard in Bordeaux. He has a degree in Languages and European Business Affairs and is fluent in French and Spanish (he says although no-one has ever heard him speak Spanish!) Russell manages the sales and marketing side of the business.

Since taking over the Château, the family has embarked on an ambitious investment programme both in the vineyard and the winery to make the best wine possible from the surrounding terroir. In addition to Marielle, experienced and high profile consultants are employed to assist the family achieve its winemaking goals.

And finally, this section wouldn’t be complete without mention of Bollinger, the Iles’s black laborador who is, in a word, ‘king’ at Château Lezongars. Once this handsome mutt starts ‘padding’ through the vines nibbling grapes, the team at the Château know that harvest can’t be that far off!