This very old vineyard, which features on 18th century maps, is planted in a single block of vines. The chateau, cellar and outbuildings are located in the centre of the estate, surrounded by lovely grounds covering one and a half hectares.

M. Loubat, great grandfather of Chateau Ripeau's present owner, Françoise de Wilde (and brother of the woman who bought Chateau Pétrus) acquired the estate In 1917.

Madame de Wilde is completely devoted to making quality wine and realising her vineyard's full potential, seeing as it belongs to the very closed club of Saint-Emilion Grands Crus Classés.

The interview with Madame de Wilde took place in the lovely, calm setting of the chateau grounds, where numerous varieties of trees are planted. A former owner designed their layout and planted them in the late 19th century. Madame de Wilde's attachment to her family's estate is patent in everything she has to say about it.

She points out and comments on all the trees with the know-how of an experienced botanist. Most of the trees are quite tall, but there are other, smaller, ones that she herself planted.

Madame de Wilde remembers back to her childhood in a way that makes you think it is never far from her mind: "When I was young, I used to climb up these trees with my older brother and hide there. I know every single rut in the road that goes through the grounds and all the roots we needed to avoid on our bicycles. " Mention of the chateau building brings a smile to Madame de Wilde's face as she recounts an anecdote : "At the beginning of the 20th century, Ripeau belonged to a certain M. Gunsberg who was manager of the casino at Monte-Carlo, and who also owned a large collection of furniture and works of art. When my great grandfather Loubat wanted to buy Ripeau in 1917, the price seemed rather high to him. In order to clinch the deal, M. Gunsberg, who really needed the money, agreed to sell the chateau "as is", including all the furniture, which is still there today".

Françoise de Wilde took over managing the estate from her father in 1976. "I had never been trained for such a job, and was not at all prepared. I grew up thinking that my older brother would inevitably take over from my father. My brother's decision not to manage Ripeau left me with an enormous responsibility. However, I have always had an instinctive relationship with grape vines. I grew up in a family environment in which the difficulties of the moment in the vineyard had a major effect on my parents' mood. I learned to deal with problems inherent to grape growing. My entire childhood took place according to the rhythm of work at Ripeau... I thus decided to throw myself into the job with all my energy. The state of the estate at that time called for some far-reaching improvements. I changed just about everything. Above all, I wanted to give Ripeau a new sort of outreach, to welcome visitors and to make the chateau better known. This is a natural reflection of my personality. My first investment was to convert the former vat room into a reception room. The vineyard was in fairly good condition at the time, and the state of the winemaking facilities did not call for a complete renovation. Fermentations were not temperature-controlled in the mid-seventies, and winemaking techniques in general were far less sophisticated than they are today".

A cellar for ageing wine in barrel and another for storing bottled wine were built... In 1997, exactly eighty years after my family acquired the estate, I gave myself the most wonderful gift possible: a new, state-of-the-art two hundred square metre fermentation cellar. Without false modesty, I can say that Ripeau now has a perfectly designed and modern facility, even though certain people say that my investments were done in the wrong order... I consider all these major changes in the context of my family's ongoing commitment to Ripeau. I feel less the "owner" of the chateau than the temporary guardian of a precious heritage to which I make a heartfelt contribution.."