(Decanter) - The sale of St-Estèphe’s Phelan Segur has been confirmed this morning (05 September), with the 70-hectare property passing from the hands of brothers Thierry, Laurent and Stéphane Gardinier to Philippe Van de Vyvere, Belgian owner of Sea-Invest shipping company.

Speculation about a deal had been growing in Bordeaux and it follows a string of acquisitions in the region so far this year.

Phélan Ségur is one of the most highly regarded châteaux in St-Estèphe in the north of Médoc.

‘We have decided to devote the bulk of our future investments to the fine-food trades and high end hotel business,’ the Gardinier brothers said in a press release.

‘Wine is one of our great passions and is still central to our business, so we will be keeping in close contact with our winegrowing friends.’