(Wine-Seacher) - It's musical chairs for some châteaux as two major Bordeaux companies move in the marketplace.

French insurance company MAIF has taken over management of Château Dauzac again, after Vignobles André Lurton (VAL) stepped away from running the château to concentrate on its own properties.

A statement issued by the two companies said: “MAIF, who originally purchased the château in 1982, is now in sole management, and owns 100 percent of the capital”

VAL has had 42-percent of the capital in the Margaux fifth-growth château since 1992, and helped MAIF get it back onto “la Place de Bordeaux”, the major Bordeaux wine-trade marketplace. Since the purchase by MAIF the vineyards and the cellars have been improved.

VAL still remains the négociant for Château Dauzac.

Pascal Le Faucheur, director-general of VAL told AFP that that company’s decision to sell its interest in the property signalled a strategic re-focusing on the family estate, which includes 10 châteaux and 600ha of vineyards in Bordeaux. In particular he mentioned Château la Louvière in Pessac-Léognan and Château Couhins Lurton, a Graves cru classé.

The earliest vineyards of Château Dauzac date back to the Middle Ages, when the Benedictine monks of the Saint-Croix Abbey were developing vineyards in that part of the Médoc.

Another change of ownership has taken place involving the BCAP group, wine négociants and owners of a string of Bordeaux crus classés. The company, which is owned by the Castéja family, announced that it has taken over the majority holding of the Mähler-Besse company. This means that it becomes one of the largest players in Bordeaux.

Mähler-Besse was founded in the early 20th Century and grew to have a turnover 32m euros ($43m). The takeover took place two weeks ago. One member of the family, Franck Mähler-Besse, remains as a minority shareholder.

BCAP, which includes the Borie-Manoux company and has a turnover of 140m euros ($188.5m), had already taken over Grands Vins de Gironde.