La Mission has been protected over the
centuries by Saint Vincent de Paul.

Like the prestigious Haut-Brion, the estate of La Mission was created in the first half of the XVIth Century.

On June 17th, 1540, Louis de Roustaing, lord of La Tour, sold the "Arrejedhuys", a piece of land around which the estate was built, to Arnaut de Lestonnac, merchant in Bordeaux.

Arnaut de Lestonnac married Marie de Pontac, sister of Jean de Pontac, owner of Haut-Brion. He knew the extraordinary potential for vineyards of the "Graves" of Haut-Brion. Therefore, as early as 1540, he built, row after row, parcels after parcels, an estate dedicated only to wine.

His son Pierre continued his work. His grand-daughter Olive, wife of Marc- Antoine de Gourgues, President of the Parliament of Bordeaux juste before Arnaud III de Pontac, took charge in 1607.

On March 30, 1650, Olive de Lestonnac, dame of Margaux, willed the estate of La Mission to the good friars.

The order of the priests of la Mission was founded by Saint Vincent de Paul.

Saint Vincent de Paul with King Louis XIV, cardinal de Richelieu and Anne d'Autriche.

In 1664, after many years of refusal, the heir of Olive de Lestonnac, Catherine de Mullet, relinquished the estate to the priests.

The friars were the real founders of the vineyard which met with considerable success in the 18th century.

A legend...

An amusing story about saint Vincent has crossed the centuries. God sent him to visit his vineyards. When he arrived at La Mission, the friars welcomed him. He took such a fancy to the wine that he never went back to Heaven to report to God. As a punishment, he was turned into a statue of stone in the chais.

The statue of saint Vincent is supposed to lie somewhere in the chais but no one has found it yet !

... and the truth!

Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac,
related to
Olive de Lestonnac,
owner of La Mission and
dame of Margaux