Unique Packaging of Cuvée Elena  to Be Presented at Professional Design Competitions

Cuvée Elena by Chateau La Grace Dieu des Prieurs, the first Chardonnay from the Saint-Emilion commune, will appear before the wine gurus. The 2019 vintage has entered the Chardonnay Masters 2020 competition. According to the terms of the competition, a panel of judges, consisting of 10 Masters of Wine and leading wine experts from all over the world, conducts blind evaluation of submitted Chardonnays.

While awaiting the results of the Chardonnay Masters 2020, the Chateau La Grace Dieu des Prieurs team is gearing up for further opportunities to present the new wine. In the coming year, the unique design of Cuvée Elena will be presented in a number of professional wine design competitions, including The Drinks Business Design and Packaging Award, IWSC Design Award, as well as the international design competitions Red Dot Award, iF DESIGN AWARD and A ‘Packaging Design Award.

The key visual feature of the Chardonnay by Chateau La Grace Dieu des Prieurs is the design and decoration of its bottle. The original idea came from the winery owner Andrei Filatov, who considers himself a disciple of Jean Nouvel, one of the world’s foremost architects and author of the Chateau La Grace Dieu des Prieurs architectural reconstruction projects.

One of the very first tasters of the new Chardonnay, Jean Nouvel said it was “singular” and “elevated”. According to the architect, “its radiant, clear colour makes it akin to transparent gold … and, on the pallet, its subtle complexity transforms its depth into addictive infiltration of gold …”.

Elena is bottled in unique magnums handcrafted by master glass blowers Mauro Falco and Joel Laffargue at France’s oldest artisanal glass workshop labelled ‘Living Heritage Enterprise’. The delicate floral decoration is also applied to the glass by hand, and artist Viktor Kirilov paints each bottle individually.

Elena 2019 is bottled in 1,300 bottles of two types: transparent and frosted. The entire crop will be sold at charity auctions and the proceeds will be used to help children with severe illnesses.