Gide Loyrette Nouel advises Chinese group COFCO

PRESS RELEASE
21 February 2011 Paris
Beijing
Gide Loyrette Nouel advises Chinese group COFCO
on the acquisition of an AOC vineyard in the Bordeaux region
Gide Loyrette Nouel (GLN) has advised the giant Chinese agribusiness group COFCO on the
acquisition of Château de Viaud, a leading vineyard set in the prestigious Lalande-de-Pomerol
wine growing area.
This operation follows several other more modest acquisitions by Chinese private investors
and is a sign of China's growing interest in French wine growing excellence and a response to
the exponential increase in demand in the country for fine quality wines.
Listed in Hong Kong and majority-owned by the Chinese State, COFCO is the largest
Chinese agribusiness conglomerate with annual sales of over USD 21 billion. COFCO, whose
portfolio also includes the Great Wall wine brand, is the leading Chinese wine producer and
was selected as the official supplier for the Beijing Olympic Games.
The seller, Philippe Raoux, is a Bordeaux wine grower and merchant who has been a
significant driving force in the recent development of the local wine market. He owns several
wine estates such as the Château d’Arsac (famous for its Margaux wines and works of art)
and in 2007 opened La Winery, a unique complex dedicated to wine tourism in the Bordeaux
region.
The GLN team advising COFCO was led by Guillaume Rougier-Brierre, partner, and Arnaud
Lunel, from the Paris office, assisted by Chen Aihua in Beijing. COFCO was advised on
financial aspects by Jean-Luc Coupet, the founder of Wine Bankers. Ernst & Young (Valerie
Scappaticci) was in charge of social and accounting due diligence
This same team is regularly instructed on transactions between China and Europe and, in the
wine sector, previously advised Domaines Baron de Rothschild on a partnership with Chinese
bank CITIC in Penglai, in the Shandong region, for the launch of a local fine wine.
Notes to Editors
Gide Loyrette Nouel is a premier international law firm and the first to have originated in France.
Founded in Paris in 1920, the Firm now operates from 19 offices in 15 countries. It has 650 lawyers,
including 103 partners, drawn from 40 different nationalities. Gide Loyrette Nouel offers some of the
most respected specialists in each of the various sectors of national and international finance and
business law. For further information, please visit our website: www.gide.com.

2.
For further information, please contact:
Gide Loyrette Nouel
David Maurizot - Communications & Marketing Officer (China)
Tel. +86 (21) 5306 8899 - E-mail: maurizot@gide.com
M: Communications
Georgina Briscoe - Tel. +44 20 7920 2348 - E-mail: briscoe@mcomgroup.com
Maria Souvorov - Tel. +44 20 7920 2327 - E-mail: souvorov@mcomgroup.com