The latest release from South Africa’s Glenelly Estate, Lady May 2020, has been hailed as a tribute to the enduring legacy of May de Lencquesaing, the Bordeaux-born wine matriarch whose impact on global viticulture spans a century. Described as embodying “precision, power, and elegance,” the wine celebrates what the estate calls “100 years of grit and grandeur,” in honour of de Lencquesaing’s lifelong pursuit of excellence.
Born in 1925 to Edouard Miailhe, May de Lencquesaing descended from one of Bordeaux’s most storied wine dynasties, with family roots in the region’s wine trade dating back to the 18th century. Despite owning shares in several prestigious Médoc estates — including Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Château Palmer, Siran, Dauzac, and Coufran — the family weathered turbulent times. The Great Depression severely impacted the region, reducing the value of once-legendary vintages such as 1928 and 1929.
The outbreak of World War II brought further upheaval. During the Nazi occupation of Bordeaux, the Miailhe family sheltered two Jewish families at Château Palmer. Following the estate’s seizure by German forces, Edouard Miailhe and his brother fled to Argentina through Bayonne — a daring escape that occurred while May was still a teenager. These formative experiences would shape her philosophy of resilience and innovation in wine, later articulated in an interview: “When I wake up in the morning, I always say to myself: let’s be positive and creative. What can I improve around me?”
After the war, de Lencquesaing spent time in Tuscany and lived for several years in Kansas with her husband, General Hervé Jacques-Albéric de Lencquesaing. Her true ascent in the wine world began in 1978, when she inherited Château Pichon Lalande in her fifties. Under her stewardship, the estate underwent sweeping modernization. She stabilized its finances, restructured winemaking operations, and introduced a greater proportion of Merlot into the traditionally Cabernet Sauvignon-focused blend — a bold move that distinguished Pichon Lalande wines from neighbouring Pauillac estates.
The results were historic. Vintages such as 1982 and 1983 earned critical acclaim, cementing the estate’s status as a “Super Second,” producing wines on par with Bordeaux’s First Growths in both quality and price.
In a surprising move in 2003, at the age of 78, de Lencquesaing acquired the 123-hectare Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa — a former fruit farm nestled on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains. Inspired by the terroir’s granite-rich soils and maritime influence, which she felt echoed Bordeaux, she planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc to craft structured, age-worthy wines.
“I didn’t come here to replicate Bordeaux,” de Lencquesaing said. “I came to write a new chapter in a different soil, with the same values, but a different voice.”
Following the sale of Pichon Lalande to Louis Roederer in 2007, de Lencquesaing dedicated herself fully to Glenelly. The estate’s 2020 vintage is now being recognised as a mirror of her spirit.
The 2020 growing season was marked by adversity, including prolonged drought, erratic weather, and harvest delays caused by Covid-19 restrictions. Yet the mature vines produced fruit of remarkable concentration and structure. Winemaker Dirk van Zyl described the resulting Lady May 2020 as “one of the most intricate wines to come out of the cellar.” A Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend, it features increased Cabernet Franc for aromatic lift, Petit Verdot for depth, and Merlot for mid-palate roundness. The wine was matured for two years in French oak, followed by three years in bottle — a Gran Reserva-style aging philosophy rarely seen in South Africa.
Since 2020, Glenelly Estate has been overseen by Nicolas Bureau, one of de Lencquesaing’s ten grandchildren and the former head of the estate’s export operations. Under his leadership, the estate continues to build on the foundation laid by de Lencquesaing — a foundation forged over a century marked by perseverance, transformation, and a relentless commitment to excellence.
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