Who makes it
The Touma family has been making wine in the Bekaa Valley since 1888. When they relaunched as Château Heritage in 1997, they did not build a new winery. They found an abandoned school built in 1927 during the French Mandate period, renovated its stone walls, moved in the equipment, and released their first bottles. The winery still operates from that building today.
The estate sits near Baalbek, the ancient city whose Roman Temple of Bacchus remains one of the best-preserved temples in the world. It is a setting that places contemporary Lebanese winemaking inside a history of viticulture stretching back long before France or Rome arrived. In 2025, Château Heritage was ranked No. 33 in The World's 50 Best Vineyards, placing it among a short list of estates whose combination of wine, place, and experience draws serious international attention.
Where it grows
The Bekaa Valley runs north to south between the Lebanon Mountains to the west and the Anti-Lebanon range to the east. It is a high-altitude plateau, lying between 900 and 1,100 metres in its central sections, with a strongly continental climate: cold winters, dry summers, and intense sun. The altitude moderates what would otherwise be extreme heat, preserving acidity in the grapes and extending the growing season enough for Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen fully without becoming jammy or heavy.
Baalbek, in the northern Bekaa, anchors the region's claim to antiquity. The Temple of Bacchus, god of wine, was built by Roman engineers in the 2nd century AD, on a site where the Phoenicians had already been cultivating vines for centuries. Château Heritage sits in this landscape, close enough that the ruins form part of the view from the estate.
How it is made
The cellar
Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary grape at Château Heritage. Cinsault appears as a blending partner in Cuvée Saint Elie Red. The combination is common in Lebanese red wine production, where Cabernet Sauvignon provides dark fruit and tannin and Cinsault contributes aromatic lift and a softer mid-palate.
The estate produces multiple cuvées across the range. Oak ageing is part of the cellar programme: the Saint Elie shows toasted oak character on the nose, integrated into the wine alongside dark fruit rather than dominating it.
What they make
Cuvée Saint Elie Red is the signature bottle. It is built on Cabernet Sauvignon with Cinsault in a supporting role, and it carries the density and oak integration that the Bekaa's high-altitude growing conditions make possible. The wine shows dark fruit on the nose, firm tannins, and a structured mouthfeel built for the table rather than for immediate fruit-forward drinking.
The estate produces additional cuvées beyond Saint Elie, and white wine varieties are grown. The range extends the Château Heritage style across price points and occasions. Saint Elie offers the clearest view of what the winery does with its core red grape.