The company's origins date back to 1840, when Pierre Dourthe (*1811) opened a wine shop on the occasion of his marriage in the commune of Lit-et-Mixe in south-west France. His son Jean Dourthe (1841-1905) moved the company to Bordeaux in 1870. The two sons Jules alias Georges (1871-1946) and Arthur Dourthe (1875-1963) founded their own trading business under the name "George Dourthe et Compagnie" in 1910. Subsequently, they also took over several wineries. The two brothers André (1901-1975) and Roger Dourthe (1900-1984) founded their own company under the name "Dourthe Frères". Roger's son Philippe joined the company in 1964. Finally, in 1966, a merger with the Kressmann company, founded in 1871, took place in the form of the CVBG Dourthe-Kressmann group (Compagnie des Vins de Bordeaux et de la Gironde). However, Philippe Dourthe left this company in 1982 and founded the trading company "Dourthe Pere et Fils". In 1983, the Delor wine trading company, founded in 1864 by Alphonse Delor, also joined the CVBG. Finally, in 2007, Alain Thiénot (Champagne) took over the majority shares. Since 2008, Patrick Jestin has been in charge as CEO.
The company owns wine estates in Bordeaux with a total vineyard area of 365 hectares and in Languedoc with 260 hectares. These are Château Belgrave (Haut-Médoc), Château Le Boscq (St-Estèphe), Château La Garde (Pessac-Léognan, Graves), Château Maucaillou (Moulis-Médoc), Château Clos de la Tour (Bordeaux), Château Reysson (Haut-Médoc), Château de Sérame (Languedoc) and Château Teyssier (St-Émilion). Furthermore, the company owns the Clos de los Siete wine estate in Argentina. Some branded wines are produced under AOC Bordeaux. These are "Beau Mayne", "Le Cardinal" as well as the most successful brand "Dourthe No. 1" with a red wine (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon) and a white wine (Sauvignon Blanc). The flagship is the red wine "Essence", which is vinified in barriques, with an annual amount of only 6,000 bottles, blended from special sites with eight hectares of vineyards in the Saint-Estèphe, Haut-Médoc and Pessac-Léognan areas. There are partnerships with some wineries, for example Dourthe has the exclusive distribution rights for the production of Château Tronquoy-Lalande (Médoc-Saint-Estèphe) and provides technical support.
