Château LAGUIOLE® Grand Cru
Château LAGUIOLE corkscrew Grand Cru Norwegian Birch wood
REF: CLGC3054
Two wide bolsters, built for intensive service
The Château LAGUIOLE® Grand Cru is the House's sommelier corkscrew designed for intensive service. It keeps the lines of the Château LAGUIOLE® Classic, the first luxury sommelier knife, launched in 1993, and reinforces them with two wide stainless steel bolsters, the metal caps that cover each end of the handle. Where the Classic has one, the Grand Cru carries two: they enhance both the line and the sturdiness of the tool. Everything else is the mechanism that built the brand's reputation: a forged bee on the spring, guilloché work (the decorative engraving chiselled along the back of the spring), a serrated foil cutter, and a body and lever in Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel. This model is made for the sommelier who opens many bottles every service, and for the wine lover who wants a tool built to last. It comes in 21 handle materials, from wood to mother-of-pearl, in a brushed or mirror finish, and engraving is free. Among Château LAGUIOLE® sommelier corkscrews, the Grand Cru is best understood next to the Classic: the same 11.4 cm closed length, the same 4.06 cm foil cutter, the same steel, but two bolsters instead of one and 100 g instead of 90 g. The Edge is a Grand Cru with coloured edge liners, called spacers, in blue, red or yellow. The Melchior keeps a single bolster and adopts a wide, generous handle (95 g). The Best Sommelier of the World collection offers, with one or two bolsters, a model named after each winner of the ASI competition. For the same material, the price gap between Classic and Grand Cru is small (black horn: 225 € for the Classic, 230 € for the Grand Cru); the choice comes down to how often you use it and which silhouette you prefer. Château LAGUIOLE® was born in 1993 on the initiative of Guy Vialis, a sommelier who wanted to turn a service tool into a work of art; the Classic was the first luxury sommelier knife. After Guy Vialis died in 2016, the brand was taken over at the end of 2017 by LIGNE W, the house founded in 2008 by Sébastien Lézier; the collections were revisited and the technical components refined, in the spirit of the founder. Since 2021, Château LAGUIOLE® has been one of the brands of Maison Château LAGUIOLE. Every corkscrew is made by hand in the manufacture in Thiers (Puy-de-Dôme), the French capital of cutlery. The winners of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition each have a Château LAGUIOLE® model in their name, from Shinya Tasaki (1995) to Raimonds Tomsons (2023). Each piece comes with a QR-code membership card whose online registration activates the lifetime warranty.
Materials & finish
- Wooden handle : Norwegian birch
- Finish : Brushed
- Bolsters : 2 bolsters
- Liners : Single liner
- Spring : Guilloché engraved
- Worm : Stainless steel, standard
Features
- Customisable : Yes
Handcrafted in France — Each Château LAGUIOLE is crafted in our workshop near Thiers, France, with exceptional expertise and a rigorous artisanal process.
Norwegian birch handle, pale colour and fine grain.
Norwegian birch is a pale northern European wood with a fine, even grain that takes a very smooth polish. The most figured scales come from curly birch, whose fibres do not run straight and produce flecks and waves that the saw reveals by chance.
Caring for this material
Birch is pale and not naturally durable: wipe it at once after use and never let it soak, because a water mark stays visible. A yearly wipe of neutral food-grade oil or microcrystalline wax is enough; if the scale is resin-stabilised, a dry cloth will do.
Shipping costs are calculated at checkout.
France
- Standard delivery: 2-5 business days*
- Express delivery: 2-3 business days**
EU
- Standard delivery: 4-7 business days*
- Express delivery: 2-5 business days**
International & Non-EU
- Standard delivery: 6-12 business days*
- Express delivery: 2-7 business days**
* Monday to Saturday (excluding public holidays), from receipt of order confirmation email unless otherwise stated in the product description.
** Express delivery guaranteed for orders placed before 7:30 PM, Monday to Thursday (excluding public holidays).
You have 14 days from the delivery date to return your purchase.
In accordance with applicable law, personalised and/or made-to-order products cannot be returned or exchanged.
This product benefits from a lifetime warranty. The warranty is valid for the entire normal use period of the product, subject to compliance with the care and usage conditions defined in the warranty policy. To activate this warranty, you must register your product online.
How to proceed?
- Scan the QR code on the back of the member card included in the box.
- Register your product by following the instructions on the dedicated page.
- Hand wash only, never in the dishwasher: wipe the corkscrew after each service with a soft cloth, without soaking it.
- Mechanism: if the lever or the worm feels stiff, a few drops of food-grade mineral oil on the moving parts are enough; a professional lubricates the corkscrew every two weeks.
- Handle: keep it away from heat, prolonged moisture and chemicals; wood and horn handles like a little beeswax or linseed oil from time to time (see the material line).
- Storage: in its sheath, in a dry place, out of direct sunlight.
- After a knock or a fall, have the mechanism checked by our repair service rather than forcing it.
- Wood: wipe without soaking; now and then, a little beeswax or linseed oil feeds the wood.
To ensure the longevity, performance and elegance of your sommelier knife, please follow these care instructions:
- Hand wash only: this product is not dishwasher safe. Prolonged contact with water may damage materials and reduce durability. After each use, gently wipe your knife with a soft cloth. Do not immerse or soak in water.
- Protect from heat and moisture: avoid exposing your knife to intense heat, excessive humidity or harsh chemicals.
- Handle with care: protect the handle and mechanisms from impacts and drops, which could damage the blade or structure.
- Mechanism maintenance: if you notice slight resistance in the mechanism, apply a few drops of food-grade mineral oil to the moving parts. Professionals should lubricate every 2 weeks.
- Proper storage: after use, store your knife in a dry place, away from moisture, to preserve its performance and quality.
- What is the difference between the Grand Cru and the Classic?
- Same silhouette, same closed length (11.4 cm), same foil cutter and same steel. The Grand Cru adds a second wide bolster and weighs 100 g instead of 90 g: it is the model designed for intensive service. For the same material, the price gap is small (black horn: 225 € for the Classic, 230 € for the Grand Cru).
- Is it dishwasher safe?
- No. A wood, horn or mother-of-pearl handle cannot take prolonged water or dishwasher heat, and neither can the mechanism. A soft cloth after service is all it needs.
- Is it suitable for left-handed users?
- The sommelier corkscrew is held equally well in the right or the left hand.
- Is engraving free, and where does it go?
- Yes, at no extra cost on this range: up to 25 characters, on the front bolster (right side) or on the top of the lever, in five fonts. An engraved product cannot be returned or exchanged (Article L.221-28 of the French Consumer Code).
- How does the lifetime warranty work?
- Scan the QR code on the back of the membership card and register the corkscrew online within 2 months of purchase. The warranty covers manufacturing defects for the whole normal life of the product; engravings, the cutting edge and wear are not covered. Without registration, only the statutory warranty applies.
- Why does my handle not look exactly like the photo?
- Wood, horn and mother-of-pearl are natural materials: grain, shade and reflections vary from one piece to the next. Every handle is unique; the photo shows one example.