Chateau Durfort Vivens, like many Bordeaux wine producers, is named after a previous owner. In this case, it was the Durfort de Duras, a well-connected family from southwest France. Several hundred years later, in 1824, Chateau Durfort took the second part of their name from the owner at the time, the Viscount of Vivens, and became Chateau Durfort Vivens.
In those days, the wines of Chateau Durfort Vivens were popular. In fact, the 1844 vintage was priced higher than every other Bordeaux wine in the appellation, except for Chateau Margaux of course.Thomas Jefferson, the American ambassador to France and the future president of the United States, was a Bordeaux wine connoisseur and ranked it directly after Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, and Chateau Margaux in his fascinating travel diaries.
To show the tasting acumen of Thomas Jefferson, the 1855 classification ranked Durfort Vivens as a Second Growth. Not exactly just behind Lafite Rothschild, but not that far from that ranking either.
