She is Director of strategy, he is Managing Director. Charlotte Bouygues and Pierre Graffeuille have arrived at Montrose. Together, they are charting a course for the properties of a group that is not a group. A tour of the ambitions (and of France)
Photo by Fabrice Leseigneur
Charlotte, the Group’s adventure began in 2006 with the acquisition of Château Montrose by your father, Martin Bouygues.
Charlotte Bouygues: He fell madly in love with this Saint-Estephe in the early 1990s. One day, while visiting friends in California, he drank a 1990 Montrose. It was a revelation. The wine he tasted transcended him. In 2005, the Charmolüe family, who had owned the estate for over a century, decided to sell. Until then, my father had never thought of buying a wine estate. Montrose was different for him. The opportunity to become its owner just arose. A few months later, the opportunity to buy Château Tronquoy-Lalande presented itself. For ten years, the family focused on quality. Our first project was to overhaul the technical facilities. My father always had an avant-garde vision and a desire to make great wines in a sustainable way.
Implementing a strong environmental approach was a priority. Especially where the production buildings were concerned.
C.B. : We implemented systems that were pioneering, even visionary, for their time, with geothermal energy, over-insulation of the walls and the use of photovoltaic panels. Tronquoy has also benefited from this approach, with the construction of a new high-performance technical facility, worthy of that of a grand cru.
Is this not a world from which you were rather removed?
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