The Right Bank`s Quiet Champion Christian - Bacchus

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www.bacchus-vinothek.com
The Right Bank’s Quiet Champion
Christian Moueix…
…is Wine Spectator’s
2011 Distinguished Service
Award winner
Wine Spectator – Nov. 15. 2011
…liegt zwar schon einige Monde zurück
aber ist immer noch gültig. Verglichen mit
dem teilweise extrem selbstbewussten (ist
positiv ausgedrückt. Arrogant trifft es oft
besser) Verhalten mancher ChâteauBesitzer und dem freundlich bescheidenen
Auftreten von Christian…vielleicht mehr
denn je.
Kleine Anekdote, die seinen großen Charakter auch belegen.
Nach einer Woche Primeurverkostung in
Bordeaux hatte Nina für mich morgens den
ersten Flug um 7.00 nach Nizza gebucht.
Um 5.40 stand ich in einer gefühlt Kilometer
langen Schlange vor der Gepäckaufgabe.
Ums Eck kamen Christian Moueix und seine Frau Cherise und schoben zwei mächtige Koffer vor sich her (auf dem Weg ins
Napa Valley zum final blend des 2014er
Dominus). Als mich Christan sah, begrüßte
er mich herzlich und entschuldigte sich zutiefst betrübt, dass man mir das lange Warten in „seiner“ Stadt Bordeaux zumutet.
Seit vielen Jahren zählt die Bacchus Vinothek zu den treuen Kunden seiner Weingüter und
Châteaux. Die einen zählen zu den absolut besten Weinen der jeweiligen Region (La Fleur
Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, Belair-Monange, Providence,..) oder aber zu absoluten Geheimtipps mit zum Teil großartigem Preis/Genuß-Verhältnis.
Neben den eigenen Chateaux und Dominus Estate in Kalifornien berät und betreut das
Oenologen-Team von Christian auch diverse andere Chateaux. Die Vermarktung der Weine
erfolgt dabei exklusiv über Moueix. Vor allem Château
aber toller Wein) möchte ich Ihnen sehr empfehlen.
Plince
(schreckliches Etikett
2007 Château Plince
17
Sehr schöne, würzige Nase, Teernoten, dunkle Kirschen, feine Würze auch am Gaumen, Bitterschoko.
René Gabriel : 15/20: „…Recht dunkles, dichtes Purpur, lila Schimmer am Rand. Rote
Kirschen in der Nase und einen Hauch Grenadine zeigend, wirkt so drospig. Im Gaumen
eher leicht, noch aufrauhend, weist wieder viel Griotteskirschen im leidlich säuerlichen Finale auf“.
Wine-Spectator (83-86): “….Soft and fruity, with plum and light chocolate character. Medium-bodied, with a light finish. Falls away quickly on the finish“
Galloni (Stephen Tanzer 84-86): „…Good ruby-red. Sexy aromas of black cherry and minerals.
Supple, sweet and easygoing if a bit reduced today. In a round, slightly chunky style. Finishes with
decent purity of fruit and slightly drying tannins“
2008 Château Plince
17,5+
Sehr saubere, klare Frucht, Kirschen, komplex, feine Kümmelnote, schlank und elegant, kräftige Tannine, saftig im Finish. Man spürt den großen Pomerol-Jahrgang!
René Gabriel : 17/20:
„…Sattes Rubin mit lila Schimmer. Herrvorragende Fucht, viel
Waldbeeren mit feinen Rauchnoten unterlegt. Extrem fruchtiger Gaumen, tolle Konzentration und wieder viel reife, fast schwarzbeerige Fruchtnoten, Cassis und Brombeeren im Finale, interessantes Potential“.
Robert Parker (83): „…Pleasant, one-dimensional and “correct,” the monolithic, straightforward
2008 should be consumed over the next 5-6 years“
Wine-Spectator (83-86): “…Some good berry and cherry fruit, with medium body and a
clean and simple finish.“
2009 Château Plince
18+
Fast schwarze Farbe, dicht, mollig, Kirschen, ganz feine Nase, am Gaumen erst dicht beginnend und dann elegant,
schlank auslaufend, insgesamt sehr schöne Balance und Struktur.
René Gabriel : 18/20:
„…Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Unerhört dichtes, konzentriertes Bouquet, Maulbeeren und ein Hauch von süssen Amarenakirschen, frisch gebackenes Schwarzbrot. Im
Gaumen extrem stoffig, wiederum eine sehr reife, berauschende Frucht und endet mit viel Rückaroma.
Noch
genialer als der 2005er und somit der allerbeste Plince seiner Geschichte “.
Robert Parker (88): „…A big, chunky, somewhat corpulent wine with delicious black currant and black cherry fruit
intermixed with some damp earth, truffle and forest floor, this 2009 is round, medium to full-bodied, dark
plum/purple, and best drunk over the next 10-12 years“
Wine-Spectator (89-92): “…Aromas of boysenberry syrup with hint of licorice follow through to a full body,
with a dense palate and slightly chewy tannins. Juicy wine, with a slightly rustic edge. But I like it .“
Galloni (Ian D’Agata 87-89): „…Inky purple. Pure aromas of red cherry, blackberry jelly and coffee. A supple, sweet and
tasty midweight, with expressive flavors of redcurrant, cocoa and smoky oak. There are still some youthfully aggressive tannins on the moderately long finish, but the wine's acidity is nicely integrated, giving it a savory quality and considerable early
appeal“
2010 Château Plince
17,5-18
Sehr verhaltene Nase aber sehr schön am Gaumen, schwarzbeerig, Bitterschoko, noch sehr jung.
René Gabriel : 18/20: „…Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte,
Granatschimmer am Rand. Berauschendes Bouquet,
Schwarzbrotkruste, viel Cassis und kandierte Fruchtnoten,
zarter Rauchschimmer im Untergrund, zeigte sich noch selten
so vielschichtig. Dichter, stoffiger Gaumen mit einem Tanz
zwischen blauen und schwarzen Beeren. Eine grossartige
Appellationsalternative zu den immer teurer werden Spitzenpomerols. War letztes Jahr schon so gewaltig“.
Robert Parker (84-86): „…A straightforward, rustic, coarse
Pomerol, the 2010 Plince exhibits a deep plum/ruby color and
good fruit on the attack, but the wine’s rustic character is
problematic. It should drink well for 10+ years“
Wine-Spectator (91-94): “…Plump and juicy, with a friendly
core of plum and blackberry character. Dark spice and anise notes chime in on the fleshy finish, and this sports
a little punch. Tasted non-blind. .“
Galloni (Ian D’Agata 86-88): „…Opaque ruby-purple. Superripe aromas and flavors of cassis, violet and sweet spices.
Creamy, pliant and deep but with good freshness to the mid-palate. Finishes with mounting tannins and average length. This
should provide delicious near-term drinking“
2011 Château Plince
17,5-18
Sehr schöne Nase, Kirschen, dunkle Beeren, lang, sehr elegant, gute Struktur, kräftige Tannine.
René Gabriel : 17/20: „…Aufhellendes Granat mit mittlerer Dichte, feiner Rand. Erstaunlich intensives Bouquet, Brombeermark und Cassis, Arabica-Kaffee, gute Tiefe anzeigend. Im Gaumen mit festem Fleisch, Stoff und
stützender Adstringenz, zeigt Reserven und ist so ein Pomerol, den man auch noch in 10 Jahren oder noch später
geniessen kann. Wenn all diese guten Anlagen richtig verpackt werden, dann kann er nach der Flaschenfüllung
18/20 erreichen. Schön wird er dann auf alle Fälle sein“.
Robert Parker (84): „…A fruity, straightforward, one-dimensional wine, the medium-bodied 2011 Plince reveals
plum, cherry and raspberry notes. Consume it over the next 4-5 years“
Wine-Spectator (86-89): “…Open, and bouncy, with briar-studded plum and blackberry flavors. Has a nice pri-
mal and slightly rustic finish. A gutsy Pomerol, uncomplicated, with a plum skin edge holding sway on the
finish. Tasted non-blind.“
James Suckling (90): „.. Impressive aromas of cooked strawberries and spices with hints of flowers. Full body
with firm tannins and a chewy finish. Tannins are at the back of the finish. Better than from barrel. Needs two
or three years to soften“
Galloni (Ian D’Agata 89): „…Bright ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of red fruits, blackberry, flowers and graphite. Almost
lush in the mouth, but the sweet, dense dark berry and flint flavors show lovely verve. Very fresh and fragrant but also full
and deep, finishing with ripe tannins and excellent length. This strikes me as a good buy in 2011“
2012 Château Plince
17,5-18
Eine der Überraschungen des Jahrgangs. Sehr schöne, zugängliche, fruchtige Nase, toll in der Aromatik, Charakater,
Bitterschokolade, tolle Struktur, vielleicht einer der besten Jahrgänge für dieses Château.
René Gabriel : 17/20: „…Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Ein warmer, reifer Beerencocktail, süsse Walderdbeeren, zeigt dabei eine gewisse Tiefe. Bleibt im Gaumen blaubeerig und entwickelt immer mehr Cassis, die kernigen Tannine sind noch etwas sehnig und geben der Adstringenz eine muskulöse Seite. (2017 - 2030)“
Wine-Spectator (Score: 87-90): “…Offers a lightly dusty frame, with taut plum skin, macerated cherry and singed
orange peel notes. Lightly sinewy through the finish, but with good flesh”.
Robert Parker (86-88): “… A chunky, fleshy, monolithic Pomerol, the 2012 Plince possesses a deep ruby/plum color,
adequate tannin, medium body and a dusty, loamy soil, black currant and black cherry flavor profile. Drink it over the next
decade“
Sie erhalten 8% Rabatt auf die Listenpreise. Und wenn Sie mehr über Christian wissen
möchten, lesen Sie einfach den Artikel vom Wine Spectator weiter unten.
Art
3665
2771
5703
9564
11926
11771
1971
4458
11927
6595
11281
3831
9719
1341
5634
3351
Jahr
2010
2011
1998
2001
2006
2007
2010
2011
2011
2012
2004
2006
2007
2009
2010
2011
Château
Les Songes de Magdelaine
Les Songes de Magdelaine
Château Belair
Château Belair
Château Belair
Château Belair
Château Belair - Monange
Château Belair - Monange
Château Belair - Monange
Château Belair - Monange
Château Certan Marzelle
Château Certan Marzelle
Château Certan Marzelle
Château Certan Marzelle
Château Certan-Marzelle
Château Certan-Marzelle
EUR/Fl.
Klassifikation
Einh stock brutto
2ème Vin du Château Magdelaine
0,75
168
25,90
2ème Vin du Château Magdelaine
0,75
114
18,90
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
6
46,50
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
35
46,90
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
21
59,00
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
42
59,00
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
17
169,00
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
36
89,00
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
87
77,90
1er Grand Cru Classé, St.-Emil
0,75
14
98,00
Pomerol
0,75
9
28,90
Pomerol
0,75
59
39,90
Pomerol
0,75
36
34,90
Pomerol
0,75
6
39,90
Pomerol
0,75
18
49,00
Pomerol
0,75
21
35,50
11602
11553
4250
2309
8462
4430
1950
2850
2091
11286
6593
7031
3247
8091
6059
7179
2770
6182
10313
11036
2011
2005
2011
2003
2011
2010
2011
2012
2011
2012
2000
2010
2011
2009
2010
2010
2011
2012
1994
2004
4335
2390
8021
9251
8238
6795
8657
3722
6438
2001
2005
2006
2007
2010
2011
2011
2000
2003
1888
1452
2256
2438
5206
5902
4559
4090
9924
2953
6448
8896
8090
2437
10382
1591
1999
2010
2011
2006
2007
2007
2008
2009
2009
2010
2011
2012
2009
2010
2011
2014
Château Hosanna
Château La Fleur Petrus
Château La Fleur Petrus
Château La Grave
Château La Grave a Pomerol
Château Lafleur Gazin
Château Lafleur Gazin
Château Lafleur Gazin
Château Lagrange
Château Lagrange
Château Latour à Pomerol
Château Latour à Pomerol
Château Latour à Pomerol
Château Providence
Château Providence
Château Providence
Château Providence
Château Providence
Château Trotanoy
Château Trotanoy
Eigentum von Christian Moueix
Dominus
Dominus
Dominus
Dominus
Dominus
Dominus
Dominus
Napanook
Napanook
beraten und betreut
Château Juguet
Château Juguet
Château Juguet
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Plince
Château Puy Blanquet
Château Puy Blanquet
Château Puy Blanquet
Château Puy Blanquet
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
12
5
15
5
42
24
60
36
18
24
5
12
50
22
6
36
149
89
6
6
117,00
279,00
149,00
39,90
26,90
39,00
25,90
23,70
19,90
18,90
98,00
79,00
49,90
94,90
99,00
99,00
69,00
59,00
98,00
139,00
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
0,75
1,5
0,75
3
0,75
0,75
1,5
0,75
0,75
5
3
12
1
5
152
17
46
34
198,00
369,00
198,00
890,00
339,00
139,00
289,00
35,50
45,00
Grand Cru, St.-Emilion
Grand Cru, St.-Emilion
Grand Cru, St.-Emilion
Pomerol
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
3
0,75
0,75
1,5
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
0,75
10
78
120
23
129
2
136
260
10
374
234
220
61
113
52
60
14,90
14,90
12,50
25,90
21,90
102,60
23,70
29,90
55,90
29,00
23,70
25,90
15,90
14,50
11,70
12,90
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol
Granc Cru, St.-Emilion
Granc Cru, St.-Emilion
Grand Cru, St.-Emilion
Grand Cru, St.-Emilion
The Right Bank’s Quiet Champion
Christian Moueix is Wine Spectator’s 2011 Distinguished Service Awa rd winner
Mitch Frank
Issue: November 15, 2011
Christian Moueix had his path in life chosen for him. His father, Jean-Pierre Moueix, had two passions-the
Bordeaux wine business and art-and two sons. He made it clear what he expected from them.
"My father was very authoritative, like many great men," says Christian Moueix. "My brother, Jean -François,
who is one year older, was more artistic than me. He would go into the art world, in my father 's vision. ‘My
older son will follow my passion, and my younger son will follow my business.' "
As it turned out, both of Jean-Pierre's sons went into business, and both have been very successful. Jean François owns his own négoce and a wine retail chain i n France. Christian has expanded the company his
father founded, building Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix into one of Bordeaux's most important players
and also founding Dominus in Napa Valley. He has also become an avid art collector.
It would be easy to say that Moueix (pronounced MOH-ex) has trod the path his father laid out for him, but
Moueix is a more multifaceted man than that. He has proved to be a shrewd businessman in his own right,
ably navigating the changing times in Bordeaux, shifting his family firm from one that specialized in buying
and selling bulk wine to one that trades Bordeaux's most prestigious Grand Cru wines. He has consistently
seen what was around the corner.
He has also proven to be a farmer. The company
owns nine estates on the Right Bank; Moueix sold
off several properties, giving full attention to the
best terroirs. During the few hours a week that he
isn't working, he can often be found tending vines.
Moueix is viewed by some as the Right Bank's old
guard. The region has changed since he went to
work for his father. Pomerol and St.-Emilion have
been the cutting edge of Bordeaux in many ways-the
birthplace of vins de garage, a place where ambitious vintners could challenge the way things are
done. Moueix is always polite, but he is not afraid to
criticize some popular wines for being overextracted
and clumsy. He has dismissed some garage wines
as lacking terroir.
And yet, this conservative has a rebellious streak.
When he decided to start his own winery, outside the
family company, he chose not a classic region in Bordeaux, but California's Napa Valley. And once there, he
resolutely followed his own path instead of copying his neighbors.
Despite his conservative methods, or perhaps because of them, Moueix's wines are beautiful , elegant, often
exquisite expressions of terroir. In a recent barrel tasting, the Château Trotanoy 2010 earned a potential
score of 96-99 points. His Château Hosanna received a potential score of 95-98. And the Dominus Napa
Valley 2008 earned 94 points. Moueix has proven that you don't have to follow the latest trends, you just
have to listen to your terroir.
Moueix believes in giving back, and he prefers his charities to be rooted in terroir as well. "We like to contribute to local causes, as it can be difficult to trace where the money goes with larger causes," he says. In
his Right Bank community, he donates food and wine to seniors and the needy. He is also aiding a major
restoration of the beautiful Chapelle de Condat, a small church near Libourne that dates to the 11th century.
In Napa Valley, he provides housing to workers who have lost their homes, and supports Clinic Ole, which
offers medical help to the local uninsured.
For his tireless work promoting the Right Bank's great wines, for his charity, dignity and thoughtfulness, and
for his dedication to expressing distinctive terroirs, Christian Moueix is Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award winner of 2011.
At 65 years old, Moueix lives next door to his mother. But looking at his house, it's e asy to understand why.
In a leafy neighborhood of Libourne, the main city on the Right Bank, sits a gorgeous Victorianesque mansion built in the 1860s by the then-owners of Château Cheval-Blanc. The stone and wood structure, decorated with gingerbread details, is located on a gentle bank leading down to the Dordogne River. It's called Les
Roseaux, "The Reeds."
Walking up to the entrance to meet some guests for lunch, Moueix is impeccably dressed in coat and tie, his
straight hair slicked back and fashionable eyeglasses perched upon his nose. When he speaks, his voice is
deep and sonorous, but his tone is cautious. He is personable, but private. Colleagues in both Bordeaux and
Napa say they believe Moueix knows more about wine than anyone else, but he keeps m uch of what he
thinks to himself. Only Moueix knows what Moueix knows.
Despite his reserve and formal manner, Moueix is warm and friendly. To get a sense of his personality, it's
best to examine the passions in his life: vines and the soil, art and archite cture, and Cherise, his wife of 17
years.
Cherise walks into the sitting room as guests arrive and greets them warmly. Enthusiastic and talkative, she
puts everyone at ease with stories of Christian's wild theme parties with harvesters each year and her d aily
Scrabble games with Christian's mother.
A former art dealer, Cherise grew up in Washington, D.C. When they met, Moueix was divorced, with a
teenage son and daughter. "I ran a gallery in Paris," Cherise says. "I knew nothing about wine. I said to
Christian after we had been out five or six times, ‘I will go to the local Champion [supermarket] and look for
your wine. But I know your family has a couple of different vineyards. Tell me the one you're most concerned
about.' He said, ‘The best known we own is called Pétrus.' ‘OK, good. Could you spell that for me?' He loved
that I was interested in him, not wine."
Cherise has embraced life in the wine industry, and she loves living in France, where she feels that the link
to local food is strong. Their shared passion is art. Whenever he travels for work, they try to include visits to
galleries or museums in the itinerary.
Moueix is quick to stress that his art collection is nothing
like his father's, which included works from Picasso and
Bacon. "While I collect paintings, my particular interest is
sculpture," he says. Together with Cherise, he has acquired works by painter Sigmar Polke, photographers
Thomas Struth and Jeff Wall, among others. "If I were to
cite a commonality, I would say that they question how we
perceive things, sometimes the most ordinary objects,"
Moueix notes.
His son, Édouard, 34, arrives in time for lunch, escaping a
meeting of St.-Emilion property owners concerning the
appellation's classification system. After finishing school,
Édouard spent time in Japan representing his family wines,
then lived in California as sales manager for Dominus. He
became sales director for Ets. J.-P. Moueix in 2003 and is
now executive vice president. Handsome, charming and down-to-earth, he married his wife, Kelley, who is
from Connecticut, last year.
Moueix's father passed away in 2003, but his presence is still felt. Over lunch, Cherise remembers how people would gather in front of his offices each day because they knew Jean -Pierre would give money to anyone
in need. "He was a man of great charisma," says Édouard. "People always tell me that when he shook your
hand, he used both hands, and for a moment, you would feel safe."
Jean-Pierre was generous because he knew what it was like to have nothing. He was born in Corrèze, a poor
region in France's Massif Central. (The name Moueix means "I come from the riverbank," fitting for a family
that would one day become synonymous with the Right Bank.) Looking for work, his father, Jean, moved the
family to Libourne in 1929, when Jean-Pierre was 16. Soon after, Jean borrowed money from the bank and
bought a rundown property in St.-Emilion, Château Fonroque.
"My father as a young man, he had to sell his father's wine, which is how he went to northern France and
Belgium," says Moueix. These were the traditional markets for wines from the Right Bank. The young Jean Pierre proved a natural salesman, and soon his neighbors were hiring him to sell their wines too. In 1937, he
opened Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix in Libourne.
With properties like Pétrus and Le Pin being the icons that they are today, it's hard to imagine how unknown
the Right Bank was in the early part of the 20th century. Jean-Pierre bought wine from farms up and down
the Dordogne, from Côtes de Castillon all the way to Blaye,
aging it, blending it, and then sending it to foreign markets for
bottling.
In 1943, he developed a partnership with Madame Édmond
Loubat, the woman who owned Pétrus. Ten years later, she
made him her sole agent and later sold a share of the property
to him. Loubat passed away in 1961, leaving the estate to her
two nieces. (Jean-François Moueix gained full ownership in
2005.) Jean-Pierre invested his profits in buying other properties, mostly in Pomerol. By the time Christian joined the firm,
Ets. J.-P. Moueix had become the top player on the Right
Bank.
As a young man, Christian studied agricultural engineering in Paris, and in 1968, he traveled to California to
attend the University of California, Davis. That school was where many of the top winemakers of Napa Valley and Sonoma of that generation learned clean, technically sound winemaking. Moueix enjoyed the United
States. "I fell in love with California," he says. "Libourne was a little ... it's not California."
But there was no question of where his future lay. In 1970, Jean-Pierre called his son back home. Quality in
the vineyards of their properties had declined, and Jean-Pierre wanted Christian to fix the problem.
It was the best job he ever had. "Christian is a farmer," says Cherise. "His heart is in the vineyard." Moueix
loved spending the whole growing cycle with the vines. He calls it having a dialogue with the vines.
At 24, he was also a bit of a revolutionary. In 1973, he began green harvesting at Pétrus, dropping some fruit
in midsummer so that the rest would ripen fully. He was the first in Pomerol, and possibly the first in Bordeaux, to do so. Moueix would sneak the grapes he cut down to the river at night and throw them in so no
one would see the evidence.
As happy as he was farming, however, his father needed him elsewhere and asked him to move to the négoce in 1977. It was time to focus on business. In 1991, Christian became president of the company.
The offices of Ets. J.-P. Moueix are located downriver from Les Roseaux, on a long street of limestone
warehouses opposite the sleepy waterfront. This is where Right Bank wines traditionally were loaded on
barges to be taken to the larger quays in Bordeaux, where ships waited. Inside, Moueix headquarters is practical-a few modest offices, a well-equipped lab and large cellars with thick limestone walls to keep the wines
cool in the summer.
The négoce business used to be about buying wine, aging and blending it, then selling it off to be bottled
elsewhere. "We used to move 100,000 hectoliters a year [more than 1.1 million cases]," says Moueix. "That
was 30 years ago." Top markets included Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Ets. J.-P. Moueix still produces value wines, but that's only 20 percent of its business now. It purchases
about 200,000 cases worth of wine from small growers. In the 1980s, the demand for Grand Cru wines
swelled, while simultaneously the world began finding cheaper bulk wines from places other than Bordeaux.
Moueix walks past the concrete and steel tanks full of bulk wine and enters the next cellar. It's filled from
floor to ceiling with wood cases branded with famous names. This is the present in Bordeaux. Much of
Moueix's business now focuses on sourcing Grand Cru wines from the best properties, and then selling them
around the world.
"When we realized that there was no way to slow down the decrease of the bulk business, we said we must
try to compensate," Moueix says. "Ets. J.-P. Moueix was 100 percent specialized in Right Bank wines then.
In 2000, we began on the Left Bank.
Édouard developed our activity there. In 2009 we bought from 100 châteaus on the Left Bank."
Leaving the cellar behind, Moueix climbs into a Honda SUV, and begins a short drive east to St. -Emilion. It's
time to visit his vineyards. At one point, the company owned 20 properties on the Right Bank and managed
several others. "In 2000, we decided to focus on 10 top properties," says Moueix. That meant selling the
other half, most of which were located in Fronsac, a promising appellation that Moueix admits frustrated him.
"In today's market, we need to focus on top wines."
Ets. J.-P. Moueix owns nine of the properties, seven in Pomerol and two in St. -Emilion. Christian is a consultant for a 10th property, Pétrus, which the firm managed until 2008 but which belongs to older brother
Jean-François and is now managed by his son, Jean.
When Moueix says that his is not a large operation, he's not joking. The nine châteaus total 188 acres of
vines and produce 20,000 cases annually. That's similar in size to an individual Left Bank château. Each
property has its own cellar and its own personality in the vineyard, requiring plenty of attention.
Moueix begins driving up the limestone slope just below the town of St. -Emilion. He passes vines and comes
to a house on top of the hill. This is Château Bélair-Monange, his latest acquisition, purchased in 2008. Located next door to Château Ausone, it should be one of the area's top producers, but it has been inconsistent. Moueix is trying to change that.
He is also trying to shore up its foundation-literally. For centuries, the owners harvested limestone from under the property. Now the caverns beneath are prone to cave-ins, so giant silos tower next to the vineyards,
pumping a slurry of sand and stone into the catacombs beneath. The process will take years to complete and
cost a fortune.
Next, Moueix drives to the plateau behind the town, and heads west again toward Pomerol. Driving past
Pétrus, he turns into the small estate of Hosanna, which he bought in 1998. The problem here was not potential cave-ins, but wet soil. Moueix dug several strategically placed wells to improve drainage.
He looks at the gently sloping gravel of Hosanna. "To judge the potential quality of a vineyard, I need fiv e
minutes," he says. "To understand the terroir, I need many years."
Moueix is an observant Catholic. Over the years he has had two opportunities to choose new names for Bordeaux properties; he selected Hosanna and Providence. And when he decided to strike out on his own and
build a winery separate from his family's, on the other side of the globe from Bordeaux, he chose the name
Dominus, Latin for "master."
He had been looking to return to California since going to school there. Also, in the early 1980s, the socialist
party took power in France, and Moueix worried about his home country's business climate. "Having all our
eggs in one basket was risky," he says.
There was another factor at work. He needed a venture outside his father's shadow. As he told th e New York
Times' Frank Prial later, "I was 35. I felt myself stuck with my destiny. I wanted to take charge of my life."
When Moueix toured a vineyard near Yountville, Calif., during a thunderstorm, he knew he would make a
great wine there. History certainly suggested it: The 120-acre property, Napanook, was the original vineyard
of Inglenook, the valley's most historic winery. When owner John Daniel sold the brand in 1964, he kept the
property. Daniel's daughters owned it in 1982, when Moueix formed a par tnership with them. A buyout in
1994 made Moueix sole proprietor.
Cherise and Christian love great architecture, and when they wanted to build a winery for Dominus, they
indulged their creative side, hiring the Swiss team of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de M euron. They were
largely unknown outside of Europe at the time, but have since won international acclaim, building striking
works like the Tate Modern art museum in London and the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing.
Moueix wanted a winery that highlighted the vineyard. "When Jacques and Pierre asked how I wanted the
building to be seen in the landscape, I replied that it should be invisible," says Moueix. They conceived a
long stone slab of a building that many drivers passing by on Highway 29 mistake for a rock outcropping. It's
like nothing else in Napa Valley. There's no mortar in the structure; metal baskets hold basalt rocks, the
product of a nearby canyon.
Because it's the only estate he has built from the ground up, Dominus reveals much about Mo ueix's character. He came with a firm vision, initially telling his investors, "I need 20 years to make a good wine. If I cannot make a good wine without irrigation, without acidification, I will return your vineyard without compensation." After 29 vintages, he has produced great wines. He has also produced plenty of wines that have received mixed reviews.
Despite struggles, he has not rushed to embrace local fashions. The wines are lower in alcohol than most
Napa Cabernet blends, and favor firm structure over fruit. He has hired consultants and winemakers, but has
retained strong control over operations.
Patiently, like a medieval monk of Burgundy, he has tweaked his practices in the vineyards and winery,
learning from his failures. Initially, he planted a significant portion of Merlot to blend with the Cabernet, but
he admits now that the variety never worked with this terroir. Today the 103 acres are planted mostly to
Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Initially he kept yields low, much like in
Bordeaux, but then he realized that Napa's fertile soils and climate required higher yields. He still refuses to
irrigate. He has reduced the amount of time the fermenting wine sits on the skins extracting tannins.
It's unclear if Moueix is the master of Dominus or vice versa, but that doesn't appear to bother him. The man
who inherited his business in Bordeaux seems determined to build a Napa estate with his own sweat and toil.
Back on the Right Bank, driving away from Hosanna, Moueix says that when he retires, he plans to split his
time between Napa and Bordeaux. He's currently building a house near the Dominus property.
He gets about a mile down the road before his gardening impulse grabs him. He pulls over, finds a set of
pruning shears he keeps stashed in the car, and heads into the vines. This is Trotanoy, arguably Pomerol's
greatest estate after Pétrus. The wines here tend to show exceptional complexity and finesse.
Ever the teacher, Moueix shows how to prune a vine before the growing season starts, trimming the excess
buds and shifting that season's main cane so it's as parallel to the ground as possible. During warmer
months, after attending Sunday Mass with his mother, he and Cherise will often drive out to a plot and start
pruning.
What Moueix says he is looking for is natural equilibrium -a vine that is not too vigorous, yet will produce
balanced grapes. "I could speak for hours on this subject," he says. "Today, in all our châteaus, we pass
each vine three times: first, in the early spring, to eliminate the third clusters and weak shoots; second, in
early summer, for regulating quantity; and third, during the midsummer, for cutting all the late clusters that
are still green after veraison. For that last operation, in the month of August, I myself work with the team
from 7 to 10 each morning."
Watching Moueix carefully prune each vine with simple pleasure, it becomes clear why he has never regretted the path his father chose. This man of faith sees his vineyards as the ultimate ch urch. "When my sense
of adventures wanes," he says, "I dream of ending my days with Cherise and living like the old man of Tarentum [from Virgil's Georgics], cultivating my own garden." He plans to keep a 1 -acre plot in both France
and California, with vines and heirloom tomatoes.
"Virgil said that for this farmer, his produce equaled the riches of kings," says Moueix. "I like that idea."
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End
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Michael Grimm
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