On a morning of January, on the road of Saint-Estèphe. The dense fog brings me into the atmosphere of Emily Brontë's novel "Wuthering Heights". After the hilltop of Cos, the cloud frays over the vineyard anchored in the moor of Montrose. I take the castle's drive alongside which signs have been installed to show in detail the works undergone in the vineyard and in the winery. Investments made by Martin and Olivier Bouygues, owners of the Château Montrose since 2006. The buildings have been revisited from top to bottom, other emerge, giving the impression of having always been there. Carried away by the tasting of a 1989 of Château Montrose, the two brothers wished the best for the estate.
“Martin Bouygues and his wife discovered Montrose wines during a dinner, some twenty years ago. They were captivated to the point of buying all the bottles of 1989 they could find. The day he contacted me, I discovered a real connoisseur and not a ‘label collector’. When he decided to buy a château in the Bordeaux region, he gave me his trust. I then started to search a vineyard. Nobody could ask for more than the château which had charmed him so much... careful consideration, passion: in 2006, the purchase of the Château Montrose was obvious!” comments Jean-Bernard Delmas who, after having been THE estate manager of Château Haut-Brion, was considering an active retirement. All done: from 2006, he was entrusted with the management of the Château Montrose.
From the beginning, Martin and Olivier Bouygues - leaders in the public building works and new energies sector - and Jean-Bernard Delmas opt for an environmental dimension, unique in the region, with the use of geothermal power, of 3,000 sqm of photovoltaic boards ensuring an autonomy in terms of energy. “The name of "middle-earth" suits the Médoc well, between ocean and estuary, with water tables of a temperature of about 14°C. It was a pity not to use these calories to heat some buildings in winter and cool them down during the warm summers of our region.” Jean-Bernard Delmas explains.
From his arrival in 2007, Nicolas Glumineau, Director of the estate, was totally convinced by the sustainable and environmental development approach.
Details of the works and the geothermal system on the new website:
www.chateaumontrose.com
Martin and Olivier Bouygues' other domain:
S.C.E.A. du Château Montrose
Château Montrose
33180 Saint-Estèphe
Tél. : 05 56 59 30 12
Fax : 05 56 59 71 86
www.chateau-montrose.com
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