Montrose confirms Clos Rougeard acquisition

The billionaire owners of Château Montrose have acquired the famous Loire estate Clos Rougeard it has been confirmed.

In a curt press release Olivier and Martin Bouygues, the owners of Montrose, confirmed their acquisition of the domaine and said: “Over time, and thanks to the exceptional work by Charly and Nady Foucault, this property has become emblematic of the Saumur region and produces one of the greatest Cabernet Franc wines in the world.”

At the beginning of the year La Revue du Vin de France published an article in which it said that the Bouygues had bought the 11 hectare Saumur property.

Details were slight however and doubts grew as neither estate confirmed or denied the rumours and one source in the Loire told the drinks business the LARVF was “wrong”.

Another report in the French press even suggested that French luxury company LVMH might have been interested in adding the pioneering biodynamic property to its wine portfolio.

In the long-run, however, it is the Bordeaux cru classé owners who have indeed emerged as the eventual purchasers of Clos Rougeard.

In all likelihood the estate came up for sale following the death of co-owner, ‘Charly’ Foucault in December 2016.

His brother, Nady, has been running the estate since but unfortunately it is known that he has a strained relationship with his nephew, Antoine.