HISTORY
Internationally renowned, etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix has become a hallmark for the top wines of Bordeaux. The company is the largest wine merchant on the Right Bank, distributing fine wines from Bordeaux and California worldwide.
Family run since 1937, Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix is also the owner and producer of several prestigious crus, including Chateau La Fleur-Petrus, Chateau Trotanoy, and Chateau Hosanna in Pomerol; Chateau Belair-Monange Premier Grand Cru Classe in Saint-emilion; and, in Napa Valley, California, Dominus Estate and Ulysses.
Jean-Pierre Moueix was born in Correze in 1913 and moved to Saint-emilion with his parents following the Great Depression of 1929. At the time, the wines of Pomerol and Saint-emilion were not yet widely recognized. Jean-Pierre Moueix, a visionary, foresaw great potential both in the Merlot grape and in its ability to age when grown in the best terroirs of his adopted region.
In 1950, he began augmenting his merchant business with the acquisition of several well-known vineyards, starting with Pomerol’s Chateau La Fleur-Petrus, followed by Chateau Magdelaine, Saint-emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe, in 1952, and Chateau Trotanoy, Pomerol, in 1953. Over the next four decades, he continued to successfully develop the wine merchant and production elements of the business simultaneously.
The highlight of his career was the acquisition of Chateau Petrus. He entrusted its care to his son Christian for 38 vintages. Jean-François Moueix, his elder son, inherited the property and in 2009 took over the management.
Jean-Pierre Moueix passed away in 2003 at the age of 90, remembered as a man of great culture, generosity, and wisdom.
Christian Moueix (b. 1946) joined the family business in 1970. Initially directing the company’s viticultural activities, he later assumed commercial responsibilities before becoming President in 1991. Passionate about viticulture, he added to the firm’s vineyard holdings through the acquisition of remarkable vineyard sites in Pomerol, such as Chateau Hosanna in 1999, Chateau Providence in 2005, and the historic Chateau Belair, Saint-emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe, in 2008.
The development of these properties ran parallel to that of Dominus Estate, a 124-acre vineyard in Napa Valley acquired in 1982. Its Napanook vineyard was part of the original 1850’s Hopper Ranch. Ulysses Vineyard, which marks the northern boundary of the Hopper Ranch just one mile north in Oakville, was acquired in 2008, effectively bookending the southern and northern ends of the historic ranch.
Edouard Moueix (b. 1977) joined the company in 2003 and became the third generation involved in the family business. As Executive Vice President, he developed Autres Rivages, the sister company dedicated to the distribution of Left Bank and California wines.
Jean-Pierre Moueix enjoys exclusive distribution rights of over twenty eminent Right Bank chateaux.
These exclusivities, which are renowned for the quality of their wines, represent relationships nurtured over the course of many years. The wines are placed with a carefully selected circle of importers and distributors who have demonstrated leadership, professionalism and respect for the consumer.
The objective is to offer these producers the most strategic distribution possible, ensuring the reputation of their vineyards worldwide.
VINEYARDS
The philosophy of the Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix is simple: to produce exceptional wines, one must start with great fruit, possible only by cultivating impeccable vineyards and exercising the utmost respect towards nature.
In the vineyards, the Director of Properties and his large team of permanent vineyard workers tend each vine with care, monitoring each by hand throughout the year. There is a considerable focus on soil health and maintenance using precise plowing methods. During growing season, the desire to achieve the highest quality can entail reducing the size of the crop through de-budding, canopy management, green harvests (practiced by Christian Moueix for the first time in 1973), and other meticulous selection processes.
At harvest time, two troops of seasoned harvesters provide the manpower and flexibility to handpick the grapes at optimal ripeness.
At this critical time of the year, a family spirit reigns. Nearly half of the harvesters have picked grapes in Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix vineyards for many years, some for over twenty vintages. They are chosen for the quality of their work and are embraced as members of the Moueix family as they pick, eat, sing, dance and celebrate each day of the harvest. More than a handful of parents have brought along their younger generation, making the harvest a family affair in more ways than one.
In the winery, the Technical Director and his team of experienced cellar workers follow a time-honored approach. As the quality of the grapes is established in the vineyard and during the harvest, the objective in the cellars is to produce wines that express a sense of place, that are pure, honest, balanced, complex and, above all, pleasurable to drink.
Vinification and aging are deftly tailored to the specific characteristics of each parcel in order to best preserve the character of the fruit and the nuances of each block. The cellar master manages the aging to harmoniously integrate the characteristics of each barrel with every individual lot.
🏅 Wine Advocate 95 pts
Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Belair Monange gives up cedar chest and vanilla pod notes over a core of baked plums, kirsch, blueberry pie and mocha plus wafts of tobacco and stewed tea. Full-bodied, the palate is still quite oaky with a good amount of black fruit preserves to back it up and a firm structure, finishing just a tad woody. Still very youthful, I imagine this oak will fall into line with another five years in bottle.
🏅 Jame Suckling 95 pts
Aromas of berries, chili and a hint of toasted oak. Full body, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Juicy and beautiful. Really builds on the palate. One of the best wines ever from here. Super quality.
🏅 Wine Enthusiast 95 pts
A big, complex wine from this continually improving property, this is now performing at its classed-growth level with concentrated ripe berry fruits and chocolate flavors. The wood aging is still showing through and needs time to integrate better, but as it does, this will be a great wine.
🏅 Wine Spectator 95 pts
Solidly built, with the chalky spine running from start to finish, while the core of red currant, raspberry and black cherry fruit is held in reserve. Shows a lovely floral flash through the finish, where the chalky edge really starts to emerge.
🏅 Vinous 92 pts
The 2010 Belair-Monange is beginning to fulfill its potential. The bouquet is well defined with copious black and red fruit laced with graphite and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied and like many 2010s its firm structure is in place, as well as ample freshness thanks to its natural acidity. There is just a touch of sappiness towards the finish where I would just like to see more mineralitE develop and I suspect it will. One to watch, so give it another three or four years in bottle.
