Comte J.B. Monpezat

Count André de Monpezat (1907-) can remember anecdotes about the grape harvest at his grandfather's as a child. In the 19th Century on the slopes of Albas, it was the custom to empty the grapes out of the basket at the bottom of the row and to carry it up again full of earth. Despite this rather ineffective fight against erosion, all these hillside vineyards have disappeared because of phylloxera and the difficulty in working them. <br><br> It was after the 39-45 war and the loss in 55 of Indochina, where the Monpezats had settled as pioneers, colonists and industrialists, that the family once again put down roots in the terroir of Cahors. <br><br> Jean-Baptiste de Monpezat gave signs of his passion for the vine from a very early age. As long ago as 1965 he was involved in wine work. Eighteen months spent in Napa Valley in California confirmed him in his calling to viticulture. From that moment, he replanted the family property with Auxerrois (or Malbec), and then created his own vineyard on the Leret plateau which has since become the well-known Château Leret Monpezat. Jean-Baptiste de Monpezat is one of the handful of wine growers who contributed to the transition of Cahors wine to Appellation Contrôlée status in 1971.<br><br>Count Jean-Baptiste de Monpezat decided first, in 1990, to build a winery at the Manoir de Leret in Albas, together with Georges Vigouroux who could supply the complementary assets necessary to ensure the durability of the Leret Monpezat vineyard. Indeed Georges Vigouroux whose renown is inseparable from the whole history of Cahors wine, with his son Bertrand-Gabriel, provides the know-how, expertise and a guarantee not only in the vineyard, but also in vinification and marketing.

Comte J.B. Monpezat  in  Quebec