|
return >
CELLARS BOUVET-LADUBAY
The Art of construction
The Loire Valley is a place of natural grace and harmony. The majestic river, the soft light, the mild climate, and the abundant land make it a place favourable to man's well being. Nine kings of France spent their holiday time here. It is perhaps around Saumur that this “douceur de vivre” is most tangible. The White City, which stretches around the foot of its château, cradled by the Loire, has become surrounded by vines over the course of centuries.
|
 |
The Art of construction
It is in this exceptional environment, where the art of living is fused with an architecture drawn from its own hillsides, that the genius of Etienne Bouvet flourished. This sensitive and loving man, who married the beautiful Mademoiselle Ladubay, was also a lover of art and nature and passionate about wine and commerce. Master of many arts, and struck by sudden deafness, he soon added to the list of his talents construction and architecture. It is here that he expressed most clearly the true magnitude of his ambitions for Bouvet Ladubay.
|
|
Very few of his contemporaries could demonstrate such a talent and energy to give their industry a framework so close to the ideal “Excellence”, a concept that soon became a motto. At a time when Zola was describing the poverty of the working class, Etienne Bouvet erected immense buildings to shelter his production; he created an electric plant to bring light to his underground cellars stretching along 5 miles to his mansions and châteaux; he also built lodging for his personnel and even a theatre! He brought prosperity to the area. His success was such that he was even rumoured to have discovered the treasure of the monks of the Abbey of St. Florent, which had been buried during the Revolution in the depths of an immense cave, very similar to where Etienne Bouvet later established the cellars of Bouvet Ladubay. At the turn of the century the company, which under Etienne Bouvet had become the largest producer of Brut, was not only prosperous but also a symbol of luxury and opulence in the world of wine.
|
Since it was founded in 1851, this monumental accomplishment has transformed Bouvet Ladubay into a landmark among the Brut wines of the Loire.
|
In 1932, the descendants of Etienne Bouvet relinquished their firm to J.M. Monmousseau, the grand-father of the current CEO, whose family retained ownership until 1974. The Taittinger family then acquired the firm and to date they have managed to keep Bouvet Ladubay somewhat of a family business, while helping with the modernisation of the plant and equipment and restoring the prominence of its name in both domestic and international markets.
|
|
>> The Art of Wine making
return >
|
|
