Alain Brumont: Montus' Wine Vault

Alain Brumont, a star winemaker from southwestern France, has come up with a surprising and unique concept! He has built a wine safe capable of withstanding natural disasters!

News from Châteaux Montus & Bouscassé

We are currently holding the en primeur sale for the 2015 vintage. For the past 30 years, we have been in as high demand as the top ten Bordeaux châteaux. We have enjoyed great success, and our pre-release sales (30% of our production) are eagerly anticipated by a loyal French and international clientele. The price is attractive, as pre-orders allow buyers to benefit from a price 30% lower than the reference price. The 2015 vintage promises to be exceptional; all the conditions are in place for it to go down in history. An exceptional year on par with 2010 and 1995. Initial tastings confirm well-rounded wines with rich acidity and tannins; together, these elements will create a brilliant overall profile.

At Château Bouscassé, 2016 will be marked by two milestones: my 35th vintage and my father’s 100th birthday. A cuvée is dedicated to him: Château Bouscassé Hommage à Alban Brumont. Since 1861, the family estate has been an integral part of the appellation’s history. Benefiting from exceptional terroirs in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Bouscassé has achieved the same renown as Montus and earned the recognition of critics and wine enthusiasts in France and internationally. The latest Wine Spectator ranking places Château Bouscassé at number 51 worldwide (only two French wines appear in the ranking!).

Château Montus, the Cathedral of Tannat

For me, Tannat is the grape variety of the future: it requires no inputs and is perfectly suited to the local ecosystem. A great Tannat aged for two years in oak barrels can be enjoyed after 4–5 years (the fruit is still present but well-integrated) yet also offers exceptional and unique aging potential—virtually infinite (nearly a century!). After dubbing Château Montus the “Cathedral of Tannat,” the new 4,000-square-meter green-roofed facility (dedicated to storing wines and my collection of 35 vintages) has already been nicknamed the “Tannat vault.”

The “Tannat Vault”: a state-of-the-art wine storage facility at Château Montus

In three months, our customers will be able to take advantage of this state-of-the-art storage facility, which features the latest technological innovations (including storage at 15°C with 75% humidity) in complete safety. What’s more, this service will be free of charge!! We’ll offer wines that are ready to drink, such as Vega Sicilia. The idea is to bring forward certain vintages and hold back others so they can be released at their peak. This allows us to offer 10 vintages at the same price, with no speculation involved. My concept is unique. In a wine cabinet, you might not realize it, but there are vibrations. Here, in this safe, the wine is stored naturally. The concrete wall is 50 cm thick with 20 cm of insulation (in a freezer, the insulation is only 5 cm thick!!). So, yes, this safe will provide storage that can withstand earthquakes, seismic activity, an atomic bomb, and even the end of the world! And even if we end up with a power outage that lasts a month, it won’t affect the stored wines at all! So today, you can buy bottles of wine for your children, your grandchildren, and even your great-grandchildren!

A 40-Year Career: Châteaux Montus & Bouscassé, Icons of the Southwest

In recent years, every wine magazine has hailed us as icons of the Southwest. It’s a collective achievement. Living self-sufficiently with my team. Sharing a table every lunchtime with my teams at Table Bouscassé brings a real sense of richness. Thanks to my unique concept, I’ve been able to elevate the Madiran appellation to the level of France’s finest regions with a distinct style, earning the nickname “the Pétrus of the Southwest.” Thanks to the infinite qualities of the three indigenous grape varieties—Tannat, Petit Courbu, and Petit Manseng—and the exceptional terroirs brought together in a single location, I have succeeded in creating a great red wine, as well as dry and sweet white wines.

Alain Brumont's plans for the Montus & Bouscassé estates

Some critics say that I’ve accomplished in thirty years what others took three centuries to achieve! I have an ambitious plan for the next ten years, and I want it to live up to the young, high-performing team around me. I want to improve quality through a new winemaking process that allows us to fully optimize the terroirs. We’ve discovered two new terroirs. We’re going to adopt a new approach to viticulture because the framework of the appellation contrôlée no longer suits me—it doesn’t suit the terroir. At my estate, I have examples of wines that have succeeded because of the terroir, such as the Menhir or the Argile Rouge from Château Bouscassé. I want the terroir to be the master!

Find Alain Brumont’s wines on Les Grappes