Alain Brumont: "My wine safe will resist the end of the world

Alain Brumont, star winemaker of the South West arrives with a surprising and unique concept! He has built a wine vault capable of withstanding natural disasters! After having taken up the challenge of bringing the Tannat grape variety up to date, he shares with us today the latest news from Châteaux Montus and Bouscassé!

News of the Châteaux Montus & Bouscassé

At the moment, it's the Primeur sale of the 2015 vintage. For 30 years, we have been solicited in the same way as the top ten Bordeaux châteaux. We are meeting a great success and our underwriting sales (30% of our production) are expected by a loyal French and international clientele. The price is attractive since the subscriptions allow buyers to benefit from a price 30% lower than the reference price. The 2015 vintage promises to be exceptional, all the conditions are met for it to go down in history. An exceptional year in the same way as 2010 and 1995. The first tastings confirm complete wines, with a very rich acidity and tannins, both will give a dazzling ensemble.

At Château Bouscassé, 2016 will be marked by two events: my 35 vintages and my father's 100th birthday. A vintage is moreover dedicated to him: Château Bouscassé Hommage à Alban Brumont. Since 1861, the family estate has been fully part of the history of the appellation. Benefiting from exceptional terroirs in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Bouscassé has joined the fame of Montus and obtained the recognition of critics and wine lovers in France and internationally. The latest Wine spectator ranking places Château Bouscassé at 51st place in the world (only two French wines appear in the ranking!).

Castle Montus, the Cathedral of Tannat

For me, tannat is the grape variety of the future: no need for inputs, it is perfectly suited to the local ecosystem. A great tannat matured for two years in barrel can be drunk after 4-5 years (the fruit is still present but well distilled) but also has a record and unique potential for infinite ageing (almost a century!).After naming Château Montus after the Cathedral of Tannat, the new 4000 m² green space (dededicated to the storage of the wines and the collection of my 35 vintages) has already received the nickname of " coffre-fort du Tannat ".

The "Tannat safe": an ultra-sophisticated wine storage facility at Château Montus

Our customers will be able to benefit - in 3 months - from this ultra sophisticated storage with the latest technological innovations (i.e. storage at 15°c with 75% humidity) in complete safety. Moreover, this service will be free of charge ! Propose ready-to-drink wines, such as Véga Sicilia. The idea is to bring forward some vintages and move back others in order to bring them out at their peak. We can thus offer 10 vintages at the same price and without any speculation. My concept is unique. In a wine cabinet, you don't really know it, but there are vibrations. Here, in this safe, it's a natural safekeeping. The concrete wall is 50 cm with 20 cm of insulation (in a freezer, the insulation is only 5 cm!!). So, yes, this safe will allow a conservation which will be able to resist to earthquakes, the 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 in any way! Today, you can therefore buy bottles of wine for your children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren!

40 years of career: Châteaux Montus & Bouscassé, icons of the South-West

These last years, all the wine magazines baptize us as icons of the South-West. It is a collective success. Living in autarky with my team. Sharing a table every lunchtime with my teams at the Table Bouscassé, it brings a richness.Thanks to my unique concept, I have been able to bring the Madiran appellation to the level of the best French regions with my own style and be nicknamed the "Pétrus of the South West". Thanks to the infinite qualities of the three autochthonous grape varieties, Tannat, Petit Courbu and Petit Manseng, and the exceptional terroirs combined in one place, I have succeeded in creating a great red, dry and sweet white wine.

Alain Brumont's projects for the Châteaux Montus & Bouscassé

Some critics say I've done in thirty years what others have taken three centuries to do! I have an ambitious programme for the next ten years and I want it to be up to the challenge of the young, high-performing team around me. I want to improve the quality through a new winemaking process to allow an optimization of the terroirs. Two new terroirs have been discovered. We're going to make a new viticulture because the framework of the appellation contrôlée no longer suits me, it doesn't suit the terroir. At home, I have examples of products that have succeeded because of the terroir, such as the Menhir or the red clay of Château Bouscassé. I want the terroir to be the master!

Find the wines of Alain Brumont on Les Grappes

Shamini (Les Grappes)