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The sale of Maisons & Domaines Henriot to the Artémis Domaines group of companies owned by the French billionaire and LVMH majority shareholder Francois Pinault has been sharply criticised by the Burgundy vintners' association CAVB (Confédération des Appellations et des Vignerons de Bourgogne).
With the sale, Artémis Domaines takes over about 200 hectares of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards from the Henriot family. This also includes the Beaune-based négociant and producer Bouchard Pere & Fils as well as William Fevre, one of the largest wine estates in Chablis. The vintner and CAVB chairman Thiébault Huber commented the takeover in the daily newspaper Le Monde as a "sad step". He went on to say: "The risk is a feudal system in which the land belongs to the rich, who are the lords of the place, while the locals are treated like paupers."
In an interview with the British Times newspaper, the CAVB chairman said the merger had increased his concerns about the future of the Burgundian "family model". Vineyards that used to be passed down from generation to generation within a family would now be "sold to wealthy investors who look at them like the famous 'Kelly handbag' of Hermes" and used them to enhance the reputation of their luxury goods groups. Moreover, as a result of the new owners' investments, the prices of the region's wines would "probably become unaffordable for most people", he warned.
Currently, 272 wineries belong to the umbrella organisation CAVB. They are members of the Union des Grands Crus de Bourgogne, the Union des Crus de Bourgogne and the Union des Appellations Régionales.
(uka / Photo: Domaine Huber-Verdereau)