Our Team
Patrice Monmousseau became president of his family’s winery at the age of 29, and has since maintained its quality reputation while linking the name to prestigious arts and sporting events and garnering scores of accolades. Under the able guidance and leadership of Patrice Monmousseau, Bouvet Ladubay today produces close to 6 million bottles of wine, almost 20 times the amount produced by the company when he began his career.
A Life in Wine
Monmousseau was born in Montrichard, France, on July 17, 1943. From the age of 13, during vacations from school, he was involved in the various operations of the family business, until, upon completion of his studies, he officially joined the business as a cellar worker. In 1964, following military service in Algeria, Monmousseau undertook formal studies at the Institut Technique de la Vigne et du Vin in Beaune, and subsequently returned to Bouvet Ladubay, where he learned the fine art of blending wines under his father’s tutelage. In 1971, the younger Monmousseau was named President Directeur-General of Bouvet Ladubay, and in September of 1972, concluded an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with Kobrand Corporation.
Supporting Sport and the Arts
Passionate about the arts and keen on mechanics, Monmousseau has for the past 20 years associated the Bouvet brand with major sporting and lifestyle events in France, such as the world championship of cross-country sidecar racing, the Saumur International Carriage Driving Competition, the European Hovercraft Championship, The Paris–Dakar Race and the famous Le Mans 24 Hours, in addition to sponsoring French theater and film festivals.
In 1991, on the winery property, Monmousseau inaugurated an 800-square-meter contemporary art gallery that has hosted shows by many high-profile artists. He has also restored and reopened a ‘bijou’ theater created by Bouvet’s founder and, in 1999, inaugurated a second art gallery, the Galérie Coup de Cœur (Impulse Gallery), which is devoted to lesser-known artists and new talents.
Accolades
In his long career Monmousseau has won many accolades and honors, which include the Mérite Agricole (Agricultural Merit), Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature) and the Mérite National (National Merit).
