French family empire that is one of the most important companies in the Bordeaux wine trade. Jean Moueix (1882-1957), a native of Corrèze in central France, bought the parent company Château Fonroque in Saint-Émilion in 1930 and his son Jean-Pierre (1913-2003) began trading in wine at the same time. Jean-Pierre founded the wine trading company "Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix" in Libourne in 1937. The express aim was to sell red wines from the Rive droite (right bank of the Dordogne) in particular. By the 1970s, the company had developed into the most important négociant (trading house) in Bordeaux. The trading company Duclot was acquired in 1956 with the aim of also doing business on the Rive gauche (left bank with Médoc and Graves) and selling directly to private customers in France. Since 1968, both companies have been managed by Jean-Pierre's elder son Jean-François Moueix (*1945).
From the 1950s onwards, Jean-Pierre Moueix acquired many châteaux in Saint-Émilion, Fronsac and Pomerol. The property includes, at least in the form of shares, Château Bélair-Monange, Château La Clotte, Château de la Dauphine, Château Guillot, Château La Fleur-Gazin, Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Château Lagrange, Château La Grave, Château Latour à Pomerol, Château Magdelaine, Château Moulin du Cadet and Château Trotanoy. The most important property is the 1961/1964 participation in the famous Château Pétrus (Pomerol). The wine estates Château Canon, Château Canon de Brem, Château Canon-Moueix, Château La-Croix Canon and Château de la Dauphine were sold again in 2000.
Jean-Pierre's younger son Christian (*1946) and his chief oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet have been responsible for all the châteaux since 1970. In 1982, he and two daughters of John Daniel (former owner of Inglenook Winery) founded the Dominus Estate in Yountville, California, where the cult wine "Dominus" is produced in a state-of-the-art winery. After buying out the partners, he has been the sole owner since 1994. In the meantime, Christian Moueix also manages the trading house in Libourne. Édouard Moueix (*1977), Christian's son, is responsible for sales on the American market. It should also be mentioned that Jean-Pierre Moueix was a collector of works of art, such as paintings by Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon, as well as valuable books. These are exhibited in the Château on the Dordogne, where he lived.
Pictures: Dominus Estate
