French Resistance fighter and first owner in Bordeaux to sell a screwcapped cru classé.
And major force in Bordeaux politics.
Truly a gentleman. Visited him years ago and he asked me if I wanted to come to a company tasting of La Louviere from 1970 to 2001 because he found my palate and feedback thoughtful at a tasting at Couhins Lurton.
RIP
Lurton is one of those names where if I see it on a bottle, I’ll try it. I found lots of good Bordeaux that way. RIP.
I stayed with Andre and his wife for a week back in 1979. They put a ping pong table into the ballroom of the chateau. They always said that Andre and his brothers wanted a chateau for every child.
We took a tour of the chateau, and the highlight for me was a massive porphyry bath tub. It was magnificent, around 12 foot long, and the bathroom needed massive reinforcements to hold the weight.
My memories of Andre are wonderful; the consummate gentleman who was a polite but brilliant businessman, who with his brother built a mini wine empire, and yes, each of their children got a chateau. Will get a Louviere 1990 from warehouse, and toast his memory tomorrow.