Patrick Maroteaux, owner of Château Branaire-Ducru on Bordeaux's Left Bank for nearly 30 years, has died aged 67.
Parick Maroteaux, owner of Château Branaire-Ducru in St-Julien since 1988, died yesterday on Sunday 19 November after a long battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.
Maroteaux, who was born Picardy in northern France, was successful first in the banking industry, and then in the Eurosucre sugar business, before changing career for a third time to become owner of this 1855 4th growth estate. He first visited Branaire-Ducru on a Saturday and had signed to purchase by the following Friday.
Not long after buying Branaire, he began a sustained programme of investment to restore both the vineyards and château, and also hired a young Philippe Dhalluin as technical director, who stayed with the estate until 2002 when he moved to Château Mouton Rothschild.
At first, Maroteaux worked between Paris and Bordeaux, but once he moved full-time to Bordeaux in the 1990s, he became closely involved in the region. He was president of the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux (UGC) between 2001 and 2008 and then president of the St-Julien appellation, as well remaining as vice-president of the UGC.
Maroteaux is survived by his wife Evelyne, his children Sophie, Anne-Laure, Pierre-Henry and François-Xavier, and his nine grandchildren.
In a note sharing the news, his son François-Xavier Maroteaux wrote, ‘After a long battle which he fought with a lot of energy, he left us in peace and appeased’.
Current UGC president Oliver Bernard said, ‘Patrick was a remarkable president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, admired for his dynamism, open-mindedness, and respect for our values.’
