The history and story of Bouvet-Ladubay date back to 1851. It got established by Etienne Bouvet. At the mere age of 23, Etienne purchased eight kilometres’ worth of underground galleries in the commune of Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent in France. He did so along with the help and support of Celestine Ladubay, his wife. The couple set up and utilised the galleries as wine cellars. Based on that, they developed a winery using their surnames, giving rise to Bouvet-Ladubay. In the coming years, Etienne and Celestine worked tirelessly to build Bouvet-Ladubay from scratch. They put in immense effort to grow the scale of the winery. Their hard work allowed Etienne to become one of the most renowned winemakers of the region.
In 1908, Etienne passed away at the age of eighty. He spent his last moments in his chateau located in Saint-Hilaire. However, the couple left no direct descendants who could inherit the winery and continue the family business. That is why no legal successors could protect the estate. It got auctioned and bought in 1932 after getting weakened by the economic crisis of 1929.
Justin-Marcel Monmousseau was the person who won Bouvet-Ladubay in the 1932 auction. After acquiring the winery, he restored the glory and stability of the estate gradually. He took part in various export businesses, developing the high-standard image of the winery. In 1946, Justin-Marcel’s son, Jean Monmousseau, took over the Bouvet-Ladubay. Nevertheless, it was not until the 1950s when the reputation of Bouvet-Ladubay got restored to its full extent.
Ladubay holds the position of the second-oldest producer of sparkling wine in Saumur. It had been the largest manufacturer of méthode traditionnelle wines in France since 1890 and continues to be so today. The staff at the winery work with the belief that wine is an embodiment of living art.
https://www.bouvet-ladubay.fr
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