Theoutstanding success of Robert Giraud reaches, far beyond the Cubzac region, where its roots lie. Built-up over decades, the company reflects the, full measure of its founder’s exceptional personality.
At the time of his birth in 1925, Robert Giraud was the last of a long line of winegrowers from Saint-Andre-de Cubzac on his mother’s side, a line which can be traced back to the mid 18th century in the family archives. The Giraud family were forced to leave their native Vendee due to the poverty that followed the French Revolution and the Chouan uprising. They settled in the Saint Andre de Cubzac area less than a century later, part of a large-scale migration to the northern Gironde. Henri GIRAUD At that time, winegrowing in the region was limited to a multitude of small holdings, no more than a few hectares for the most part. The tiny Domaine de Peyreau (five hectares), bought by the Giraud family in 1850 (where Robert Giraud was later born), is typical of this type of farm. Much of the land on such estates was set aside for food crops to ensure virtual self-sufficiency to families of winegrowers. The fragile local economy was badly hit by oidium and phylloxera, veritable scourges of the wine industry during the latter half of the nineteenth century, and then by the first overproduction crisis. All this was followed by two world wars…
After the First World War, the little Domaine de Peyreau, like all other Bordeaux vineyards, was far from flourishing.
The postwar period was, however, to be more favorable. Working relentlessly, Raoul Giraud, Robert’s father, managed to build up the size of his vineyard holdings significantly, to a total area of around thirty hectares. “In those days, there was nothing beyond work and the family holidays were non-existent and, very often, my parents worked throughout the weekend. They never took any time off, and until they were quite elderly they never traveled further away than Bordeaux … The land was not generous and you had to work hard, with no second thoughts … For the entire length of the 1914- I 8 war, without the help of her husband and her son, who were both away in the army, my grandmother ran the family estate unaided. She did all the work in the vineyard herself, including carrying the sulphate on her back for the spraying, as was the practice at the time”, recalls Robert Giraud.
Real expansion came after the second world war, when Raoul Giraud bought Château Timberlay. Added to the existing area under vine, Timberlay’s 35 hectares brought the family vineyard holdings up to an economically viable 65 hectares of uniformly high standard (today, Château Timberlay has 125 hectares of vines).
In 1946, returning from volunteer service at the front, where he had won the Croix de Guerre, Robert Giraud rejoined his father at Timberlay.
From then on he was to make use of his legendary dynamism to hone his skills as a winegrower, the career he had always wanted.
Philippe Giraud
Position:Since 1995 Vineyard Manager for all of the Robert Giraud properties
Previous:
Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1° Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac
Comes from a wine making family from the Alsace region of France. Experience from an early age working in the family vineyards.
Vineyard philosophy:
Jean Luc has a passion and respect for the environment and this has been demonstrated in the way that he has lead the management of our vineyards. His philosophy is to produce quality grapes through reasoned agriculture, which works with respect for Man and the environment.
This has lead to a drastic decrease in products such as herbicides, pesticides and vine treatments. Instead the vineyard has been managed to work within the natural eco system. We have worked towards and gained the Terra Vitis certification which is awarded by an independent body proving that the vineyard conforms to stringent ‘reasoned agriculture’ standards. Jean Luc has been particularly keen on this work and has been a leading member of the Terra Vitis movement. Chateau Timberlay has been widely recognised for its work, and was chosen during Vinexpo 2009 to host the Terra Vitis association tasting and press meeting.
Jean Luc Duwa
Position:Since 1995 Vineyard Manager for all of the Robert Giraud properties
Previous:
Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1° Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac
Comes from a wine making family from the Alsace region of France. Experience from an early age working in the family vineyards.
Vineyard philosophy:
Jean Luc has a passion and respect for the environment and this has been demonstrated in the way that he has lead the management of our vineyards. His philosophy is to produce quality grapes through reasoned agriculture, which works with respect for Man and the environment.
This has lead to a drastic decrease in products such as herbicides, pesticides and vine treatments. Instead the vineyard has been managed to work within the natural eco system. We have worked towards and gained the Terra Vitis certification which is awarded by an independent body proving that the vineyard conforms to stringent ‘reasoned agriculture’ standards. Jean Luc has been particularly keen on this work and has been a leading member of the Terra Vitis movement. Chateau Timberlay has been widely recognised for its work, and was chosen during Vinexpo 2009 to host the Terra Vitis association tasting and press meeting.
Alain Busquet
Diplome National d’Oenologue (University of Bordeaux)Fully qualified Oenologist.
Position:
Since 1995 Vineyard Manager for all of the Robert Giraud properties
1983 to 1988:
Oenologist at Caves des Producteurs de Nogaro, a large co-operative in the Gers region of France, vinifying 130 000 hectolitres.
Internships:
Chateau de Ama, Chianti Clasico, Italy Chateau Beychevelle, St Julien en Medoc
Wine philosophy:
Wine is a cultural product. Behind every bottle there is a face, an individual identity and history from a person, a family, a region and a country. Today we work the land, the terroirs, chosen by our ancestors, through years of experimenting and experience in knowing which plots produce the best grapes and how to manage each one in a way to bring out the best in it. Today we take the best from their experience and add the modern technological advancements . We integrate the past in the present and the future so that we can preserve the typicity and diversity of our wines which is the richness of our vineyards. We defend the notion of terroir, the synergy between the climate, the soil, the vine and Man, the only approach which can produce authentic wines which have the capacity to surprise and move us. That’s the way for us to be able to be able to make a stand against the standardisation of wines and wine tastes.
A quality wine can only be made from quality grapes, so we have to be constantly observing and adapting to the terroir and the vegetative cycle. Rigeur and precision are needed. Nature gives us the potential for quality which we need to preserve by undertaking the appropriate action at the right time. That needs an in-depth knowledge of physiochemical reactions which take place from the moment the grapes reach the cellar until the wine is bottled. All the stages: grape ripening, fermentation, ageing, blending, bottling require great care and skill, and in particular an ability to taste accurately, which is the main tool in decision making. Despite that, a small part of uncertainty will always remain which can lead sometimes to minor miracles or even some disappointment. But that is exactly what makes wine making such a passionate and interesting job.