Château Mouton-d’Armailhacq
In 1780 Louis-Odet d’Armailhacq, the son of Dominique d’Armailhacq and an advisor to King Louis XVI, married Marie-Thérèse de Laporte, the daughter of Baron Daniel de Laporte. The Laporte family were of noble blood and held a number of titles, including the seigneuries of La Mothe, Mouton et Petit-Camau. This union entitled the d’Armailhacq family to use the name of Mouton and, apparently not being one to let a marketing opportunity pass by, they duly renamed their estate Château Mouton-d’Armailhacq. At this time records indicate there were 52 hectares of vines planted.
The family managed to maintain their hold on the estate during the French Revolution as the 18th century drew to a close, despite owning a considerable estate and having noble connections; perhaps the absence of a grand residence was in their favour. Nevertheless, they did seem to be prevented from profiting from the sale of land as biens nationaux (national assets); an attempt was made to secure some valuable land on the Carruades croupe, one of the better sites in the commune of Pauillac, but it was nearly four decades before the Armailhacq family could seal the deal. Even without this extra land, however, the estate must have been very profitable; so much so that, in 1820, construction of the grand château that I admire so much began.
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