Château Brown: Jean-Christophe Mau
The Mau family were once in control of one of the largest Bordeaux négociant firms, the eponymously named Yvon Mau. The Yvon Mau in question starting out cycling from one vineyard to the next on a penny farthing, buying wines as he did so, and from this small beginning grew a large business of international repute. Nevertheless, at the opening of the 21st century the family decided that their future lay not in the generic-level wines the négociant firm was famous for, but at the quality end of the spectrum. With this realisation they made the decision to sell the négociant arm. The buyer was Freixenet, perhaps best known as a large-scale producer of Spanish cava.
With the revenue generated, the family looked to invest in a prestigious appellation, far away from the struggling bargain-basement world of generic Bordeaux, where competition from the New World was increasing year-on-year. Jean-Christophe Mau, originally trained as an accountant but newly returned to Bordeaux to take up the family business, led the search for a suitable property.
In 1998 the family had already purchased, also with the assistance of the Dirkzwager family, Château Preuillac near Lesparre-Médoc, some way north of St Estèphe (which they have subsequently sold). Although an impressive estate blessed with a vineyard of some promise, this property was clearly not at the level Jean-Christophe was looking for.
