Château Haut-Brion: The Modern Era
It might seem strange for Clarence Dillon, a Harvard-educated Texan, to desire ownership of a Bordeaux château, but perhaps less so if we consider the man for a moment. Dillon’s mother was of French descent, and although Dillon worked for the American bank Read (where he was so successful he ultimately became director, the bank renamed Dillon Read & Co.) he was clearly well acquainted with France and her charms. He spent his honeymoon in France, a sojourn that expanded into a two-year sabbatical, and from 1929 he owned an apartment in Paris which he would frequently visit with his wife. He came to love the country and the acquisition of a grand property, for someone who enjoyed such financial success, was perhaps the natural next step.
Although in family ownership a limited company, the Société Vinicole de la Gironde (the forerunner of today’s Domaine Clarence Dillon SA), was established, not an uncommon move as it prevents division of the estate when it is passed from one generation to the next. Almost immediately Clarence installed his nephew Seymour Weller, the offspring of his wife’s sister, as director of the company; he ran the estate with the advice and expertise of manager and winemaker Georges Delmas (who had taken up his post at the estate in 1921). These were difficult times, the estate used by the occupying German forces as a military hospital and as officer’s quarters during World War II.
