Château Larmande: The Saint-Genis Era
When the first edition of Cocks et Féret was published in 1850, Château Larmande made a notable appearance, once which reflected its longstanding existence. Many domaines which today would probably be ranked higher, it should be said, did not make the cut. But the vineyards at Larmande were deemed worthy of a mention; they were in the hands of the aforementioned Pion de Cases family and the volume produced averaged out at 12 tonneaux per annum.
Subsequently the estate came to Marie Catherine Decazes, and naturally it is tempting to think she was somehow related to the Pion de Cases family, the spelling having merely mutated. This is plausible, although having traced Marie’s family tree back more than a century, I have failed to find any real link. Nevertheless the estate was certainly hers, and when she married Henri Louis Alexandre Bourgès Saint-Genis on March 18th 1838 it came into the possession of the Saint-Genis family. Marie and Henri had two sons, Laurent and Philippe; Philippe Bourgès Saint-Genis (1852 – 1938) was a négociant, and also a juge in the Libourne tribunal, and it was he who would eventually take the reins at the estate.
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