Château de Rochemorin: Montesquieu
Jacques and Marie-Françoise had a son, the aforementioned Charles, better known as Montesquieu, who would become renowned as one of the great scholars and philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment.
It is tempting to think that Montesquieu paid no attention to his vines, being far too busy putting his political theorems onto paper. This, however, would be far from the truth. He was actively engaged in the process of viticulture at Rochemorin, and also on a vineyard he inherited around the original Pesnel family seat, Château de la Brède. And he expanded this viticultural empire with further purchases, including a small parcel of vines close to Château Haut-Brion. His many letters referencing the harvest, the influences on the character of the fruit including the soils (so as well as advocating for the separation of powers, he was also an early promulgator of the concept of terroir), and his descriptions of the wines he made, clearly indicate that he had both knowledge and passion when it came to his land and its wines.
Following Montesquieu’s passing, Château de Rochemorin remained in the hands of the same family for the next two centuries, during which it appeared on the maps published by the renowned cartographer César-François Cassini de Thury (1714 – 1784).
