Château Tertre-Roteboeuf: A Philosophy
Not long before I visited Château Tertre-Roteboeuf to meet François Mitjavile in July 2012 I was chatting with another Bordeaux château-proprietor, and the topic of conversation soon veered towards my schedule of visits. On hearing I was to meet François Mitjavile my companion’s eyes lit up. It seems François is liked and respected; he is, after all, a most charming man, I was told. But there also came a light-hearted warning; “he will tell you of the vineyards and how he works, of course, but be prepared for much more. Before long he will be regaling you with tales of blue planets and green planets, and other cosmic analogies relevant to the vine and wine.” Naturally I was delighted; there’s nothing like a little mystical influence to add a touch of spice to a wine.
François Mitjavile is indeed a charming man. He is also learned, enquiring and intellectual. Having arrived chez Mitjavile just as he was in the middle of some business I was shown into a room which seemed to be one-third sitting room, two-thirds library; either side of the empty fireplace two huge bookshelves stretched up from floor to ceiling, each one running into the corner and then continuing along the next wall. The shelves were crammed with the works of Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (as in Malescot Saint-Exupéry), Victor Hugo, Balzac and more, together with a collection of weighty reference tomes; somebody is clearly very well read. There was also plenty of Lucky Luke, a Franco-Belgian comic book hero, no doubt once read by François’ three children; this is, it seems, a bibliothèque with something for everyone.
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