In a merger of French wine titans, François Pinault’s Artémis Domaines—the owner of iconic wineries such as Bordeaux’s Château Latour, Burgundy’s Clos de Tart and Napa’s Domaine Eisele Vineyard—is buying a majority stake in Maisons & Domaines Henriot, which owns Bouchard Père & Fils in Burgundy, William Fèvre in Chablis, Maison Henriot in Champagne and Beaux Frères in Oregon. The Henriot family will become minority shareholders in the combined company.
“The merger of Maisons & Domaines Henriot and Artémis Domaines is a wonderful opportunity to bring together the treasures of our wine heritage under the same banner,” said François Pinault in a statement. “It is a guarantee that a French group will ensure the long-term preservation of such jewels and continue the quest for excellence that has marked their prestigious history.”
Frédéric Engerer, managing director of Artémis Domaines, will oversee all the wineries, with the help of a supervisory board chaired by Gilles de Larouzière Henriot, the current CEO of Henriot. The deal closed today, the firms announced. A purchase price was not disclosed.
“For the estates of our family group, this alliance is full of promise,” said de Larouzière Henriot in a statement. “With Artémis Domaines, we share a deep attachment to the exceptional wine heritage of France and the ambition to fully develop the incomparable ensemble that we constitute through the combination of our estates. This operation is intended to be carried out over several generations, in the image of the long time that makes great wines.”
The Henriot family got their start in winemaking in Champagne, establishing their house in 1808. De Larouzière Henriot’s uncle, Joseph Henriot, grew the company after taking over in 1957. He also took on prime roles at Charles Heidsieck, Veuve Clicquot and then the LVMH group before leaving to return his focus to the family firm. In 1995, he purchased Bouchard, a historic Burgundy négociant that had fallen on hard times. He and his team invested and restored its reputation. Henriot also bought William Fèvre in Chablis. After his death in 2015, the company continued to grow under de Larouzière Henriot, expanding to America when it bought Oregon’s Beaux Frères in 2017.
François Pinault is one of the world’s richest men. Having come from humble origins in Brittany, he went on to build a lumber company and then a retail chain before establishing Kering, a luxury giant that includes fashion icons such as Alexander McQueen and Gucci. Artémis is his family’s investment company, which began its wine focus when Pinault purchased Château Latour in 1993. In recent years, under Engerer’s management, Artémis has bought some of the world’s most iconic wineries, including Clos de Tart in Morey-Saint-Denis, Château Grillet in the Northern Rhône, Napa’s Eisele Vineyard and a minority stake in Champagne Jacquesson. The company also owns Christie’s, one of the wine world’s leading auction houses.
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