Sustainable energies

A passion for wine? The expression makes the Courbis brothers chuckle. Yes, wine is (nearly) all their life. But how could it have been otherwise?With a family rooted in grape-growing since 1587, with a father who cleared and replanted hillsides where only a sturdy local could even stand up, a father who never really pushed them but secretly hoped his offspring would choose the family land. And so Dominique and Laurent, the first in 1988 and the second in 1993, naturally settled into the groove. But acting the virtuous sons was not an option. Dominique spent time in the United States, looking at other things and honing his curiosity. Laurent, meanwhile, was thinking about “quality-led choices and consumer tastes”. Clearly, changes had to be made. There were frictions with their father, an old-school patriarch. But today the results are visible: superb vines in breathtaking landscapes, wines of high typicity and elegance, and a fine reputation. Their father’s still there, but these days just for pleasure. Maybe he is secretly taking stock of the reasons for this success? The sons’ solid education, their rural common sense, their respect for the land and for people. And “the art of compromising with others but not being naive”, Laurent, mayor of Châteaubourg, would definitely add. Laurent loves this “role playing”, where, in sometimes hostile surroundings, he can observe others at will, the better to secure their support for his projects. “And moderation in all things”, Dominique would conclude. For him, the family firm no longer needs revolutionising but perpetuating. A word the father surely holds dear.