Lucien Lurton dies aged 98

Sad news that Lucien Lurton, one of the great figures of 20th century Bordeaux, died in Margaux on March 25 aged 98.

Born in Entre deux Mers in 1925, Lucien was the younger brother of André Lurton, who passed away in 2019, and father of 10 children with wife Marie-Jeanne Duvoisin including well-known winemakers Gonzague, Henri and Bérénice Lurton. He built up a portfolio of estates across a number of appellations, but was most closely associated with Margaux, spending almost 70 years living at Brane Cantenac.

Lurton inherited 1855 2nd Growth Château Brane-Cantenac in 1954 from his father François Lurton and grandfather Léonce Récapet, who had bought the property in 1926. He took over at a time when the Médoc was still suffering from the after effects of World War II, and the property was in a difficult condition – a fact made worse two years later when the 1956 frosts almost destroyed the entirety of its vineyard.

In response, he took out a huge bank loan and began replanting straight after the frosts, continuing throughout the 1960s. He was the third generation of his family to study agricultural engineering in Purpan, Toulouse, and was a member of the Chamber of Agriculture, which gave him access to research and knowledge, and later asked legendary oenologist Emile Peynaud to consult on winemaking at the estate. All of this meant he was in a good position to benefit from the success of the 1961 vintage, and ensured that Brane-Cantenac was one of the first classified estates to really establish itself on the Place de Bordeaux in the post-war years.

This allowed him to purchase more estates, and the next few decades saw Lurton buy Durfort-Vivens (1961), Climens (1971), Villegeorge (1973), La Tour de Bessan, Haut-Nouchet, Camarsac (1974), Bouscaut (1979), and Château Desmirail (1980), giving him a range of properties at different price points in the Médoc, Graves and Entre-deux-Mers. His method of selection rested heavily on research into terroir, working closely with geologist and soil expert Henri Enjalbert.

In my introduction to the Margaux appellation for the Inside Bordeaux book, I wrote, ‘Lucien Lurton, the father of former appellation president Gonzague Lurton, was one of the first to become seriously interested in the drainage and soil differentiation across Margaux, personally carrying
out numerous experiments from the early 1990s right up to 2012. He was fascinated to understand why certain spots were more revered than others in the 19th century, and wanted to reverse the trends of under-investment after the frost of 1956 and the general impoverishment following World War Two. There were many abandoned forgotten vineyards in the mid-20th century, so he read old books, searched out the best spots and dug soil pits to research water-retention capacity (he then bought up lots of the good land, ending up with three 1855 Cru Classé estates and at one point overseeing 430ha of vines in Margaux). He played a big role in the resurgence of Margaux and deserves recognition for it.’

In more recent years, he has been held up as a model of how to amicably hand over châteaux from one generation to the next. In 1992, he split the family estates between his 10 children, helping as they needed but essentially stepping back and leaving them to run them as they saw fit. Reportedly he asked them to write down on a piece of paper which one they wanted, and as far as possible respected their wishes – something that saw Gonzague take over Château Durfort-Vivens, Henri Château Brane Cantenac and Bérénice Château Climens.

He spent much of his time after this focusing on protecting the Médoc from unrestrained development, and working with the national appellations’ body, the INAO, to recognise the most suitable land for planting, particularly in AOC Margaux where he was closely involved in setting and enlarging the appellation boundaries.

He leaves behind a wide-ranging legacy, and a family that owns vineyards in France, South America, California, Australia and beyond.

These lovely photos were provided by the estate, and show Lucien with his grandson, and a separate one with his grandson and son Gonzague.