With Philippe Casteja, who was relaxed, he was pursued for illegal taking interest in their alleged involvement in the prestigious classification of the great Crus of Saint-Emilion.
This is one of the great figures of the Bordeaux. Hubert de Boüard was sentenced, Monday, October 25, for illegal taking interest in the 2012 ranking of the great Crus of Saint-Emilion.
Co-owner of the famous Angelus Castle, the owner was sentenced to 60,000 euros of fine, including 20,000 suspended, for “multiple participations at all stages of the procedure”, between 2010 and 2012, while It was in charge of a public service mission (member of the INAO Wine Committee, attached to the Ministry of Agriculture) and had interests in several candidate and award-winning properties, including Angelus. Philippe Castéja, another browse of the Bordeaux and owner of the Chateau Totte Vieille, who had also appeared at the end of September, was relaxed.
In 2012, Angelus had been promoted first Greater Cru Classé A, a peak of the pyramid, and trotte old maintained in class B. Eight other candidate properties for which M. de Boüard was a consultant or supervisor had, moreover, been rewarded .
In trial, however, the two defendants had denied use of any influence in this prestigious ranking, revised every ten years, which guarantees important commercial, financial and media benefits.
But the correctional court ultimately considered that M. de Boüard’s behavior, absent Monday, was “obviously the expression of one-way” and constituted a “serious disorder to the economic order and social “.
“Skking terms”, raised M e Eric Moraain, the lawyer of the civil parties, three family properties recalled in 2012. “This is a beautiful epilogue and a relief after eight years From the fighter course, “he added, despite the tip of disappointment of his clients who did not obtain damages. “He is sentenced to 20 crates of Anélus! …”, thus deplore one of them, in an analogy with the high price of the wine of M. de Boüard, who had declared at the hearing between 500,000 and three million euros of annual revenue. “But we won!”, Hastened another.
“This judgment is also a call for things to do better in the future,” resumed Moraain. This ranking “is a showcase that must be irreproachable and that has not been [in 2012]”.
Classification 2022 under development
M. de BOÜARD council, M e Antoine Vey told the France-Presse agency that they allowed himself time to understand the judgment before deciding whether or not to appeal. Although the temptation to wash its name could take away, a call would prolong the criminal proceedings of several months with the risk of discrediting the milling 2022 of the classification, under development on criteria more or less similar to that. of 2012 and expected for June.
Especially since on another judicial front, the Administrative Court of Appeal of Bordeaux must decide on the validity of this classification, contested for the relevance of certain rating criteria. A decision is expected for early 2022, before the publication of the new ranking.
“If the administrative judge cancels the 2012 ranking, then the 2022, a copy-out of the previous [in terms of criteria], risk the same thing. And it could even be a classification of Saint-Emilion before A good time … “Pierre Carle points out, an associate owner of Croque-Michotte, one of the three complaining castles.
Out of the prejudices, the stature of the ranking was scratched this summer by the non-candidature for 2022 of the Castles Ausone and horse-white, a local earthquake. Like others, these historical heavyweights, the only two to be first raised rated Crus has since the beginning, consider that its criteria leave too much room for “secondary elements” (notoriety, reception of the public …) at the expense of “Fundamentals” (terroir, tasting …). A door breakdown that everyone can not afford. According to the INAO, there are more candidate domains in 2022 than in 2012.