The project began life in 2019 as a Facebook group, created by Graves-based winemaker Jean-Baptiste Duquesne of Château Cazebonne. The positive reactions from both the public and fellow winemakers that followed prompted the group to pursue official recognition.
‘The idea started with me and with my friend Laurent David of Château Edmus in St-Emilion. He gave me the idea of the name “pirate”,’ Duquesne told Decanter.
‘So in December 2019, I created a Facebook group called Bordeaux Pirate to show that Bordeaux can be different. Anyone could join the group and talk about new things happening in the region. We now have over three thousand members, about a tenth of whom are producers.’
The group introduced itself to the public and the trade in January 2020, when Duquesne exhibited alongside six fellow winemakers at the Wine Paris fair.
‘Then Covid hit and stopped everything for two years,’ Duquesne explained. Doubled in size, the collective returned to exhibit in 2022 while working towards achieving official status.
The collective now counts 10 official members, including founders Laurent Cassy of Château Chillac and Fabien Lapeyre of Château La Peyre, as well as Duquesne and David themselves.
The Union des Vignerons Bordeaux Pirate was set up with the key goal to associate alternative and innovative winemakers. ‘Things are no longer moving in Bordeaux, we have standardised and stereotyped wines.
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