Chateau Fonbadet is on an outstanding vineyard site located north of the tiny village of Saint-Lambert. It forms an enclave among the finest great growths in the Pauillac appellation.

During the Middle Ages, Fonbadet owed allegiance to the seigneury of Chateau Latour, and everything seems to indicate that vines have been grown there for a very long time. However, written proof of Fonbadet's winegrowing vocation dates "only" from just before the French Revolution.

The château changed hands several times thereafter, passing into several families who left a strong mark on the region. Pierre Gères de Loupes, Sous-Préfet of Lesparre and Justice of the Peace in Pauillac, purchased the estate in the early 19th century. Records show that it belonged to the widows Clarke and Chancel at the end of the Second Empire.

Chateau Fonbadet has managed to stay independent and family-owned despite the appetite of the prestigious estates that surround it. It has been in the family of the present owner, Pierre Peyronie, for over half a century.

The close rapport between Pierre Peyronie and his daughters is patent, and fills the house with a warm, friendly atmosphere... Conversation at the family dinner table is quite animated, to the point where the interviewer almost overlooked the incredible pleasure provided by the 1995 and 1983 vintages of Fonbadet that had been poured for him.

Marie-Pierre is the elder daughter. Most of her time is devoted to the pharmacy she owns in Pauillac, but she is also very involved with Fonbadet and never misses the tastings that determine the final blend (assemblage). Pascale, the younger daughter, has a legal background and possesses a D.U.A.D. (tasting) diploma from the Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology. She helps her father with administrating the estate.

The Peyronie family's winegrowing background is ancient, going back to at least 1700 according to Bernard Ginestet. This makes them contemporaries of the de Ségur family. Two hundred years later, in the early 20th century, Pierre's great-grandfather was manager of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, and his late wife, Jany, had the same function at... Chateau Mouton-Rothschild.

Pierre Peyronie admits that, when he was young, he was offered a job at Lafite-Rothschild, which he declined in order to look after Fonbadet full time. "Even though this was setting my sights a little lower, I preferred to be seek personal success, and be my own boss..."

Pierre Peyronie's first vintage at Fonbadet was in 1963. His interest in winemaking led him to develop a complementary (and unpaid) activity: to experiment the use of new petroleum derivatives from the Esso Corporation in his vineyard..

At that time, people were just beginning to take notice of the excess concentration, and negative side-effects, of copper in the soil, resulting from the widespread use of "Bordeaux mixture". The derivatives were an ecological alternative that Pierre Peyronie tested on his own vines. He shared the (positive) results of these tests with fellow vineyard owners.

Once the presentations were made, it was explained to me that the old Gascon word "Fonbadet" means "The fountain in the small valley", referring to the spring that rises on the property. This spring is still used today to cool down the vats.