It’s hard to imagine how dire the situation was for Bordeaux wines when Jean-Michel was born in 1935. His training and his first steps in the world of business pointed him in the direction of IT or insurance, the family business. Jean-Michel was not born with a pipette in his mouth.
He studied for a time in England to improve his English, then in Paris at the prestigious École des Mines and at the University of Austin, Texas, where he was awarded a Rotary Club scholarship. To repay his debt, he was asked to speak at their meetings, honing his skills as a speaker. And what a speaker he was. In his company, one is swept away by a tsunami of enthusiasm, curiosity and culture; totally different from the impression given by most Bordeaux owners at the time.
In 1962, back in Paris, he joined IBM, where he embraced the world of IT with great ambition, but also, from his first salary, the world of wine and the art of good living. When, in 1971, he, his Portuguese wife Theresa and their four children decided to move to Pauillac to take over the management of Château Lynch Bages, his father thought he was mad to come to such a remote area as Pauillac.
He didn’t waste any time: like a phoenix, Lynch Bages and Pauillac rose from the decrepitude and poverty that reigned everywhere. Today, Pauillac is home to a Relais & Château Hotel, a village of artisans and a bistro where all the inhabitants and visitors of the Médoc meet for gourmet chats. Jean-Michel was “Everything, everywhere, all at once”, to quote the title of this year’s Oscar-winning film.
His cosmopolitan spirit and curiosity led him to such horizons as the USA, where he became an ambassador for Bordeaux with his buddies Jean-Eugene Borie and Bruno Prats, and China, where he was one of the first pioneers, before the market opened up. When AXA, the French insurance giant, created AXA Millésime, Jean-Michel (whose family business was more insurance agent than château owner) led the project, starting with the purchase of Château Pichon-Baron in 1987, adding Petit-Villages in Pomerol, Suidiraut in Sauternes, as well as Quinta do Noval in Portugal’s Douro and Disznoko in Hungary’s Tokaj.
He has set up a trading company, a “make your own wine with your own label” business, entered into joint ventures around the world, notably with Brian Croser in Australia, run the Commanderie de Bordeaux, financed the start of the Médoc Marathon – the list of all his projects is exhausting to contemplate.
After handing over the management of Domaines Cazes to his son Jean Charles in 2006, he moved into an office overlooking the square in the center of the village of Bages, where he wrote his memoirs “Bordeaux Grands Crus: La Reconquête” and continued to correspond with his colleagues.
with friends from all over the world, surrounded by his books and memorabilia (including a dinosaur, a baseball bat, a Japanese samurai sword and photos of the many Ban des Vendanges and Fête de la Fleur he has organized).
Jean-Michel was a very humble man, always curious, amusing and generous. He helped and encouraged a myriad of young people to enter the world of wine. I was one of them, as I met Jean-Michel when I started working at Château & Estates in New York in 1986. Since then, he’s always been there to advise me, introduce me and take charge of my future life in Bordeaux.
I was just one of many people touched by Jean-Michel’s warmth, intelligence and global reach. During the last months of his life, I would go to Pauillac to read him excerpts from Ab Simon’s biography (Ab was the president of Château & Estates). He was constantly cutting me off with memories and anecdotes, always enthusiastic, always interested, always interesting. He marked my life forever and I’m very grateful to have called him my friend. I know that many of you in this room feel the same way.
Farewell our friend
Fiona Morrison M.W.
English version :
Jean-Michel Cazes: An Appreciation of a Life Well Lived for the Académie Internationale du Vin: Lausanne Nov 2023
It is hard to imagine how dire the state of Bordeaux wines was when Jean-Michel was born in 1935
He went to school for a time in England to improve his English, then onto Paris to the prestigious Ecole des Mines and the University of Austin, Texas where he had been given a bursary from the Rotary Club. To repay the debt he was asked to speak at their gatherings which honored his skills as a social speaker. And what a speaker he was. In his company one was swept up by a tsunami of enthusiasm, curiousity, culture and wine which was irresistible and totally different from the impression most Bordeaux châteaux owners made at that time.
In 1962 he joined IBM where he embraced with great curiosity the world of computers but also, drawing his first salary, about the world of wine and the art of bien vivre. When in 1971 he and his Portuguese wife Theresa decided to move to Pauillac to take over the running of Lynch Bages his father thought he was mad to want to come to such a backwater as Pauillac.
When he took over the helm at Château Lynch Bages, he didn’t waste his time: Like a phoenix, Lynch Bages and Pauillac rose from the dilapidation and disregard that reigned everywhere. Today Pauillac boasts a Relais & Chateau Hotel, a village of artisans and a bistrot which is where everyone meets in the Médoc for a gourmet gossip. Jean-Michel was “Everything Everywhere All at Once ” to quote the title of the Oscar winning film.
His cosmopolitan outlook and curiousity led him to horizons such as the US, where he became Bordeaux’s unofficial ambassador, and to China, where he was an early pioneer in the 1990s, before the market opened. When AXA, the French insurance giant, formed AXA Millesime, Jean-Michel (whose family business was more insurance agent than chateau owners) led the project, starting with the purchase of Château Pichon-Baron in 1987, adding Petit-Villages in Pomerol, Suidiraut in Sauternes, as well as Quinta do Noval in Portugal’s Douro and Disznoko in Hungary’s Tokaj.
He started a négociant company, a custom “make your own wine with your own label” business, forged joint ventures throughout the world including with Brian Croser in Australia, was head of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, financed the start of the Médoc Marathon – the list of all his projects is exhausting to contemplate.
Having passed the baton of running the Domaines Cazes to his son, Jean Charles in 2006, he moved into an office overlooking the square in the center of the village of Bages, where he wrote his memoirs “Bordeaux Grands Crus: La Reconquête” and continued to correspond with his friends around the world surrounded by his books, his momentos (including a
dinosaur, a baseball bat, a Japanese Samurai sword and photos of the many Ban des Vendanges and Fête des Fleurs that he organised.
Jean-Michel was a very humble, persistently curious, fun and generous man. He helped and encouraged a myriad of young people get their start in the wine business. I was one of them, having met Jean-Michel when I started working for Château & Estates in New York in 1986. Since then, he was always there to give me advice and introductions and was responsible for my move to Bordeaux.
I was just one of many people who were touched by the warmth, the intelligence, and the global reach of Jean-Michel. During the last few months of his life, I would go to Pauillac to read him extraits from Ab Simon’s biography (Ab was the President of Château & Estates). He would interrupt me constantly with reminisces and souvenirs, always eager, always interested, always interesting. He touched my life forever and I am so grateful to have called him my friend. I know that there are many of you in this room that share the same sentiment.
Fiona Morrison M.W.
30 November 2023
