The former cycling champion and self-made millionaire acquired Château Pavie in 1998, leading it to Premier Grand Cru Classé A status.
On July 19, Gerard Perse, the owner of Château Pavie and half a dozen other wine estates passed away at the age of 75. Perse acquired his first vineyard in St. Émilion, Château Monbousquet, in 1993, with the acquisition of Château Pavie following in 1998. These were joined in 2001 by the small-but-prestigious Bellevue-Mondot and three estates in the Côtes de Castillon, which border Saint-Émilion: Clos Les Lunelles, Clos L'Église and Sainte-Colombe .
In 2012, Perse took Château Pavie to the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé A for the first time. Perse, who grew up in modest circumstances, acquired his fortune by setting up a supermarket chain in the greater Paris area, allowing him to purchase the vineyards, redesign large parts of Côte Pavie into terraces and build a new post-modern château over the course of 30 years.
Perse is survived by his wife Chantal, a daughter and two grandchildren.
