Château Cos d’Estournel
Château Cos d'Estournel in St-Estèphe.
(Image credit: Château Cos d'Estournel in St-Estèphe)

The managing director of Cos d'Estournel is to cross from Left Bank to Right Bank in Bordeaux to work with the new owner of Troplong Mondot in St-Emilion.

Aymeric de Gironde, who replaced Jean-Guillaume Prats as Cos d’Estournel MD in February 2013, is leaving the property.

De Gironde confirmed to Decanter.com that he will be moving to St-Emilion’s Château Troplong Mondot by ‘mid-October at the latest’.

The news comes one month after French insurance group Scor announced that it had bought Château Troplong Mondot, a St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate, from the Valette-Pariente family for an undisclosed fee.

Local reports in Bordeaux have suggested that the property changed hands for a record sum for St-Emilion vineyards, and possibly up to five million euros per hectare. This could not be verified.

De Gironde previously worked as international commercial director of AXA Millésimes, as well as for LVMH with Hennessy and Krug.

Xavier Pariente, the out-going owner of Troplong Mondot, has said that he is staying on at the Château until the end of October.

Cos d’Estournel owner Michel Reybier said in a statement last night (28 August) that he would personally oversee the running of the St-Estèphe estate, alongside colleagues including technical director Dominique Arangoïts.

troplong mondot, boreaux restaurant

Troplong Mondot's Les Belles Perdrix restaurant, opened in 2013 and gaining a Michelin star in 2016.
(Image credit: Troplong Mondot)

Bordeaux: Troplong Mondot sold as Bélair-Monange buys two estates

A rush of deals on Bordeaux's Right Bank...

Château d'Yquem

Château d'Yquem
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Anson: Château owners dominate new French rich list

If you want to make it in French high society...

Aymeric de Gironde

Aymeric de Gironde
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Cos d’Estournel appoints new chief

Aymeric de Gironde, international commercial director of AXA Millésimes, has been appointed general manager of Chateau Cos d’Estournel.

Jane Anson

Jane Anson was Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent until 2021 and has lived in the region since 2003. She writes a monthly wine column for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and is the author of Bordeaux Legends: The 1855 First Growth Wines (also published in French as Elixirs). In addition, she has contributed to the Michelin guide to the Wine Regions of France and was the Bordeaux and Southwest France author of The Wine Opus and 1000 Great Wines That Won’t Cost a Fortune. An accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux École du Vin, Anson holds a masters in publishing from University College London, and a tasting diploma from the Bordeaux faculty of oenology.

Roederer awards 2016: International Feature Writer of the Year