Maison Béjot Vins
Credit: www.bejot.com
(Image credit: www.bejot.com)

Maison Béjot Vins et Terroirs' CEO has resigned after a raid by customs officers in April following suspicions that fraudulent Burgundy wines were being produced.

In April, the French media reported that the Burgundy negociant Maison Béjot was being investigated on suspicion of mixing Burgundy wines with those of other French AOCs; a practice which is strictly forbidden under French law.

The alleged wrong-doing at Maison Béjot Vins et Terroirs immediately sent shockwaves through the region.

At the time of the allegation CEO Vincent Sauvestre protested his innocence and invited custom officers to view Maison Béjot’s production facilities with the firm’s technical director.

Last week Thomas Gueller of wine industry newsletter V&S News reported that Sauvestre, who is also a shareholder in the business, has now resigned from Maison Béjot Vins et Terroirs. V&S News also stated Sauvestre has been replaced by a business consultant, Eloi Delorme, a new name to the wine business in Burgundy.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne) has begun legal proceedings against the company.

That hasn’t prevented two wine companies – Invivo Wine and Advini – from coming forward as potential buyers of the business. According to Gueller, Maison Béjot Vins et Terroirs has experienced strong growth in recent years which he says explains their interest.

Maison Béjot Vins et Terroirs owns several brands and vineyards in Burgundy, including Chartron et Trébuchet, Pierre André, Reine Pédauque, Moillard, and Domaine du Chapitre in Beaujolais.

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Yohan Castaing
Yohan Castaing
Decanter Magazine and DWWA Judge

Bordeaux native Yohan Castaing is a freelance journalist, based in France. He reviews wines from the Loire, Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence, southwest France and Champagne houses for The Wine Advocate. He founded Anthocyanes, a French wine guide, and Velvety Tannins, a guide to the wines of the Rhône Valley. He also writes for wine publications including Gault&Millau and Jancis Robinson. Castaing has held a variety of positions in the wine industry such as wine buyer and marketing director. He was a wine marketing consultant and the author of several books about wine marketing and wine tourism before, in 2011, he became a full-time freelance wine journalist focusing on the industry and wine reviews.