Luxury according to Bernard Magrez
A self-made man who is not afraid of anything. After a difficult youth, Bernard Magrez, a vintage wine merchant, (he is the owner of the famous Château Pape Clément, among others), is a success thanks to his own efforts. With 35 vineyards under his belt today, this passionate, demanding and uncompromising man, has only one overriding preoccupation: « to be amongst the best »! An obsessive ambition, fuelled by reading the biographies of famous men who in turn serve as his driving force. He is currently collecting one medal after the other and the ratings on his wines are coming close to 100 or 5 stars for all wine tasters. Advised by Michel Rolland, an oenologist sometimes questioned on his methods, he is accumulating vintage wines: Château La Tour Carnet (a great classified Médoc wine), Fombrauge (great Saint Emilion), Château Les Grands Chênes, (bourgeois vintage)... More about this famous proprietor, based on his replies to three questions about luxury!
Give me your own definition of luxury.
I like living alone, because I am an independent man.
Luxury for me is to go off on my own with a back pack and a bottle of water.
At Val d’Isère where I have a place to stay, I enjoy taking long walks with a guide, because I have a feel for endurance.
What is the height of luxury for you?
I am lucky enough to have my own Falcon airplane that I use for work and to travel around quickly with my staff. If I am the only one aboard, my greatest pleasure is to enjoy a very good wine. I find being in the air a real pleasure. It gives me a sense of creativity that inspires me and gives me ideas.
And what luxury are you not ready to give up?
To do what I want to relax. It also means to be alone and to exert myself in some physical activity.
Décembre 2008
