1990
Once upon a time … an enterprising young man, who earned his living as a banker, dreamed of giving life to the passion of his youth discovered in the vineyards of Saint-Émilion: Wine!
This passion, shared by his wife, a doctor, led them to Les Mangons and the fairy tale started … in a castle!
The fairies sprinkled their magic dust over the cradle of their two young children and their first harvest was the beautiful 1990 vintage that came to join the magnificent 1989 already housed in the vats … Everything was looking very promising.
But… the wicked fairy godmother did not intend to let things run so smoothly and sent a harsh frost in 1991 that hit the whole Bordeaux region: in the collective wine-growing memory, there had not been one so severe since 1955!
Everything could have stopped there if our love for this magical place, our passion for the vineyard and the wine had not been so strong …
Overcoming the whims of this beautiful and generous nature, with the same pleasure we continue this fabulous adventure of wine and life.
Brigitte et Michel Comps
2023
Antoine and Manuela, their two children, spent their childhood in Les Mangons, immersing themselves in the wine world that their parents introduced them to. They were privileged witnesses to their parents’ dedication to this land and their sweet “madness” when they decided in the year 2000 to convert the entire estate to biodynamics. Les Mangons was then one of the precursors of the Bordeaux region in this direction. Following our deep values, understanding this place, respecting its integrity, constantly improving the quality of the wines through experimentation in the vineyard and in the cellar, such is the anthem that led the previous generation and which promises to be a common thread for the next one.
Since 2023, the Comps family has partnered with the Desruets family (winegrowers for several generations in champagne within the Champagne house Joseph Desruets) to continue the Mangons adventure.
Today we are four partners: Manuela and Antoine Comps & Matthias and Thomas Desruets. We wish to perpetuate the know-how acquired over the past thirty-five years by the Comps family. We are accompanied by Brigitte who is still based on the estate and has a role of transmission, in particular of her valuable knowledge in biodynamics. Our common desire is to combine two family visions, two experiences and two traditional know-how in order to create original, elegant and characterful wines.
At the heart of our passion,it is the daily observation of our vineyard that guides us.
Reinventing and experimenting is key in our work.
Every year it’s the same vineyard but yet it’s always different … and so is the wine.
The poetry of wine, its life, the emotion that emerges from it, that is what we care about.
The mystery of each vintage is revealed: it offers itself for enjoyment in a friendly atmosphere and opens us up a world of exchanges, pleasure and complicity.
“Je soulevai le seau jusqu’à ses lèvres. Il but, les yeux fermés, c’était doux comme une fête. Cette eau était bien autre chose qu’un aliment. Elle était née de la marche sous les étoiles, du chant de la poulie, de l’effort de mes bras. Elle était bonne pour le coeur, comme un cadeau.”
Le petit prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“I lifted the bucket up to his lips. He drank, his eyes closed. It was as sweet as a celebration. This water was something quite different than ordinary nourishment. It was born of a walk beneath the stars, from the warbling of the pulley, and from the effort of my arms when I lifted it. It was good for the heart, like a gift.”
Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Sain-Exupéry
Biodynamics is the difference provided by a rural-focused approach full of common sense: to find the harmony of the vine, the soil and its environment.
Our vineyard activity is directly related to nature, from the infinitely small microbial life of the soils, to the infinitely large planets and cosmos that influence our agricultural practices and our wines.
Our estate, formerly dedicated to mixed farming, has always maintained rich biodiversity and preserved its influence in the exchanges of the vineyard with its environment.
We have been present on the property since 1990, and chose to run the entire estate according to biodynamic agriculture following the harvest of the year 2000.
Our wines have been certified as organic (Ecocert label) since 2004 and biodynamic (Demeter label) since 2010.
