About us
The Thienponts are a well-established Flemish family from Belgium who for several centuries have been based in Etikhove in the Flemish Ardennes. It was here that Camille Thienpont started a wine merchant business in 1842. By the beginning of the 20th century, the wine business was run by Georges Thienpont who travelled regularly to Bordeaux to purchase wines. In 1921 he bought Château Troplong Mondot in Saint Emilion and three years later managed to acquire the magnificent Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol.
Our history
With the collapse of Wall Street and the Great Depression in the 1930s, Georges Thienpont reluctantly had to sell Troplong Mondot. He continued to make wine at Vieux Château Certan, producing some incredible wines in the 1940s and 1950s in spite of the difficulties of the Second World War and the Great Frost of 1956. In 1957, Georges formed a family company for the Château in order to preserve the inheritance for his children.
On his death in 1962, one of his sons, Léon, who had an agricultural degree, took over the running of the château. Georges’ other sons went their separate ways but were all actively involved in the management of Vieux Château Certan. Gérard took over the family wine merchant at the family home, Hof te Cattebeke, a 16th century manor in Etikhove in Belgium’s Flemish Ardennes. George Jr. installed himself at the magnificent medieval Château Puygueraud in the Côtes de Francs while Léon and his family moved into Vieux Château Certan.
It is the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Georges who carry on the family legacy today. Jacques became the owner of the tiny Le Pin in Pomerol in 1979 as well as taking over the wine merchant business in Belgium on the death of his uncle Gérard. Today, Guillaume Thienpont has taken over the direction of Vieux Château Certan from his father after spending several years making wine in California, Burgundy, Italy and Australia. The Thienponts of Château Puygueraud, of which there were an impressive number of 13 children, saw several of them enter the wine business including Nicolas, Francois, Dominique and Bernadette. Many of the fourth-generation cousins work closely together in the business, concentrated on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. Today, Domaine Jacques Thienpont comprises Le Pin in Pomerol, L’IF in Saint Emilion and L’Hêtre in Castillon along with the family’s long-standing Bordeaux négociant business, J & G Thienpont.
Thienpont Wine, based at Hof te Cattebeke in Etikhove, has become one of the top wine merchants in Belgium trading primarily in fine Bordeaux and French wines but has recently expanded to include an exciting range of every day wines from further afield. Thienpont Wine is proud to be a Royal Warrant Holder in Belgium and maintains a close relationship with the Court.