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News
De Boüard loses libel case
Château Angélus’ co-owner, Hubert de Boüard, has lost his libel case against journalist Isabelle Saporta.
Hubert de Boüard of Château Angélus
De Boüard is seeking damages of €50,000 from the investigative journalist for statements she made in her 2014 book, Vino Business, which examined winemaking in Bordeaux in a less than flattering light.
In the book she labelled the Right Bank commune of Saint Emilion as “detestable” and run like the TV show “Dallas”.
Furthermore Saporta claimed that the 2012 classification in the appellation had been rigged and De Boüard in particular is accused of manipulating the system for his own benefit. Angélus was promoted to ‘Grand Cru Classé A’ in the classification.
De Boüard swiftly brought charges against Saporta which were heard in June of this year by the Tribunal de Grand Instance in Paris but a decision delivered on 22 September saw the claims thrown out.
De Boüard has said he will appeal the ruling. In addition to €50,000 in damages he is reportedly seeking court costs of €10,000.