Gilles Marsaudon and Marie-Hélène Leonard in their vines
Marie-Hélène Leonard Was born and raised in Cognac, and grew up in the wine industry, eventually heading the sales department for one of Bordeaux's largest négociants. Gilles Marsaudon, owned a company specializing in trade show marketing to the Bordeaux wine trade. In 2002 the two purchased the old, run-down Château de Monteberiot in Côtes de Bourg. The reclamation of the vineyards and buildings has focused entirely on the vines and finished wine–no money has gone into "tasting rooms."
The 17 acres of vines in production are planted to clay/limestone soils much like St. Emilion to the south. Approximately 75% is planted to Merlot, 22% to Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest to Cabernet Franc. In 2003 a small plot was also planted to Côt (Malbec). The vineyards are being retrained to lutte raisonée.