Jean-Noël Bousquet bought his first hectare when he was 17 years old. Five years later, in 1978, he settled as a young winegrower with 8 hectares. At this time, he was selling his grapes to the local cooperative.

« I had to buy everything, which is an advantage. I know the value of things and I owe nothing to anyone » – Jean-Noël BOUSQUET, portrait «  un Homme fort en tanin » – Extract du Journal La Dépêche 13 June 2001

At that time, the generation born in the 50s was looking for an easy life. They abandoned the hillsides to plant in the plain in order to make a profit. Jean-Noël preferred to invest in well-exposed fields that were being sold for just 500 francs per hectare.

« Who could have believed that with plots bought at the lowest price in the mid-1970s would give a few years later a beautiful nectar greeted virtually everywhere it goes? If the visionary is someone who believes in the incredible at a given moment, then Mr Bousquet is one. » – Extract Journal L’Indépendant 14 August 1993

In 1988 Jean-Noël bought 24 hectares and installed his private wine cellar on the site of an old mill on the banks of the Orbieu River.

His business grew and it was with pride that he began to put his signature on his own bottles.

But the big boom Jean-Noël really owes to the helping hand of Quebec!

On March 15 1994 Château Grand Moulin won a prestigious gold medal at the World Selections in Montreal, Canada.

The competition closed the next day with a re-tasting of the 40 gold medals awarded. It is here that the magic happened : the Château Grand Moulin is crowned Best Wine of the World 1994

It is a fabulous spotlight on the wines of the Corbières. For Jean-Noël this opened up the doors of export and the North American market.

But … the new winery of the Château Grand Moulin had barely been inaugurated in November 1999 when torrential rains fell on the Corbières.

A wave of unprecedented power overwhelmed the building, destroying everything in its path. Only the building of the mill resisted. Winery and house were completely ravaged and the only option left for Jean-Noël was to leave the site.

Backed by all the testimonies of solidarity from friends and family and with the formidable energy that animates him, Jean-Noël managed to « rebuild » his winery on the neighbouring commune of Lézignan-Corbières.

Jean-Noël Bousquet then integrated the buildings formerly occupied by the logistics base of Médecins Sans Frontières in Lézignan-Corbières. A positive sign of destiny to heal the wounds of nature

The new cellar has been operational since 2001. The new ultra-functional cellar was rebuilt with its administrative buildings at the cost of colossal financial and human investment.