One of the pillars of Quebec viticulture died Tuesday morning.
Léon Courville died at the age of 78. His death was announced on the “Léon Courville Vigneron” Facebook page.
“It is with regret that we announce the death of Léon Courville, the founder of the vineyard and famous man of wine,” the relatives wrote on the page. The Léon Courville Vigneron vineyard will be closed tomorrow, September 27. Details about the ceremonies will be announced later. You left us too soon Leon. »
Léon Courville holds a doctorate in economics from Carnegie Mellon University. He taught at HEC Montréal before joining the National Bank in 1984. He worked as an economist before becoming president of the National Bank until 1999.
In his retirement, he preferred to do business by building his vineyard on his land in Brome Lake. Léon Courville enjoyed rapid success. In 2014, he sold 70,000 bottles of SAQ. Its vineyard now has 100,000 grape plants spread over nearly 40 hectares, according to the company’s website.
Many tributes
Host Mario Dumont also announced the death of his friend on X (formerly Twitter). They knew each other during Mario Dumont’s political career in L’Actiondemocratique du Québec (ADQ).
“It was a great friendship for 25 years,” he shared in a text message. He is a thoughtful and bright person. »
MICHEL ST-JEAN/AGENCY QMI
In X, Quebec Prime Minister François Legault agreed in the same direction.
“Léon Courville, a kind and creative man. My sympathies to all his loved ones,” he wrote.
In the same social network, the minister responsible for Sport, Leisure and the Outdoors, Isabelle Charest, had good words for the winemaker.
“It is with great sadness that I learn of the death of Léon Courville, a lover of Brome-Missisquoi, who will leave a lasting mark on the world of viticulture in Quebec. My thoughts are with his loved ones,” said he.
