FAMILY LEGACIES SINCE 1860
Raymond Ragnaud’s family has owned a vineyard in Grande Champagne since 1860. It has been passed down through generations for 150 years before being handed over to a new lineage determined to continue the work undertaken by its founders.
Paul Ragnaud, who owned a property in Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, settled at Château d’Ambleville – the current headquarters of the famous familial legacy – in 1920. His son Raymond succeeded him in 1941. On top of overseeing the vineyard, he created the Raymond Ragnaud brand and began marketing the estate’s cognacs in bottles. Raymond’s death in 1963 marked the beginning of an entrepreneurial trajectory of nearly 60 years shaped by the female figures of the dynasty.
His wife took over the business and, through successive purchases, expanded their vineyard holdings to 47 hectares covering three towns in Grande Champagne – Ambleville, Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, and Lignières-Sonneville. She also initiated the development of exports. In the 1980s, her daughter Françoise joined the company. She established the Raymond Ragnaud brand in the best French addresses: the fine grocery stores Fauchon, Hédiard and La Grande Épicerie, the best Michelin-rated restaurants such as La Tour d’Argent, the most prestigious hotels such as the Ritz, and renowned wine shops such as Caves Legrand, etc.
By the late 2010s, the absence of a family successor compels Françoise Ragnaud-Bricq to pass ownership to another lineage. Eager to carry on the legacy of Raymond Ragnaud’s cognacs and very attached to the traditional French art of living, the new owners are determined to preserve the values and principles of this generational legacy and further extend its reputation the world over. Driven by the pioneering spirit of the Maison and their passion, they are not starting their story from a blank page; instead, they intend to write the sequel of this taste and refinement odyssey, which began in 1860.
