Historia
In December 1762, Lord Péguilhan – otherwise known as the Marquis de Terme - received the estate as part of his wife’s dowry and gave it his name.
Pierre Sénéclauze was born in Oran, in Algeria, in 1903. At that time his father was a successful broker dealing in high quality wines. “They had a well-established reputation both in France and abroad with a substantial private clientele. The wines were much in demand, and it was a thriving business”. At the age of 17, Pierre Sénéclauze started to work alongside his father. In 1935 he left Oran for "mainland" France in order to visit their network and boost sales. However he had another idea in mind : to find a good property to buy in the Médoc. His astute friend Paul Quié had told him that, following the stock market crash, a lot of French vineyards were being sold for next to nothing, and that there were some interesting opportunities. Pierre Sénéclauze bought Château Marquis de Terme that same year.
He took over the management of the property. Dynamic and respectful of tradition, the Sénéclauze family were already involved in exporting high quality Algerian wines and were able to make sound choices, entrusting the running of the property to various stewards and managers. Initially Daniel Cazes continued as intendant and then, on reaching retirement, was replaced by his brother-in-law, Alexander Tolo.
From 1954, the young Sénéclauze sons, Pierre-Louis, Philippe and Jean, became involved in the management of Marquis de Terme. Alexandre Tolo continued to improve the vineyard, and "Château Marquis de Terme very often won medals and other prizes at agricultural shows."
September 1972 saw the arrival of Jean-Pierre Hugon as Director, when Alexandre Tolo reached retirement age. Not having any children, he left his job reluctantly in 1974, at the age of 75 years-old, and died in 1989. In 1976, Jean-Pierre Hugon undertook a programme to renew all of the casks. This was a significant investment but necessary in order to ensure optimal quality.
In January 2009, between the second and the third generations of the Sénéclauze family, a new director arrived at the château. Since 2009, Ludovic David has introduced, with the support of the owners, far-reaching new policies, with a more international focus.
Various projects have been completed at the property : the restoration and furnishing of a new tasting room, renovation of the winery with the installation of new technology, and investment in international communication and press relations.