Jean-Henri Schÿler, owner of Bordeaux négociant Maison Schröder & Schÿler and third-growth Château Kirwan in Margaux, passed away Oct. 31, three days after celebrating his 85th birthday.
"One of his proudest moments was in 1989 when Maison Schröder & Schÿler celebrated its [250th] anniversary," his son Yann Schÿler, CEO of Maison Schröder & Schÿler, told Wine Spectator. "He was proud to have led the company to that milestone."
Maison Schröder & Schÿler was founded in 1739 on the Chartrons quay by German merchants attracted to the products available in Bordeaux's booming port. "They dealt in spices, sugar cane, olive oil and wine, which they shipped to the Baltic countries. The ships then came back from the Baltic with oak to make barrels," said Yann.
By the late 18th century, Schröder & Schÿler had settled on the lucrative commerce of wine. Their wine cellars in the Chartrons ultimately covered 2 square kilometers. Following family tradition, Jean-Henri entered the business at age 22. His father Armand had acquired Château Kirwan in 1925 from the city of Bordeaux. With his father focused on the négoce, Jean-Henri took a larger role at the 100-acre Margaux winery.
He married Christine Krug of the Krug Champagne family, and they had three children. "I remember as a kid, every harvest, for three months, our entire family moved from Bordeaux to Kirwan, so my father could be in the cellar at 5 a.m.," said Yann.
In the early 1990s, the family sold most of its interest in Kirwan. Over the years, the estate passed through the hands of a series of institutional investors, including several French banks and a prominent insurance company. But Jean-Henri led an effort to buy back control, and by 1997, majority control was back in family hands.
Jean-Henri retired in 1999, leaving management of the négociant business to Yann, while daughters Nathalie and Sophie focused on wine tourism and communications, respectively, at Kirwan. "My father was proud to have participated in handing over Kirwan to the next generation," said Yann.
Jean-Henri also served on several trade organizations, including as president of the Bordeaux and Gironde négociant's syndicate from 1969 to 1987, president of the CIVB from 1974 to 1976 and chairman of the Port of Bordeaux from 1986 to 1988.
