• The death of Philippe Raoux, owner of Château d'Arsac, elevated to the rank of "exceptional cru bourgeois", had been a shock in the Bordeaux wine world.
  • On 20 October, the septuagenarian was fatally hit at Marcheprime station by a TER train.
  • The exact circumstances of his death have yet to be established, which is why the gendarmerie has just launched an appeal for witnesses.

What exactly happened on Friday 20 October in the late afternoon, at Marcheprime station, when Philippe Raoux was fatally hit by a TER train? This is what the Gironde gendarmerie is trying to find out. It has just launched an appeal for witnesses, as part of an investigation "aimed at determining the causes of death".

It was exactly 16:59 p.m. on October 20 when the TER 866033 train, departing from Bordeaux station, arrived at Marcheprime station. "A 70-year-old man [Philippe Raoux] got off the train and was hit at 17:09 p.m. by the next train, the TER 866235, which was linking Bordeaux to Mont-de-Marsan, without making a stop at Marcheprime station," explains the gendarmerie. Philippe Raoux, "white-haired, wears glasses, had headphones and was dressed in a blue parka and dark pants, he was carrying a carry-on suitcase and a school bag," the gendarmerie describes.

As part of its investigation, the gendarmerie is looking for "anyone who has noticed abnormal behaviour on the platform of track 2." Any witnesses can contact the Biganos gendarmerie brigade at 05.57.17.06.80.

Passionate about art, he had created an open-air contemporary art centre

The death of Philippe Raoux, owner since 1986 of Château d'Arsac in the Médoc, elevated to the rank of "exceptional cru bourgeois" in 2020, had been a shock in the Bordeaux wine world. In 2007, he also created the Winery d'Arsac, not far from his property and on the edge of the road to the Médoc castles. This innovative wine tourism concept included a winery, a restaurant and a museum. He had to sell the site in 2014.

Passionate about art, Philippe Raoux had also created an artistic trail in his vineyard, called "Le jardin des sculptures", a sort of open-air contemporary art centre, bringing together works by Bernard Pagès, Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean-Michel Folon.

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