Terre de Vins - N°63 - JAN/FEB 2020 | SAGA BONFILS [34]

Every noon in the world

FROM ALGERIA TO LANGUEDOC, VIA ROUSSILLON AND BORDELAIS, THE BONFILS FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PASSIONATE DEVOTEE OF WINEMAKING. THE GENERATIONS SUCCEED ONE ANOTHER, MIXING AMBITION AND DISCRETION. FROM THE CASTLE CAPITOUL, IN THE CLAPE, OR FROM THE DOMAIN OF CIBADIÈS, IN THE CORBIÈRES, THE BONFILS SUGGEST A WAY OF LIFE...

By Jean-Charles Chapuzet, photographs Alain Benoît (Studio Deepix)

Before the parachutists rained down on Algeria in the 1950s, the history of the Bonfils was written in the middle of the vineyards, under the sun of Oran. Since the beginning of French colonization in 1830, this family has been present in this region of North Africa where there is a special light, perfumes, music, but above all work, chances for the future, a better horizon. Far from the Epinal image of the wealthy colonist wearing the salacot, many pieds-noirs fled misery or persecution. "The family tree from which I come is made up of different waves of migration, from penniless Corsican farm workers to Breton lighthouse keepers, from communards expelled in 1871 by the French government to Alsatians fleeing from the Germans," confides Laurent Bonfils, before adding: "It is with my great-great-grandmother Honorine that viticulture became central. "The liana is very popular in the Oranese oasis, and Honorine Bonfils feels that wine production is a promising sector, whereas in Metropolitan France phylloxera has wiped out the vineyards. The French wine trade is in need of wine, the pieds-noirs are planting with rootstocks and are working on marketing. The climate, a cheap labour force and state measures pushing imports favour the development of the Algerian wine market. The Bonfils mark their territory without, however, building up an empire, which is often associated with the piedsnoirs owners. "In four generations, and through marriages, we managed to own a few estates, until the day we were ordered to leave with the nationalization of the land," explains Jean-Michel.

"In four generations, we have managed to own a few estates, until the day we were asked to leave" Jean-Michel Bonfils In 1962, Mass was said. Heartbroken, Yvon and Edwige Bonfils, their son Jean-Michel and his wife, Marie-Paule, gradually packed up. Algeria is independent.

"We were made to understand that we were not at home, but I was born there, my grandfather and great-grandfather, etc., are buried there... We gave a lot to this country, I never thought I was a foreigner," Jean-Michel emphasizes. In 2011, part of the family returned to the Oranais, where an Algerian friend reopened the winery: "We made wine in the building that our ancestor had built in the 1920s, just for fun. We saw the house where everyone was born," says Laurent.

While waiting for this requiem, Jean-Michel Bonfils found himself in France in 1962 with empty pockets. He is about twenty years old. It was a return to square one with only the tools of envy, a bearded collar with Commissioner Broussard and a network of blackfoot. In terms of climate, landscape and potential, the area around BĂŠziers has a false air of the Oranese countryside. And you have to land somewhere. Jean-Michel becomes a farm labourer and quickly manages to take some land under lease. Marie-Paule gives birth to four boys, three of whom have now joined the family business. "We were born in the middle of the

vineyards, it's our childhood, our life. We have witnessed all the developments in the vineyard, from the arrival of the tractor to the plot selections and the varietal wines", Laurent underlines. Perfused with the Languedoc, their vocations are taking shape. JĂŠrĂ´me is happy in the vineyards, Olivier has a definite penchant for the art of winemaking and Laurent, crazy about tasting, discovers some affinity for business relationships. "I have the fibre, but travelling the world while building a family is not all fun," says Laurent, who studied at the Paris-Dauphine Faculty of Economics in the 1980s.

"There isn't one estate more prestigious than another, each château is a beacon in its appellation, in its terroir".

Laurent Bonfils He had done his internship in order to bottle the wines of the Sainte-Marthe estate, which his brother, Olivier, had just acquired. The Bonfils began a conversion, gradually abandoning the world of bulk wine for wines with identity in pretty bottles. And Laurent's passage through Paris-Dauphine will continue to serve. It's a good idea to know something about economics, because, for lack of an empire in Algeria, the Bonfils father and son have left their mark on the Languedoc region over the last fifty years.

In 2020, there is wine for sale from 17 estates and châteaux, from La Bastide (Cévennes foothills) to Cantaussels (Hérault), from Cruscades (Corbières) to Lirou (Hérault), from Luch (in the commune of Béziers) to Mas de la Tour (Coteaux d'Ensérune), from Millegrand (Minervois) to La Motte (in the commune of Narbonne).

And then there are properties that have an even more particular resonance. For the Bonfils, the Cibadiès estate, acquired by Jean-Michel, is the Languedoc region's bet on chardonnay and pinot noir. Overlooking the Canal du Midi, the small hundred hectares in Capestang is a real showcase where the policy of varietal wine has given birth to the best.

In the 2000's, the focus is on the Corbières with the 150 hectares of Château Vaugelas, in the Lagrasse valley, surrounded by the Montagne Noire and Mount Alaric. The Bonfils believe in the appellation, and this belief is reflected in the parcel selections. It is a new turning point, that of positioning, they say at ParisDauphine.

The Bonfils family also had a crush on Faugères, for the Château d'Aubaret, this 70-hectare jewel with its 17th century chapel in its bosom. Further west, the Bonfils welcome you to the Minervois, to the Villerambert-Julien castle, for a mosaic of floors, from schist to pink marble and pebbles. Grenache, syrah and mourvèdre have found their land of choice. Côtes-du-roussillon and rivesaltes are also on the menu, at Château L'Esparrou, at the foot of the Pyrenees, covering 92 hectares surrounding a historic building prized by artists.

At the beginning of 2010, the Bonfils landed at Château Capitoul, in the prestigious cru of La Clape. "The view is unobstructed, the endless vineyards are lost in the valley until they merge on the horizon between ponds and blue mountains. Here, nature rules", Jean-Michel Bonfils says. With their feet in the Mediterranean, the Bonfils hold a new showcase which was the property of the bishopric of Narbonne. "Capitoul is as much a source of pride as it is a new challenge to make it the most beautiful estate possible," emphasizes Jérôme Bonfils. "Afterwards, there is no estate more prestigious than another, each château is a beacon in its appellation, in its terroir," says Laurent. And Jean-Michel always follows his sons. For the Bonfils, the winemaking profession is a team sport.

Marie-Paule's role is central in this chain of winegrowing where acquisitions are made at the rhythm of the tramontane, the role of Marie-Paule is central.

"She too was born into a family of pieds-noirs winegrowers, she has always accompanied our passions, with special moments. For example, Christmas in our house is the time of the harvest; the harvest is our most beautiful gift," confides Laurent.

IDENTITY CARD All 17 properties cover just over 1,600 hectares, including one estate in the Bordeaux region, Château La Rose Belair (Upper Bordeaux). Some 200 employees work on these entities, including 32 ambassadors and 9 oenologists. The production is about ten million bottles (more than 80% of the volumes come from the estates themselves) for a turnover of 26 million euros. In proportion, the volumes of whites represent 25%, reds 55% and rosés 20%. The export share is 60% in nearly forty countries (Asia, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, America, etc.).

The Vignobles Bonfils range has nearly 200 labels. Among them, let us mention the Domaine de Cibadiès cuvée West Side 2018 (€5.50) for a chardonnay with freshness and purity, the minervois of Château Millegrand, cuvée Fût 2017 (€5.90), a very fine blend of syrah, grenache, carignan and mourvèdre, and finally Château Vaugelas en Corbières cuvée Excellence 2015 (€19.90), for its bouquet of spices and mentholated notes.

Wines bursting with sunshine from the South of France are increasingly conquering export markets where, in this new world, Bonfils are multiplying tenfold.

A generation is taking its place. The new generation is called Clémence, Léa, Bastien, Thomas, Agathe - Laurent's right-hand man -, Alexandre, Chloé, Théa, Marine, Louis, Quentin. In this armada, some have chosen commerce, travel, others technique or even sommelier: affinities are created, vocations are born.

"Operational or not, we are very much involved in wine and the family dimension," confides Alexandre, who, while still a student, is "brand ambassador" in Canada and has a few parcels of wine in reserve.

From Minervois to La Clape, from Faugères to the Corbières, it's teeming with ideas, desires and solidarity.

"It's incredibly satisfying; for the holiday season, we are all together, and I can't help but think back to that Christmas of 1962 when I was alone with my wife," Jean-Michel Bonfils says with tremolos in his voice, tremolos that take the pulse of the road travelled, without any nostalgia, out of a taste for history, more than ever a family affair.

"We sell emotion, it's the ultimate stage, that of wine tourism, we want people to come and create their own emotions."

Laurent Bonfils This strike force, combined with the extraordinary diversity of the wine heritage at their disposal, decided Les Bonfils to climb a new step. "We sell emotion, it's the ultimate step, that of wine tourism, we want people to come and create their own emotions with a focus on family holidays", Laurent underlines. Two exceptional castles are on the way, with hotel and restaurant complexes : Saint-Pierre de Serjac and les Carrasses. The first is in the commune of Puissalicon, with a hotel, a restaurant, a spa, but also luxury private residences. This 80-hectare site sets the Languedoc in the French art of living. Just a few kilometres from Saint-Pierre de Serjac, Château Les Carrasses is also a wine estate - with magnificent wines - renovated into charming residences. Swimming pools, bars and terraces rub shoulders with the vineyard and the cellar. "It's always a reminder of our primary profession, that of winemaker, and, with our partners, the Irish hoteliers Karl and Anita O'Hanlon, who are crazy about wine, we want to offer a luxurious yet relaxed service," explains Laurent.

A third temple of Languedoc wine tourism is emerging from the ground at Château Capitoul, like a balcony overlooking the sea. "The name of La Clape, the view of the Mediterranean, the incredible biodiversity, forced us to think about this project with its exceptional fauna and flora," explains Jerome Bonfils.

Whether in the shade of the collegiate church of Saint-Etienne de Capestang or the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees, on the banks of the Canal du Midi or the Minervoise, the Bonfils family is well aware that this region is above all a land of welcome. They know something about it.

Domaine de Cibadiès 34310 Capestang FRANCE Tél. : +33 (0) 4 67 93 10 10 Fax : +33 (0) 4 67 93 10 05