Jean-Christophe and Arnaud Bourgeois
19th September 2017 – during the harvest
One of the big characteristics of wine production in the Loire is the continuing importance of the family. Many of the domaines are family owned and run. For me this is one of the charms and attractions of the wines from the Loire Valley.
Obviously when families work well together they can find great success. Equally when things go wrong, as almost inevitably they do within some families from time to time, the splits and consequences can be particularly bitter and rancorous.
Cousins Jean-Christophe and Arnaud Bourgeois feature in the photo above. I have the strong sense of a team of team working well together. In September I saw Jean-Christophe at the highest level of their winery in Chavignol where grapes are unloaded, sorted and pressed. He rapidly arranged for Arnaud, when he was free, to come and let me taste the 2017 juices.
Arnaud, the youngest son of patriarch – Jean-Marie Bourgeois – is increasingly the public face of Henri Bourgeois, while Jean-Christophe is in charge of wine-making. Lionel, Arnaud's elder brother, is in charge of the vineyards and has a much less of a public profile than Arnaud.
Henri Bourgeois based in Chavignol, part of the commune of
If there are any tensions with the Bourgeois family operation I have never been aware of them over the many years I have been visiting – I first met Jean-Marie Bourgeois in late October 1989.
I am sure that the ability of the Bourgeois family to work together on complementary roles and tasks has been a major contributory factor in their enormous success.
In contrast one only has to look at the very sad and acrimonious split within the Couly family at Couly Dutheil (Chinon) between the late Jacques Couly and his son Arnaud and Pierre Couly, Jacques elder brother, and his son Bertrand – now Pierre and Bertrand Couly.
Jean-Marie Bourgeois
in a vineyard above Chavignol late October 2014
