A NEW WINERY
Carillon d'Angélus
&
N°3 d'angélus
The property
The sound of the Angélus bell
A symbol
ORIGINALLY A PRAYER
The vineyard of Château Angélus is situated in a natural amphitheatre overlooked by the three Saint-Emilion churches. In the middle of this special site, the sounds were amplified and the angelus bells could be heard ringing in the morning, at midday and in the evening. They cadenced the working day in the vineyards and villages, calling the men and women to stop their labours for a few minutes and pray.
The great French impressionist painter, Jean-François Millet immortalised this moment of prayer in his magnificent work “The Angelus”, which is now on show in Paris’ Musée d’Orsay.
The Angelus devotion has a long history originating in 11th-century monastic custom, but the ringing of a noon bell is attributed to Pope Callistus III, who ordered a prayer for protection against the Turkish invasions of the 1400’s.
The bell on the Château Angélus label recalls the call to prayer and the moment of devotion.
A family
Dieu et mon
roy
Since 1782
Eight generations
Michel de Boüard de Laforest, historian, chartist and rector of the Academy of Caen explored the origins of his family. The earliest reference he found to his family tree was with Georges Boüard, born in 1544, a Bourgeois and Jurat of the city of Bordeaux.
At the end of the 18th century in 1782, Jean de Boüard de Laforest, a King’s bodyguard, settled in Saint-Emilion. His daughter, Catherine Sophie de Boüard de Laforest, married Charles Souffrain de Lavergne in 1795 and set up home on the Mazerat estate, which belonged to her husband.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Maurice de Boüard de Laforest inherited the estate. He extended it, adding in particular a 3-hectare (7½-acre) enclosure named Angélus in 1920. He left it to his sons in 1945. Jacques and Christian de Boüard de Laforest continued their father’s work and that of previous generations. The property was classified in 1954. They extended it further until by 1985 it exceeded 20 hectares (50 acres). At this time, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, Jacques’ son, took over the management of the estate and was joined in 1987 by his cousin Jean-Bernard Grenié, Christian’s son-in-law and later by his daughter, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal in 2012.
STÉPHANIE de BOÜARD-RIVOAL,
THE THIRD WOMAN TO RUN ANGÉLUS
THE THIRD WOMAN TO RUN ANGÉLUS
Angélus is henceforward helmed by Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal represents the eighth generation of the Boüard de Laforest family. After Catherine Sophie de Boüard de Laforest in 1800 and Eugénie Chatenet in 1900, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal is the third woman to preside over the fortunes of this estate, where she was born and grew up. She has an almost physical relationship with Angélus, living with the land and drawing from it the courage and determination she needs to keep on course. It gives her emotional and spiritual strength, and she sees herself as an integral part of this ecosystemic whole.
She measures the full importance of the responsibilities that were entrusted to her in 2012 and the accountability involved. She strives to display how she embraces the founding values, which have guided and supported this family since the very beginning of the story that connects it with this estate: integrity, hard work, humility and a sense of duty.
Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal will continue the work of her father, grandfathers and ancestors, focused on the sole purpose of serving the renown of Angélus, ensuring that the name which connotes excellence and timelessness, continues to shine over time.
“
The commitment for me is almost like a priestly vocation, which I take up with faith, passion and gratitude. We are only the guardians of a history that preceded us and will survive us, so our role is to sustain it in the best conditions we will be able to achieve.
We serve our family’s past, our present and most importantly the generations’ future, who will in turn become guardians of the history. It will be our responsibility to prepare them for these duties, so that they can do the best job possible, when the time comes.
“ Stéphanie de Boüard-RivoalTHE HISTORY OF A GREAT WINE
Less than a kilometre from the famous Saint-Emilion bell tower, situated on the much-vaunted south-facing “foot of the hill”, Angélus has been the life work of eight generations of the Boüard de Laforest family.
In the first-ever classification of Saint-Emilion wines in 1954, Château Angélus was a Grand Cru Classé. Already at the time, it benefitted from a solid reputation, which helped it survive the Bordeaux wine crisis of 1973 and take part in the oenological renewal of the 1980’s. This was the context in which Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, a graduate oenologist from Bordeaux University, took advantage of this marvellous wine’s illustrious past, while being resolutely turned towards the future and launched and continued to implement an ambitious, innovative policy in favour of achieving excellence in wine growing and making.
The portraitsAngélus
ON OUR ANCESTORS' LAND
“Here in Saint-Emilion at Angélus on our ancestors’ land, vines and wine are like a religion, a passion shared by the whole family. It is our fierce ambition to continue this passionate, family history by safeguarding at Angélus the identity of the great wines of the south-facing slopes of Saint-Emilion and favouring the Cabernet Franc variety. We also firmly intend to move this great estate into the third millennium and benefit from its rich technological innovation.”
Passion, family, history, thoroughness, excellence, trust, dreams.
The vintages roll by one after another, but are never the same. This is the appeal of a great estate, continuously changing and challenged by unpredictable weather. Every one of these years contributes to the history of Angélus.
“Our thoroughness makes us want to achieve excellence. That’s why our label is a symbol of dreams and trust.” Hubert de Boüard de Laforest.
INNOVATION AND ENVIRONMENT
Technical, environmental and æsthetic considerations were given equal importance in the design of this new state-of-the-art winery, which has been equipped with the finest wine-making tools.
The 4,400 m² winery building, set among 3.3 hectares (8.1 acres) of land, is half- underground and features a green roof. The new facilities include a harvest reception area with a laser optical sorting line, a vinification room, a cellar for the malo-lactic fermentation and a barrel cellar. A bottling and packaging line will be added to complete these facilities.
The vinification cellar with its 18 inverted tronco-conical vats, features a vat-filling system using hoists and a vat elevator, allowing 100% gravity-flow.
Nitrogen-generating equipment provides permanent protection for the wines and controls oxygen levels both during the vinification and the ageing process.
Photovoltaic solar panels enable the production of a part of the electricity needs for the functioning of this new winery.
The building has received BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification, the British equivalent of HQE (Haute Qualité Environnementale/High Environmental Quality).
This winery was completed for the 2019 harvest.
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WINE AND GASTRONOMY
Founded in 1848, and one of the oldest restaurants in Saint-Emilion, the Logis de la Cadène over the years has become a veritable institution. Located on a tiny square in the heart of the medieval town, the place offers tranquillity and huge charm, while everything about it is geared to pleasure and enjoyment. A shaded terrace, sitting rooms and bedrooms offer an enchanting setting in which to enjoy a relaxing stay within a delightfully warm and refined décor. The De Boüard de Laforest family, established at nearby Château Angélus since 1782, were captivated by the quaint charm of the place and acquired it in the summer of 2013.
In the spring of 2016, the De Boüard de Laforest family inaugurated La Maison de la Cadène, an attractive 17th century mansion situated at 9 rue de la Porte Brunet. These acquisitions were made with a view to the continuity of the family and its focus on fine food, an inseparable partner for great wines, of which Saint-Emilion is one of the world capitals.
The talent and work of Chef Alexandre Baumard were acknowledged when the Logis de la Cadenne was awarded a Michelin star in February 2017.
Founded around 10 years ago, the Gabriel was acquired by Château Angélus in January 2019. It was therefore taken over by a family that is especially attached to the region and its development –the Boüard de Laforest family.
Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal’s aim is a simple one:
to share our passion for fine cuisine and great wines and to create an emotional experience that will provide an unforgettable memory.
“Set within a superb building displaying the architectural style of the first half of the 18th century, the Gabriel is on three floors featuring a salon de thé providing simple, flavoursome dishes served non-stop all day, a bistro offering delicious, generous regional food, as well as a gastronomic restaurant devoted to subtle, delicate and audacious cuisine.
Alexandre Baumard, the chef of the 1-star Michelin Le Logis de la Cadène in Saint-Emilion, has been entrusted by Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal with the managing of all three venues.
Alexandre selects at the Gabriel the best products of the terroir in order to create a cuisine that is adapted to the seasons and to his inspiration on each day.
