Portraits of winemakers

BARDET VINEYARDS: ONE CHÂTEAU FOR EACH GENERATION

Les Vignobles Bardet: A Legacy of Bordeaux Wine Since 1704

A Family Legacy of Winemaking

The Bardet family has been immersed in the world of wine since 1704, reigning over the Bordeaux wine estate complex known as Les Vignobles Bardet for eight generations. It’s safe to say that wine runs deep in their veins. With 85 hectares of vineyards in Saint-Émilion Grand Cru and Côtes de Castillon, the Vignobles Bardet employs around thirty people across the complex. At ages 27 and 30, Thibault and Paul-Arthur joined the family business in 2011 after completing their studies at business school and the Wine Institute.

Acquisition of Château du Paradis in 2013

Les Vignobles Bardet owns four Bordeaux châteaux in Saint-Émilion. This wine heritage is part of a longstanding family tradition: acquiring a new estate with each new generation. "Our great-grandfather, a wine merchant, established Château Val d’Or in the 1920s. Our grandfather created Château Pontet-Fumet in the 1960s. In 2008, our father Philippe bought Château Franc Le Maine," Thibault and Paul-Arthur recount.

Determined to continue this tradition, the Bardet brothers naturally acquired Château du Paradis in 2013. Both work alongside their parents: "My father makes the wine, my brother sells it, and I promote it, to put it simply," Thibault summarizes.

Les Vignobles Bardet: Commitment to Sustainable Viticulture

Despite their backgrounds in commerce and marketing, the Bardet brothers are dedicated winemakers. Deeply committed to environmental preservation and biodiversity, Thibault and Paul-Arthur practice reasoned agriculture on the 5 hectares of vineyards at Château du Paradis. These values are deeply embedded in the history of Les Vignobles Bardet.

Listed as the first agricultural property in the 1980s and holding the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) Level 3 certification, Les Vignobles Bardet is a leader in sustainable practices in the Saint-Émilion region. Philippe Bardet, the father of Thibault and Paul-Arthur, also chairs the technical committee responsible for terroir and sustainable development at the Conseil des Vins de Saint-Émilion.

Focus on Oenotourism

In terms of winemaking, the Bardet brothers focus on two main goals: empowering nature to produce the highest quality grapes and crafting wines that best express the reflection and typicity of the terroir. "We extract the maximum from our raw materials to make the best wine possible. For example, we remove rot from the berries and carefully sort the grapes by size to ensure concentrated fruit with thick skins and fewer seeds, resulting in wines with silky tannins," the Bardet brothers detail.

Since acquiring Château du Paradis, the Bardet brothers have concentrated on this "new winemaking adventure" and are focusing their efforts on brand development, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and oenotourism. "We already have a few ideas that we plan to implement in the coming years: tasting workshops, cellar tours, riverside walks, etc.," they announce.