Portraits of winemakers

VINCENT BONNAL, DOMAINE DE PÉLISSOLS: A WINEMAKER WITH AN ATYPICAL BACKGROUND

Vincent's Journey: From China to Domaine de Pélissols

Returning to Roots

Vincent's desire to explore the world took him to Chile, the UK, and eventually China, where he wore many hats: oenologist-expert, marketing consultant, and trainer. “Originally, I was supposed to stay in China for four months. I ended up staying for six years,” Vincent recalls. During his time there, he married a Chinese woman and adopted two young girls. However, after a few years in Beijing, Vincent felt a strong urge to reconnect with his roots. “I really wanted to create my own wine and also teach my daughters about French wine culture. All these factors led me to return to my home country.”

A New Beginning at Domaine de Pélissols

Upon returning to France, Vincent took over the Domaine de Pélissols, a vineyard his parents had purchased in 1976. Located in Haut Languedoc along the Orb River, the Domaine de Pélissols vineyard spans 6 hectares and features atypical grape varieties for the region, such as Merlot and Chardonnay. “At the time, my older brother was in charge. When he learned that I wanted to transition into winemaking, he handed me the keys to the domain and said, 'Have fun!' So I took his advice,” Vincent says.

Eager to produce natural wines that reflect his personal style, Vincent immediately began converting the vineyard to organic practices. Today, all wines from Domaine de Pélissols are produced without fertilizers, pesticides, and with minimal sulfites. Vincent is also interested in biodynamic viticulture. “It’s a bit early to say that I practice biodynamics because I still need to learn about it. But I will get there one day,” Vincent asserts, emphasizing his preference for hands-on experience over theoretical knowledge and his commitment to not judging other winemaking methods. This “pragmatic” approach to wine comes from his experiences in China.

1 Fusée x Pélissols: A Musical Tasting Experience

Shortly after arriving at Domaine de Pélissols, Vincent reconnected with his childhood friend and musician David Lavaysse. “We’ve known each other for years and have followed similar paths. He went into music, and I went into wine, but we share the same life philosophy. Like me, David turned away from the music industry to pursue projects that resonate more with him. When I returned to France, he shared his desire to create a project around wine.” Seeing a genuine interest in the wine-music pairing, Vincent proposed that David compose pieces to pair with one of his wines. “The idea was for the buyer to listen to music while tasting the wine.”

The two friends decided to include a micro SD card inside the bottle, just above the cork. Launched in 2014 under the name 1 Fusée x 1 Pélissols, this unique cuvée was produced in 76 bottles and quickly went viral online. The micro SD card contains sounds recorded exclusively at Domaine de Pélissols: in the vineyards, the winery, and in one of the empty concrete fermentation tanks. The concept was a hit, and the stock sold out within months. Unfortunately, it’s no longer available. But the good news is that these two innovative friends plan to launch a similar cuvée next year, this time featuring a music video. Stay tuned!