Mentioning the identify Carla Bruni on the Hoxton Lodge in Paris had a magical impact. The beforehand cool receptionists all jumped to consideration and shortly pointed me upstairs; an indication of what an essential determine Bruni is in France.
Former mannequin, singer, former First Woman of France and to that exceptional resume we will add winemaker, or a minimum of wine impresario.
In 2020 Carla Bruni and her husband, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, purchased Château d’Estoublon in Provence with Jean-Guillaume Prats, beforehand of Bordeaux’s Cos d’Estournel, and businessman Stéphane Courbit, the 56th richest man in France.
The Provence property, Château d’Estoublon, co-owned by Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy. Credit score: mastermedialab
I used to be ushered right into a room the place Bruni sat sporting an olive inexperienced jumpsuit, like a classy paratrooper, whereas Prats was the very definition of the ‘boastful Bordelais’ – his phrases not mine – in a pink monogrammed shirt.
Bruni and her husband Nicolas Sarkozy, who Prats known as ‘the president’, first visited the property in 2021 in the course of the Covid pandemic and fell in love with it.
‘The property is simply unimaginable. There’s a vibration to the entire place,’ mentioned Bruni.
On the identical time they met Jean-Guillaume Prats by way of Courbit, a mutual buddy, and the remainder is historical past: ‘I don’t imagine in coincidence. It was good timing,’ she mentioned.
It was ‘a daring transfer,’ she added, ‘shopping for and promoting wine at a time when the entire economic system was destroyed.’
Provence was a pure match for Bruni: ‘I really feel very near the south of France. My dad and mom purchased a home in 1959 within the Côte d’Azur. On the time it was a 14 hour drive from Torino [Turin],’ she mentioned.
Château d’Estoublon is situated within the hills subsequent to famend property Domaine de Trevallon. Traditionally the wines didn’t have the popularity of this illustrious neighbour, however it was well-known for the standard of its olive oil.
This isn’t only a stunning boutique wine property, nevertheless. ‘Our ambition is to be the most important and greatest, with 2.5 million bottles of our personal manufacturing. We’re about half of that right this moment’, mentioned Prats.
There are 350ha in complete, that means they’ve the second largest winery holdings in Provence after Pernod Ricard, based on Prats.
They launched Roseblood rosé with the 2021 classic, which was made largely from sourced wine. Since then they’ve been on a spending spree, buying Domaine de Cantarelle in Coteaux Varois en Provence for the rosé, and Villa Beaulieu in Coteaux d’Aix en Provence which produces the premium wines below the 1489 label and the Roseblood blanc. That is along with a variety of property wines labelled below Château d’Estoublon.
The winemaker, Victor Joyeux, who was additionally on the interview, was previously winemaker at Cloudy Bay in New Zealand. I used to be eager to know simply how carefully Bruni works with Joyeux. I pictured her and ‘the president’ stomping grapes collectively.
‘We’re very shut to one another, every step of the method. I really feel like Victor’s pupil,’ she mentioned. ‘Some well-known folks concerned in wine are merely promoting their picture, which I perceive as a result of I’ve been doing so for fragrance and jewelry and clothes all my life. I don’t know if they’re getting near wine manufacturing.’
Bruni in contrast what she does at Château d’Estoublon with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at Miraval. ‘Did they test on the Miraval manufacturing? I don’t know. I’d ask them if I noticed them. I noticed her at Cannes however it was such an enormous dinner,’ she laughed.
Bruni is studying as she goes alongside, simply as she did with music: ‘You’ll be able to really feel it after I make songs, it’s all the time 4 notes as a result of I’m an auto-didact. Some jobs are auto-didact, some not, like a dentist or physician,’ she joked.
Prats added: ‘She brings an inventive and inventive side. 4 years in the past we began with a white piece of paper. Victor was not right here. We didn’t have a bottle or a label. She is instrumental within the DNA of the model.’
Carla Bruni and winemaker Victor Joyeux. Credit score: Sébastien Valente
The Bruni-Sarkozy identify clearly opens doorways, however it’s not with out its drawbacks. Final 12 months Bruni was charged with witness tampering, whereas Sarkozy was given a suspended sentence in 2023 for corruption and attempting to bribe a choose.
She batted it away after I requested whether or not these expenses had affected the Roseblood challenge: ‘It doesn’t affect our work. My husband and I work daily. It has had no affect on gross sales.’
Prats added: ‘Quite the opposite, we began with a white piece of paper and the wine market the wrong way up. Right this moment we at the moment are one of many substantial gamers in Provence.’
Bruni doesn’t assume the pink bubble may burst at any level. ‘Rosé is a female wine, one thing very gentle you’ll be able to have at lunch and really feel okay and nonetheless work within the afternoon.’
At solely 12.5% abv, the wine has a freshness about it which Joyeux places all the way down to the excessive altitude, at 350m-500m above sea stage.
There’s additionally a zero alcohol providing, made largely from Muscat grapes that are chilled, filtered and carbonated. Prats mentioned that they weren’t impressed with the standard of any dealcoholized wines so determined to go down this route.
I requested whether or not they may produce glowing wine and all people laughed and went quiet, so watch this house.
Seeking to the longer term, Bruni mentioned that their daughter Giulia is ‘fully in love with Château d’Estoublon. I’m certain she would like to work for us’. There are additionally 4 different Sarkozy kids.
Bruni is nice firm, passing round sandwiches and asking about my household and the place I stay. ‘I’m loopy concerning the English countryside,’ she mentioned. She was additionally intrigued that earlier than our assembly I‘d had lunch at a British brasserie known as L’Entente. ‘However what’s British meals?’ she requested.
They make group, Bruni along with her massive concepts and Prats the sensible one making them a actuality. After an hour Bruni apologised, she had a horrible toothache for the reason that Cannes Movie Pageant and needed to go to the dentist, ‘not an autodidact one.’
