Winemakers

- BERNARD THOMASSIN

A patient man of the land

Although Bernard Thomassin was not born in Bordeaux, he has become as « Bordelais » as its native people. The Thomassin family, in fact, have a renown professional history in the area surrounding Paris in the cultivation of beetroots for distillation. In 1985 the distillation plant closed down due largely to the changes in the reglamentations of alcohol production and consumption in France. The result was the move of the family to Bordeaux.

This adventure actually began years prior, in 1971, when Bernard Thomassin was offered the opportunity to buy the property without having seen it. All he knew was that the property was in a state of neglect and that he would practically have to start buliling from scratch. In 1986, Enjalbert refered to the property in his book entitled « Histoire de la Vigne et du Vin » saying : [the lands alone of Chateau de France will allow the property to regain the glory that belonged to it in the 19th century, thereby entitling it to carry its rightful name in a manner that does it justice.

Bernard Thomassin acted as a visionary in every sense as, at the time that he invested in Chateau de France, the only recognised controlled production area was that of Graves. Commerce and investment in wines from other zones was relatively scarce. It was only later on that Pessac-Léognan achieved « appellation » status.

What started as an adventure of sorts turned out to be a real passion for Bernard Thomassin made it a unique objective to restore Chateau de France and to give its wines the quality for which they are currently recognised.

Benard Thomassin invested with exonerable patience and wisdom in order to achieve his objective of creating a « grand vin ». He did this first by investing in replanting the vineyard, then by improving and restoring the winemaking facilities and finally by rebuilding the offices and reception areas.

- ARNAUD THOMASSIN

Perfectionism

Brought up in the Paris area at the time the family lived there, Arnaud Thomassin is proud of his heritage.

Arnaud Thomassin studied for a BTS in oenology, after which he has run Chateau de France with his father. Since assuming his position in 1996, Arnaud has continued along the lines of Bernard Thomassin so that his viticultural, vinicultural and investment decisions maintain the company’s objectives. In his own words : « When I began to work at the winery, I paid particular attention to the vineyards as it is these which first have an effect on the wines we produce at Chateau de France. »

Arnaud Thomassin travels extensively for Chateau de France both within France and abroad. He enjoys especially the close contacts he has developped with the winery’s network of distributors.

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