Jouvente Castle: The Gutmann family adventure

Benjamin Gutmann manages Château Jouvente in the Graves appellation of Bordeaux. In June 2016, this wonderful family adventure began, leading him to the heart of the vineyards and the world of wine. After his first vintages, which saw the family grow, Benjamin tells us about the history, projects, and ambitions of Château Jouvente.

I fell in love with Château Jouvente

It's a family story that begins with a crush and the realization of the dream of David, the father, a great wine lover.

“ It was love at first sight. We went to the Bordeaux region and visited Château Jouvente. We discovered a very high-quality vineyard with beautifully renovated production facilities ,” recalls Benjamin. With his father and two older brothers, they bought Château Jouvente in June 2016.

Unusually, the Gutmann family wasn't involved in the wine industry at the time. A love of the product and the desire to develop a family project led them there . For Benjamin, this project was an opportunity to discover a new profession and a field that proved fascinating. He tells us: " Nothing predestined me for wine, but this project captivated me from the start. Moreover, I was also keen to work with my father, as a way of passing on the family legacy ." For Benjamin, this purchase held many symbolic meanings: " For our family, developing a vineyard represents rootedness and the passing down of traditions. Wine, for us, is a noble product that we associate with pleasure and life : ' Indeed, on the day of our first harvest, I had my first child. It's quite symbolic,' the winemaker emphasizes."

Father and son together in the vineyards. The arrival of a new generation?

**" We want to enhance the value of the products in line with the work already accomplished ."**

“ We are building on and expanding what has already been achieved ,” explains Benjamin. At Château Jouvente, the products are excellent and of high quality thanks to the work of Olivier, the production manager who has been with the estate for 20 years . David and Benjamin are well aware of this and are committed to promoting them. “ Promoting their value comes through sharing knowledge. To that end, we organize free tours of the property .”

Ideas abound: a new label, a new logo… but also training and an essential learning phase. “ I’m currently training. I’m studying at the University of Bordeaux at the ISVV (Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences). These are tools that will allow me to have an in-depth dialogue with Olivier ,” explains the winemaker.

Maintaining continuity doesn't preclude development, as Benjamin pragmatically points out: " With Olivier, our winemaker, we're continuing in the same vein. We also work with the same farm worker. But the team has also been strengthened with the arrival of Nathalie, who worked at the Graves winegrowers' association. She knows the appellation and the terroir very well. "

" My task is to make the vineyard profitable and to enhance the value of the wines, " Benjamin concluded.

Château Jouvente: " a symbiosis between generations "

At Château Jouvente, several generations work and share experiences together. This delights Benjamin, who enthusiastically tells us: " There's a complementarity between the generations. I'm 30 years old and I work with people all older than me. I'm proud of the chemistry and symbiosis I have with these people. We complement each other and it's incredibly enriching."

" I arrive here with my youth. My father brings a more traditional touch. Olivier brings me the technical knowledge and makes excellent wine. " Indeed, that is the very definition of symbiosis.

Our favorite wines from Domaine Jouvente:

**" We are dealing with typical and refined wines. "**

The wines of Château Jouvente are undoubtedly highly regarded by consumers and connoisseurs. Proof of this lies in the fact that the 2015 white wine from Château Jouvente won a gold medal at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris . Both the 2014 red and the 2015 white wines from Château Jouvente were winners of the Trophée des Grands Crus des Graves.

“ We make wines that are typical and identifiable from their terroirs. This is something important to me: in this way, I contribute at our level to renewing the image of Bordeaux .”

Mission accomplished! The wines of Château Jouvente are refined, elegant, and delicate, with structure and character. Benjamin describes them with passion: " For the white wine, we only have 2 hectares; it's quite a well-kept secret. It's our little gem. It has an incredible aromatic richness, with aromas of exotic fruits and citrus, very well-integrated oak, and a hint of coconut. "

As for the red, it is just as high quality: " an elegant wine with character. A fine tannic structure, melted tannins. It has a very pleasant elegance ," describes the winemaker.

Achieving this result requires hard work, experience, but above all, a great deal of passion, enthusiasm, and confidence. This is a combination that Château Jouvente possesses in abundance, where every detail counts, from the vineyard plot to the barrel, and everything in between.

“ For the red wine , whose plots cover less than 7 hectares, we use late harvesting but we are not looking for over-ripeness. We want an interesting sugar concentration and a wine profile focused on ripe fruit. Fermentation takes place in tanks before aging in barrels for 12 months. For us, the barrel must be well integrated into the wine. We try to play with fruity and smoky aromas to find the perfect balance. ”

Two very promising new products were added to the range in April 2017: a pleasure wine, La Source de Château Jouvente 2015 and a rosé, La Fontaine de Jouvente 2016 , both under 10 euros.

The vineyards of Château Jouvente: developing biocontrol

The quality of wines is a process that begins in the vineyard, and Château Jouvente understands this well. " We practice sustainable viticulture ," explains Benjamin, " and we are gradually moving towards biocontrol, meaning we are strengthening the vines' resistance to pests and diseases ."

With the idea of future certification in the field: " We are seeking the HVE (High Environmental Value) label . Our goal for the fight is to observe and anticipate ."

Manon Mouly (for Les Grappes )

Pourquoi nous faire confiance ?

Depuis 2014, chez Les Grappes, nous partons à la rencontre de vignerons passionnés partout en France pour dénicher des vins authentiques, vivants et pleins d'histoire. En travaillant directement avec plus de 500 vignerons, nous sélectionnons des cuvées que nous aimons vraiment et que nous avons envie de vous faire découvrir.

Ce blog est le prolongement de cette aventure. On y partage nos découvertes, nos conseils, nos coups de cœur, nos meilleurs accords mets-vins, des idées de dégustation et tout ce qui nous anime au quotidien autour du vin.

L'objectif est simple : vous aider à choisir des bouteilles qui vous ressemblent et à prendre encore plus de plaisir à les déguster.