The Story
Alfred and Franck Bonville
At the beginning of the 20th century, only a few years after the phylloxera crisis, Alfred Bonville began purchasing vineyard parcels. For practical reasons, he limited himself to sites located no more than a few hours on horseback from his home. This marked the beginning of the Bonville family's winegrowing story.
By the mid-1930s, economic conditions had become difficult for grape growers. In 1936, Alfred and his son Franck decided to acquire a winegrower's house in the heart of Avize. This laid the foundations for what would become the wines of Champagne Franck Bonville.
After the war, the wines produced in Avize were initially sold to Champagne merchant houses. Franck Bonville then began bottling his own wine and selling it under the **Champagne Franck Bonville** name. Following the exceptional 1959 harvest, the House produced its first vintage Champagne.
Gilles and Ingrid
From the 1970s onwards, Gilles Bonville and his wife Ingrid modernised and expanded the estate's production facilities. The large wooden vats were gradually replaced, first by enamelled tanks and later, during the 1990s, by stainless-steel tanks.
A new building was constructed, housing a semi-underground winery and two presses with a capacity of 8,000 kg each. Champagne Franck Bonville also began exporting its wines to Germany and Belgium.
Olivier and His Father
Olivier's arrival in 1996 coincided with a renewed pursuit of precision, both in vineyard management and in winemaking. This period also marked an acceleration in the international development of Champagne Franck Bonville.
For more than 20 years, Olivier has continued
to deepen his knowledge of Champagne's terroir and his understanding of the
family's individual vineyard parcels, putting this experience at the service of
the wines of Champagne Franck Bonville.
OLIVIER BONVILLE
After studying viticulture and earning a national diploma in oenology, Olivier Bonville joined the family estate in 1997. His ambition is to understand the terroirs of Avize, the village closest to his heart; Oger, where the Bonville family originated; and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where Olivier and his father Gilles expanded the family vineyards during the 2000s.
Olivier brings richness and intensity to the wines of Champagne Franck Bonville, complementing the finesse and elegance that are so characteristic of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.
FERDINAND RUELLE
Since 2020, Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel has worked alongside his father-in-law Olivier at the family estate. Together, they aim to continue the family tradition while developing their shared vision of great Champagne wines.
Originally from Reims and trained as an aeronautical engineer, Ferdinand joined Olivier in 2020. Passionate about Champagne and the world of winegrowing and winemaking, he previously travelled around the world's wine-producing countries, discovering the diversity of philosophies, methods and expressions of wine.
Olivier and Ferdinand
Together, Olivier and Ferdinand seek to share, describe and convey, in their own way, the emotion that a great Champagne should inspire – particularly a Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs.
It is not unusual to find a partnership at the head of a wine estate. Olivier and Ferdinand share a common vision of the style of wines they wish to produce. They taste, share ideas and exchange perspectives in order to refine, year after year and parcel by parcel, the distinctive signature of Champagne Franck Bonville and strengthen its presence in both the French and international sparkling wine markets.
**“To continue the family adventure with the desire to keep bringing a terroir to life and to share great Champagne wines – symbols of the elegance of a unique winegrowing region.”**
Olivier and Ferdinand
Terroir, Family and Team
*In France and throughout the world, the wines of Champagne Franck Bonville convey a distinctive energy, shaped by a terroir, a family, a team, a duo and a story.*
Supported by a team of 15 employees, Olivier and Ferdinand cultivate the family's 77 vineyard parcels, vinify the harvest in the heart of Avize, store and age the approximately 140,000 bottles produced each year, disgorge them, dress them and bring them to market. Champagne Franck Bonville has preserved the genuine expertise of a **Récoltant-Manipulant**, overseeing every stage from cultivating the vines to distributing its own Champagne.
Winemaking
Winemaking by Instinct
Alcoholic fermentation is initiated in our stainless-steel tanks, barrels and demi-muids. Stainless steel now represents the majority of our winemaking vessels and is an integral part of the House's wine style.
Malolactic fermentation is systematically carried out. Our Chardonnays are naturally fresh, and we appreciate the richness and generosity that this bacterial fermentation brings to the wines.
Complexity and Depth
Alongside our work with stainless-steel tanks, wines are also vinified and matured in 228-litre barrels and 600-litre demi-muids. These vessels are used to shape the base wines for our tirage and disgorgement liqueurs, as well as to preserve part of our reserve wines and give them additional depth.
We want the wines added during tirage and disgorgement to offer exceptional complexity and quality.
Time remains essential in creating distinctive and complex Blanc de Blancs. Adapted to the characteristics of each blend and each wine, ageing on the lees traditionally ranges from **2 to 8 years**, allowing every cuvée in our range to express its full potential.
