{"id":451684,"date":"2026-02-26T10:33:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jp-bourgeois.com\/?p=451684"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:00:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T23:00:52","slug":"producer-spotlight-bellula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jp-bourgeois.com\/?p=451684","title":{"rendered":"Producer Spotlight: Bellula"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet Vianney and Emilie Castan<\/h2>\n

Vianney and his wife, Emilie, come from a tradition of winemaking, but they did not inherit Ch\u00e2teau Saint-Jean d\u2019Aumi\u00e8res. The Castan family lost its vines in the 1970\u2019s, but Vianney and Emilie chose to return to the land anyway. They worked toward this goal for 12 years, and in 2012, they bought Ch\u00e2teau Saint-Jean d\u2019Aumi\u00e8res because they believed in its potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe dreamed of owning a wine domaine. So we worked hard for 12 years. And then, in 2012, this opportunity came up, and we knew that this was where we would write our story, as a family.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They are raising their daughters among 30 hectares of vines in Gignac, in the Terrasses du Larzac. Here, their children play and dream; family friends continue to gather for harvest meals. Emilie calls the estate their cocoon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> So when Vianney Castan talks about wine, he begins with the land. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI define myself first as someone who works with the earth and with living things, observing a great deal and adapting to the seasons.\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As far as we are concerned, that philosophy tells you almost everything you need to know about the estate and its approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/h2>\n

A Personal Project with a Southern Accent<\/h2>\n

Bellula is a joint venture between Vianney Castan and JP Bourgeois. The fruit for all the Bellula wines comes from the heart of the Languedoc, around B\u00e9ziers, within the IGP Oc. These are younger vines, and in this area, the soils are diverse, and the landscape is open and flooded with light.<\/span> For Vianney, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBellula is a personal project that allows me to stay close to the land and to make simple, sincere, accessible wines.\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With Bellula, he invites everyone to the table. These are wines meant to be opened on a Tuesday without ceremony and shared generously with family and friends. When asked what part of himself shows up most in Bellula, his answer is direct. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy attachment to common sense, simplicity, and wines made to be drunk and shared.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Trusted Expertise<\/h2>\n

When sourcing grapes from other growers, who you work with matters as much as or more than the parcels you choose. Sourcing is a responsibility the team takes very seriously, and so the grapes for Bellula come from growers they trust implicitly. They will only work with growers who work carefully and respect their vines. Vianney describes responsible agriculture in practical terms. He needs them \u201cTo observe, to adapt, and to make common-sense decisions without ideology.\u201d<\/span> For this team, farming is not theoretical. It relies on measured observation of changing conditions and making choices based on what is happening in the vineyard. By carefully choosing his growers, Vianney knows that the decisions made in the vineyard are guided by experience and real-world conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stewards of the Land<\/h2>\n

Vineyard work is about stewardship. Vianney says, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are peasants passing through; the people pass, and the land remains.\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bellula reflects that same grounded mindset. The B\u00e9ziers area, where the grapes for Bellula are sourced, was chosen by Vianney and his team for its soil diversity, creative freedom, and what Vianney calls \u201cthe very Languedoc energy of the area.\u201d These terroirs produce wines that feel sunny. They are straightforward, balanced, and very faithful to the wine traditions of Southern France.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Meet Winemaker Florencia Stoppini<\/h2>\n

Florencia Stoppini\u2019s path to the Languedoc began in Argentina, where she grew up surrounded by vineyards and learned the rhythms of harvest from her grandfather and father. By the late 1990s, she was already making wine, crafting her first vintage in Mendoza in 1997. <\/span>Her early experience in Mendoza taught her precision. Fruit grown at high altitude requires winemakers to pay attention to ripeness, acid balance, and timing. Those early lessons carry through her work today.<\/span> \u00a0In search of diverse, high-quality wines, Florencia expanded her skills by working at wineries in some of the most iconic wine regions in the world, including Napa Valley, California; Navarra, Spain; the Barossa Valley, Australia; and Alsace and Bordeaux, France. All these regions had new lessons to teach her. The diverse climates and different cellar traditions sharpened her technical range. Lessons in fermentation management, handling delicate aromatics, managing extraction, and protecting freshness all make her the winemaker she is today.<\/span> Of all the places she has lived and worked, Languedoc is the one that captured her heart. For the past decade, she has chosen to build her career there. The Mediterranean light, dry winds, cooling nighttime temperatures, and proximity to the sea create fruit that ripens fully while retaining natural lift. You see all this come together in the wines she makes for the Bellula project.<\/span> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n