Michel Gonet

It all began in 1802, when Charles Gonet founded his house in Champagne. For many years, the house developed under the name ‘Gonet et Fils’.
More than a century and a half later, in 1935, Michel Gonet was born. Considered a miracle child from birth, unable to swallow anything due to dysphagia (an obstruction of the oesophagus), he regained his life thanks to a sip of champagne… he himself would say: ‘Champagne saved me’!
This was the beginning of a real passion for these wines.
Being the eldest of the brothers, Michel left the family estate in 1973 to make room for his brothers. He settled with his wife Annie a few kilometres further on, in Avize, where he built a new cellar.
He has never stopped improving the quality of his work in the vineyard and cellar. His only goal is to produce pure and environmentally friendly Champagnes.
Then, in 1986, he fell in love with the Bordeaux region and bought Château Lesparre, where, surrounded by his 3 children, Sophie, Charles-Henri and Frédéric, he put all his know-how into practice. Today, it is they who carry the torch in Champagne and Bordeaux.
After the right bank, the family set off to conquer the left bank, first Charles-Henri with Château Haut-Bacalan, then Frédéric with Château d’Eck.
In 2011, Sophie, driven by a desire to receive and share the family champagnes, moved to 37, Epernay’s famous avenue de Champagne, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. This neo-Gothic-style mansion, built in 1896 and now known as La Villa Signolle (his wife’s name), is a must for champagne lovers.
Château Haut-Brana, a little gem in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, surrounded by the vineyards of Château Pape Clément, joins the Michel vineyards.