Built at the beginning of the 19th century, it was not until 1896 that my great-grandfather, Charles Bonnaventure, wine merchant in Cette (Sète), decided to buy the Saint-Pierre estate and, for more than a hundred years, five generations of this family have succeeded in cultivating, improving, modernizing and developing this estate "between sky and sea". His eldest son, Charles, surrounded by several workers and a ramonet, hired in 1938 a young girl, Isabelle, then 20 years old.
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She will work in the service of the vine and wine at the Domaine de Saint-Pierre until the age of 90. She is an example of courage, dedication and loyalty.
The Second World War led to the evacuation of the estate in 1944, the land was mined and abandoned, the cellar deteriorated and the house was occupied. In March 1946, my grandfather Frank Viala, husband of Charles' daughter, took over the estate, rebuilt the cellar and began to replant the vines, the first harvest of which was only 200 hectolitres. He follows the passion for the vine of his own father Pierre Viala, who saved the French vineyard destroyed by phylloxera in the first quarter of the century, by introducing the American rootstock resistant to the disease. When Frank died in 1951, his wife Angèle decided to keep the estate with the help of her staff, Isabelle, and her manager, Pierre Mascon.
At that time, production was still at a high yield level, of a table wine without much interest sold to the wholesale trade. Profitability was modest and sales increasingly frequent.
In 1969, my parents moved to Saint-Pierre and my father took over, continued to replant vines, undertook new work in the cellar to improve quality and above all took advantage of the tourist development of the seaside resort by creating the sale directly from wine.
In 1975, a stand was created at the entrance to the estate. Thanks to a marked improvement in quality and with the help of an oenologist, he sells a large part of his harvest every year.
23 years have passed and since 1993, I am the fifth generation to run the estate.
Today the history of the estate continues, with the new generation I want to transmit respect for biodiversity, which is why all our vines are in organic conversion. A new vision and dimension for the domain of Saint Pierre. This transformation enriches the quality of our wines. Engaging in committed viticulture seems necessary to me in order to ensure the future and to recognize our terroir for its quality wine. for sustainable development, a responsible approach.
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