Jean-Claude Beton, founder of Orangina, made of the famous drink with the orange pulp a world success. But it is in the vineyard and not in an orange grove he chose to root his family. To quench his passion for fine Bordeaux wines, in 1988 he acquired Château Grand Ormeau, in the Lalande-de-Pomerol appellation, and renovates the buildings and production tool during twenty years. In 2008 he passes on this jewel to his daughter Françoise to let her raise it on world's greatest tables!
Un important figure of the XXth century, grand captain of industry, that is what we remind of Jean-Claude Beton! Born in Algiers, grown up in the plain of Mitidja, the agricultural engineer anticipates, from 1939, the potential of the drink with orange pulp. He launches the brand Oranginain Marseille in the 50s, and in 1975 it represents 500 million of bottles in the world. This exponential development is led by a visionary. In 1980, Jean-Claude sells Orangina to Pernod Ricard, remaining honorary chairman of the brand and group administrator. With the acquisition, in 1988, of Château Grand Ormeau, a Bordeaux wine estate, he makes his passion come true.
Located at five hundred meters of Petrus and Cheval Blanc, on the right bank of the Dordogne river, partially on the heights of the Lalande-de-Pomerol appellation, Château Grand Ormeau can take advantage of a sunny and wet Atlantic climate favourable to the production of fine wines. The vineyard extends over 14 ha. The soil consists of a layer of gravels dominated by flint similar to that of Pomerol and a clayey subsoil rich in iron oxides (red gravels), favouring natural draining of the ground and water supply. The grape variety is mainly Merlot (64 %), with some Cabernet Franc and some Cabernet Sauvignon (respectively 18 %). On the soil side, this chateau offers many assets. On the installation side, during twenty years, Jean-Claude resnovated the production tool, installed a gravity stainless steel vathouse, a magnificent barrel cellar, a cellar, and restored the chateau.
In 1988, he passes on the torch to his daughter Françoise, “only woman to have, as from 1990, reached an executive position (in communication) at Pernod Ricard”. A fighter, trained at the Business School of Marseille, who in other times created the lambada dance to accompany the bottle of Orangina and the famous slogan “Shake me, shake me”. Very respectful of her heritage, born Libra, Taurus ascendant, foreign trade advisor for Provence-Corsica, she strived to perpetuate and revitalise the family property with conviviality, humility and smile.
“In 2008, when I took over the chateau, Dad was 82 and the cashflow was at the lowest level! I had to knock at the banks' doors to rebuild it and redesign a customer network. I knew nothing about the wine, I learnt everything with the cellar master, André Feménia, and our advisor Michel Rolland. The property didn't to the wine traders. The production being about 70,000 bottles a year, I had to visit the addresses one by one and organize numerous tastings to generate sales. Château Grand ormeau now is on the menu of prestigious establishments, like Royal Monceau, Park Hyatt, Raphaël Hotel, of brasseries such Café de Paris, Café de l'Alma, at great chefs' such as Christian Constant or Jean-François Piège (Thoumieux). It is even served at the Elysée palace …”
Three cuvées make the heyday of this family property. Château Grand Ormeau is vinified in stainless steel tanks three weeks before being barrelled 13 months where it will undergo the malolactic fermentation. The 2009 and 2010 vintage now on the market are seductive with their purple, silky colour, their powerful nose, their elegant, generous and moreish palate, their still a little reserved finish that heralds a long ageing potential. Another cuvée: Madeleine 2010* named after Françoise's mother stems from older vines, is intirely vinified in barrels, only in the great vintages. It exhales more intense aromas and black fruits and minerality explode on the palate. Françoise remembers that Jonathan Ferrando, sommelier of the Cyril Lignac group, served her the 2001 vintage with a Sologne roe deer cooked in salt, seasoned with kabozu lemon and accompanied with a fine purée of Jerusalem artichokes with black truffle, “this pairing remains the best gastronomic memory of my life”, she admits.
Finally Château Grand Ormeau develops a second wine stemming from young vines, called Chevalier d' Haurange*, reference to the vivacious patriarch who dreamt of signing the terroir ...
* Recommended retail price respectively €25 - €35 and €15.
Marie-Caroline Bourrellison
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