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Evelyne de Pontbriand dies, aged 74
Evelyne de Pontbriand, who championed the reputation of Savennières, the Loire and Chenin Blanc, passed away on 5 November.
Born in Paris in 1950 to a distinguished family of female vigneronnes, de Pontbriand spent much of her childhood among the fields and animals of her grandparents’ country estate. It wasn’t until 2000, after a decade teaching in the US, followed by work with political refugees and underprivileged young people in France, that she turned her attention to winemaking.
In 2001 de Pontbriand took over management of Domaine du Closel, from her mother. It proved a transformative move not just for her, but the property and wider region. Through a shift to first organics and then biodynamics, close attention to each vineyard parcel, and refining the approach to vinification, not least through the use of indigenous yeasts and minimal sulphur, de Pontbriand dedicated herself to capturing the essence of Savennières.
This effort went hand in hand with an oenotourism operation, which brought de Pontbriand’s flair for hospitality and generosity to the fore. She went well beyond traditional wine tastings, offering vineyard walks, harvest weekends, music festivals and dinners. At the same time she energetically boosted the reputation of both Savennières and her own wine in markets across Europe, the US and Asia.
President of Savennières
From 2008 until 2016, de Pontbriand was president of the Savennières appellation. She used her leadership to spark a renewed focus on Chenin Blanc, the region’s signature variety, as well as encouraging more people to discover this corner of the Loire for themselves. She was re-elected as co-president in 2023.
As co-founder of the Academie du Chenin in 2017, de Pontbriand helped unite an international network of wine professionals and scholars to advance the research, conservation and promotional innovation of this grape variety on a global scale. It was a role that saw her take a lead in organising the first International Congress of Chenin Blanc in 2019, and she was involved with preparations for the third congress due to take place in Stellenbosch in July 2025.
The high-quality legacy that de Pontbriand left at her own domaine shines through in the fact that Domaine du Closel’s Clos du Papillon Savennières 2022 won the highest possible “Master” accolade in The Global Chenin Blanc Masters 2024.
In recognition of this achievement, she had only recently conducted an interview with the drinks business for a profile that will appear in the 2025 edition of The Master Winemaker 100 report.
Using this interview to convey her love for family, friends and Savennières, de Pontbriand called for the region’s producers to “be more open to excellence”.
She expressed frustration that “the trend here is to promote ‘petits vins pas chers’”, describing this as “a disaster for the region because the excellent wines – and they exist – have difficulties selling at a good price.”
She is survived by her husband, Gael de Pontbriand, four children and six grandchildren.
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