Champagne Franck Bonville – Interview With Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel

The love of Champagne is infinite, a language that everyone can understand, a sparkle that can shine in anyone’s glass, it can connect people, brings them together and places a smile on faces around the world.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel, who Co-Manages Champagne Franck Bonville with Olivier Bonville, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and one of his favourite Champagne memories.

It’s Great To Speak With You, Ferdinand, Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself & How Your Journey Into The Champagne Industry Began?

“Thank you for inviting us to this interview.

I am Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel, 34 years old, and I manage the company with my father in law, Olivier Bonville. I joined the company in 2020 after my first professional life in the aeronautic industry.

Olivier Bonville wanted to focus more on the vineyards and wines, so my first task was to take over the distribution and business part. So I joined Olivier and together we try to continue in the style of wines that have been produced by the family. We have the opportunity to work with 15 hectares of Chardonnay in Cote des Blancs.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Champagne? When It Was And What Kind Of Label It Was?

“My parents moved to Reims when I was a teenager, so Champagne has always been part of the picture. We would go to parties with one bottle that the parents would give before we leave the house. Every family in Reims has its own small grower supplier or special price at a cooperative, so our first experiences with Champagne were often with « unknown » labels. One of my first tastings, for which I remember noticing something different, was a Jacquesson, can’t remember which blend…”

Can You Share With Us Some Of The Countries And Locations Around The World That You Can Enjoy A Glass Of Champagne Franck Bonville?

“We are now distributed in most of the important Champagne markets… so you can drink Bonville in a winebar in Paris, in a Michelin star restaurant in Reims; in a beach bar in Perth, in a rooftop in Hong Kong, in a Osteria in Italy, in a restaurant in South Korea. We still invest a lot in the distribution in the French market because we like the idea that the wines are consumed nationally and that the French have access to them. It is sometimes easier to send volumes in the export but this is really important for us to maintain good distribution in France.”

When It Comes To Pairing Champagne With Food, Do You Have Any Favourite Combinations That You Would Personally Recommend?

“We produce only Chardonnay, so of course the Blanc de Blancs are quite easy to pair with seafood, oysters, lobster…

We try to balance the acidity of the Chardonnay of the Cote des Blancs with a touch of generosity, roundness, and creaminess, coming from the ageing on lees and the use of reserve wines. This allows it to pair with more generous types of sauces, creamy sauce with fish or white meat for example.

The small nuttiness/toastiness that Chardonnay develops on the lees, I like to pair with my Sunday lunch grilled chicken. It is not a gastronomic pairing, but super efficient.”

What Future Plans Can Enthusiasts Of Champagne Franck Bonville Look Forward To In The Coming Years?

“We want to go on and define more and more precisely our style: balance between freshness of Cote des Blancs and generosity of Chardonnay on the lees. All our efforts go in that direction.

We will also pursue our efforts towards a finer understanding and reflection of our so special terroir in our wines.

We want to add delicate complexity to the blends. We now age a part of the reserve wines in demi-muids and foudre to add a new dimension to the blends. Stainless steel will still be the majority of our volumes, but we like to have more tools at our disposal to fully express the potential of our wines.”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Memorable Experiences You’ve Enjoyed With A Glass of Bubbly?

“Simple is best… I think the most enjoyable experiences of Champagne were the less staged ones… a good bottle, with the family, I have a good memory of a simple moment like this with a Cuvee William Deutz 2006, nice aperitif in the garden with the family, really enjoyable moments.

The wine plays a role for a good memory and a good tasting experience, but the people you are with, and the place also play a big part in making this moment a good moment.”

Thank you Ferdinand, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Image Credit: Franck Bonville Final Copyright Ilya KAGAN @ilyafoodstories . Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.