A family and its secrets - Château Thivin

“We don’t inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Since 1743 our family has been handing down from generation to generation this passion for the wine-grower’s trade, respect for our terroirs, precious know-how, and a quest for excellence.

On 8_th June 1877, Zaccharie and Marguerite Geoffray bought Château Thivin and its two hectares of vineyards surrounding the estate (Le Clos).

Each succeeding generation would contribute new plots of land to build up the estate and would develop the growing and wine-making methods. Today, the 5^th and 6^the generations of the Geoffray family run this small family business, work the estate’s vineyards, and vinify each wine, respecting the terroir of its origin as the seasons change.

Today, Claude Vincent is happy and proud to take his three grandchildren Tobias, Nicolas, and Florina into the vineyards and the cellar so as to initiate them in the secrets of the craft and give them a taste for working the land.

Claude Vincent Geoffray

Deeply attached to the rigour of the work and to passing on his passion as a wine-grower, he is gently passing the torch on to the new generation.

Loves old cars, pampers his 1923 Citroën B2.

Evelyne Geoffray

Looks after the administrative management of the estate and the gîtes… but not just that … Friendly and outgoing, she loves entertaining and is always pleased to share her delicious cooking.

Loves getting away for a trip to the opera, the theatre…

Claude Edouard Geoffray

Passionate about the vineyard from the earliest age, it seemed obvious to Claude Edouard that he was going to follow in his forebears’. After a BTS in wine-growing and œnology in Beaune (1999–2000), he completed his training at Changins Engineering College in Switzerland with an HES course in wine-growing and œnology (2001–04).

Internships and professional experience:

Domaine Chaves - Mauves
Château Belair – Saint-Émilion
La Colombe - Fechy (Switzerland)
Geierhof - Kremstal (Austria)
Terror Creek Winery - Colorado (USA)
Les Fils de Charles Favres - Valais (Switzerland)
Kellerei Diroso - Valais (Switzerland)
Fromm Winery - Marlborough (New Zealand)

Is restoring an old sailing boat and dreams of taking to the wide open sea.

Sonja Geoffray

Loves working in the vineyards; she is responsible for training the young vines and wine-growing experiments, but also for the artistic side, marketing, and publicity.

Cutting her teeth in the Valais wine-growing region, Sonja learnt to love the craft of the wine-grower with her father Hans-Peter Baumann (Domaine DIROSO). She took her knowledge further at the Changins Engineering College, where she completed the HES course in wine-growing and œnology and met Claude Edouard.

Internships and professional experience:

Kellerei Diroso - Valais (Switzerland)
Domaine Canton of Geneva - Bernex (Switzerland)
Cantonal œnological laboratory - Geneva (Switzerland)
Valais State vineyard - Leytron (Switzerland)
Cantonal Wine-growing Office - Sion (Switzerland)
Weingut Georg Fromm - Grisons (Switzerland)
Weingut Vollenweider - Mosel (Germany)
Fromm Winery - Marlborough (New Zealand)

Relaxes by doing yoga and dance

Château Thivin grape-pickers

Each year we have a team of 40–50 people who help us harvest the grapes. Coming from the four corners of France or the world, they are lodged and fed on the estate and share our daily lives for 2–3 weeks.