Meet Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, the majority shareholder and CEO of this iconic Bordeaux winery.
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Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal is the first woman in eight generations to take control of the famed Château Angelus located in Saint-Émilion, on the right-bank of the Bordeaux wine region. With more than 200 years of history, Stéphanie was lucky enough to be born in 1982, a truly outstanding Bordeaux vintage. She not only runs the estate on behalf of the de Boüard family, but recently became the majority shareholder.
A Life In Bordeaux
Stéphanie grew up in Saint-Émilion, graduating from Bordeaux University’s Faculty of Economics and from France’s ESCP-EAP. She has three siblings, among them Coralie de Boüard, who owns and runs Clos de Boüard in Montagne Saint-Émilion. Stéphanie has three children with her husband, Marc Rivoal, who runs a wine negociant company and owns two vineyards in Saint-Émilion. She grew up on the Angelus estate, and as a child wanted to join the family business and work with her father and grandfather. After several decades at the helm of the family estate, Hubert de Boüard — who oversaw the production of 40 vintages — handed over control to Stéphanie, while retaining the role of technical supervisor and sharing precious insights with his daughter.
Stéphanie’s career began in private banking. In 2009, she became a member of the Angelus supervisory board. At the beginning of 2012, her father, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, invited her to join Château Angelus. Since then, she has brought a new dynamic to the family estate. She has certainly made her mark, bringing her sensitivity to the estate’s wines which have gained in elegance while preserving their complexity.
Making Her Mark
Stéphanie has personally led the acquisition of new vineyards, and has given special attention to Carillon d’Angelus, setting an unprecedented level of ambition for this cuvée. In 2013, she expanded the family business with the acquisition of the Logis de la Cadène, the oldest restaurant in Saint-Émilion. This was followed by La Maison de la Cadène in 2016 and L’Auberge de la Commanderie in 2017. In 2019, she expanded the diversification and development of the family’s ventures to the city of Bordeaux — the regional capital of gastronomy and fine wines — by acquiring the restaurant Le Gabriel. Both restaurants are Michelin starred (one star for Logis de La Cadène and two stars for L’Observatoire du Gabriel).
Fluent in French, English and Spanish (with a smattering of Mandarin Chinese), Stéphanie leads a team of 170 people. As managing director, she oversees all aspects of the business, with assistance from an executive committee of six. She travels frequently to meet Angelus distributors and consumers all around the world. In her spare time, she is a keen horse rider. Stéphanie is also a gourmet who enjoys traveling far and wide to try new foods. Above all, she loves spending time with her husband and their three sons, traveling together, cooking, and visiting family and friends.
Château Angelus’ Illustrious History
Michel de Boüard, historian, chartist and rector of the Academy of Caen, took an interest in exploring the origins of his family. The earliest reference he found to his family tree was with Georges Boüard, born in 1544, a Bourgeois and Jurat of the city of Bordeaux. In 1782, Jean de Boüard de Laforest, a King’s bodyguard, settled in Saint-Émilion. His daughter, Catherine-Sophie, known as Sophie de Boüard de Laforest, married Charles Souffrain de Lavergne in 1795 and set up home on the Mazerat estate, which belonged to her husband.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Maurice de Boüard de Laforest inherited the estate. He extended it, adding a 3-hectare enclosure named Angelus in 1920. He left it to his sons in 1945. Jacques and Christian de Boüard de Laforest continued their father’s work. They ran the estate until 1985, when Hubert de Boüard de Laforest took over and was later joined by Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal in 2012.
Less than a kilometer from the famous Saint-Émilion bell tower, situated on the much-vaunted south-facing “foot of the hill”, Angelus has been the life’s work of eight generations of the Boüard de Laforest family. In the first-ever classification of Saint-Émilion wines in 1954, Château Angelus was awarded the classification of Grand Cru Classé. It has always been recognized throughout the world as one of the pre-eminent Bordeaux names.
The Wines and Terroir
8 cuvées (red and white) are produced from from 131 hectares, including 65 hectares in Saint-Émilion: Château Angelus, Carillon d’Angelus, N°3 d’Angelus, Tempo d’Angelus, Hommage à Elizabeth Bouchet, Clos du Milieu, Blanc du Milieu (and Grand Vin Blanc, currently not for sale).
Angelus is distinctive from other estates mainly due to its high percentage of Cabernet Franc (up to 55%, a departure from the appellation average of 10% to 15%). Angelus is also noticeably different for its long aging potential: 15 to 50 years (and up to 75 or 100 years for the greatest vintages). It is a wine of complexity, balance and longevity potential; dense, yet fresh.
Angelus’s soils are principally clay-limestone, whereas Carillon’s plots are planted on 3 types of soils: cold, late-ripening clay; a plot of warmer clay, sand and limestone; and, finally, one made up of faster-draining and earlier-ripening soils.
Changes in the Vineyard and Cellars
Under Stéphanie’s management, efforts have been made to develop a more sustainable vineyard. At Angelus, the terroirs are the result of a perfect balance between climate, soils, water reserves, vines and the people working there. Maintaining this balance, preserving the long-term future of the vineyard and its environment, optimizing resources and enhancing biodiversity are central to Stéphanie’s daily work. In the cellar, Stéphanie has transitioned to a fresher, more vibrant style of wine.
Stéphanie’s Wine Mentors
Alongside her father, Hubert, Maggie Henriquez (former CEO of Krug and Baccarat) has been, and still is, a key mentor for Stéphanie. Her family are also longtime friends with Bertrand de Villaine (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), Anne Vatan (Clos La Néore), Charlotte Bouygues (Château Montrose & Clos Rougeard), and Eric Rousseau (Domaine Armand Rousseau), some of the most famed vignerons of the last half-century.
Stéphanie’s Favourite Wines
Champagne Jacques Selosse 2002, Petrus 1990 and Coche-Dury’s Corton-Charlemagne 2008 are the 3 greatest wines Stéphanie has tasted, whereas she listed 2005, 2010 and 1990 as the 3 greatest vintages made by Château Angelus.
The Golden Vines® 2025 will take place in Miami between 7-9 November 2025, recognising the world’s best fine wine estates as voted by hundreds of fine wine professionals. Please register your interest for tickets on the website: https://liquidicons.com/work/golden-vines-awards. The Robb Report is the Official Media Partner of the Golden Vines® and sponsor of the Golden Vines® World’s Best Fine Wine Producer Award.
