- Client
- Château Fontarèche
A rural calm mingles with a certain thread of expectancy on the labels of Château Fontarèche. As if the brand, with its centuries-old stiff upper lip dressed in contemporary typography, was wondering whether the new vintage will do as well among the Parisian bourgeoisie as that of 1857 or 1924.
Speaking of the French capital, that is where Les Bons Faiseurs, the design studio behind the Château Fontarèche image, is based. Its founder is Étienne Rothé, who had his first creative epiphany at the tender age of eight when he accompanied his grandmother on her daily shopping trips to small Parisian shops. In those treasure hunts among the bons faiseurs –the “good makers”– as his grandmother called the small neighbourhood shopkeepers, Étienne discovered “a sensible, refined alternative to the dehumanised standardisation of big stores”. The case of Château Fontarèche is located at these coordinates of uniqueness and charm, somewhat oblivious to the passage of time.
What is Château Fontarèche? One could call it a remarkable human adventure. A medieval castle that was built a long time ago and a wine estate known to have existed since at least the 14th century. The current ownership dates back to 1682. The same Mignard-de Lamy family has been producing wine on this land for nine generations.
How did Les Bons Faiseurs’ collaboration with this winery begin? A two-hour telephone meeting with Arnaud de Lamy. We had never met before. It was the beginning of a great meeting. We started working with Château Fontarèche in 2006 with the aforementioned Arnaud de Lamy and are continuing today with Vincent Dubernet, the current director of the winery. You could say that Château Fontarèche and Les Bons Faiseurs have already formed a longstanding couple. We have been loyal to each other for so many years that we have the decency not to count them any more.
What is it like having them as clients? Vincent Dubernet is a man whose words and work are exquisite. Things are simple and sincere with him. Working with and for him is a path that has the aroma of flint and red fruits.
The labels of the Château Fontarèche range are the sum of two distinctive codes: tradition and contemporary vision, especially through typography. How did you come up with this approach? Vincent Dubernet himself was a major source of inspiration for us. We intensely shared the visual concepts and world we were able to construct before we started designing. A lot of our work involved talking. Dialogue is very important. The result has necessarily emerged from a meeting of sensibilities: Vincent’s as the voice of Fontarèche and that of our creative team.
How important is typography for Les Bons Faiseurs? It is crucial! Mankind has been working on and improving writing for thousands of years. It is the expression of human genius and can express so many things.
What is Les Bons Faiseurs’ philosophy of work? To serve the project’s meaning. Something so simple yet sometimes so difficult to maintain.
What do you ask of your clients and suppliers? Another thing that is also very easy yet sometimes difficult to find: they should be direct, clear and simple in their demands.
How important are awards and recognition? The best reward is how far you have come.
What should the wine sector be like from a design point of view? I see it in the same way as how I think it should be from a strictly oenological and product perspective: a path of respect and at the same time with a desire to be daring.
What is your ideal project? Any project that is based on trust and listening.
Returning to Château Fontarèche, what does this brand mean for Les Bons Faiseurs? The opportunity to participate in the continuity of a beautiful story of vineyards and entrepreneurship. As well as, of course, participating in recognising some great wines. We like the brand and we like to drink it. It is the official supplier for our parties, company meals, presentations and any other events. And to think of Fontarèche is to think of Vincent’s mischievous smile and his authentic wines.
