Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal: The Custodian of Legacy at Château Angelus

In Saint-Émilion, time is respected, not chased. At Château Angelus, few understand this preservation more intimately than Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal. As the eighth-generation leader of one of Bordeaux’s most storied estates, she carries more than a family name; embodying centuries of history, expectation, and an unwavering sense of duty.

“I consider myself a custodian of the legacy,” Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal says, without hesitation. “There is no standstill. Either we move forward, or we move backward, and moving backward is not an option.”

That philosophy has defined her tenure since taking over the estate from her father in 2012, marking a new era for Angelus. One rooted in reverence for the past, but propelled by clarity, discipline, and vision. While the château’s bell towers remain a symbol of tradition, Stéphanie’s leadership has reshaped what modern luxury can look like in the world of fine wine.

For her, leadership begins with distinction. Emotion, she acknowledges, is inseparable from a legacy that spans eight generations, but it cannot dictate strategy.

“Emotion will have its place,” she explains. “But when it comes to decisions about the future of Angelus, there is no room for it.”

She draws a clear line between her role as a family shareholder and her responsibility as CEO, approaching the estate not only as heritage, but as an institution meant to endure long beyond her stewardship.

This long-term vision is also what informs her definition of luxury, one that resists trend and spectacle.

“Luxury finds its consensus in rarity, excellence, and time,” she says. “Wine, by nature, embodies all three. It demands patience, precision, and faith in the future. Qualities that cannot be rushed, replicated, or manufactured.”

At Angelus, time is both ingredient and philosophy, passed down as carefully as the vines themselves.

Since her first vintage in 2015, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal has brought a subtle yet unmistakable evolution to the estate’s winemaking. Beginning in 2016, her influence became more defined, not louder, but sharper.

“I wanted to bring more pixels to the image of the wine,” she explains. “More definition. More finesse.”

The result is a heightened aromatic purity and precision, which she describes as moving from high definition to ultra-high definition, without ever compromising the château’s DNA.

That DNA is inseparable from Cabernet Franc, Angelus’ signature grape, which accounts for nearly half of the blend, a rarity in Saint-Émilion. Nowhere is this more evident than in Hommage à Elisabeth Bouchet, an intimate, 100% Cabernet Franc cuvée created in tribute to Stéphanie’s great-grandmother. Named for both a woman and the local term for the variety, the wine is produced only in exceptional vintages and sourced from the estate’s oldest vines, some planted in the 1940s.It is both deeply personal and rigorously exacting—an expression of memory, terroir, and restraint.

Her respect for lineage also extends beyond the bottle. Under her leadership, Angelus has expanded into hospitality, gastronomy, and design through Michelin-starred dining, a boutique hotel, and immersive experiences that extend the estate’s universe without diluting its essence.

“No matter the angle, whether it’s the wine, the restaurant, or the hotel,” she says. “The message remains the same, expressing the uniqueness and greatness of Angelus.”

Inspiration, for Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, is both constant and quiet. She finds it atop the hill overlooking the vineyard, where the bells ring across a natural amphitheater, echoing through the vines. She finds it in stillness, in meditation, and in the rare moments of solitude when she travels. But above all, inspiration comes from her sense of transmission. The understanding that the estate does not belong to her, but that she belongs to it.

“I am a link in a chain,” she says. “I have a duty of transmission.”

When asked how she hopes to be remembered, her answer is telling. Not for titles or accolades, but for the nearly obsessive care and attention to detail she brought to everything she undertook. Paired with caution, vision, and an ambition that never diminished.

At Château Angelus, history is not preserved behind glass. It is lived, refined, and carried forward, one deliberate decision at a time. And under Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal’s leadership, the bells continue to ring, not as echoes of the past, but as signals of continuity, clarity, and enduring excellence.