Think of her as the vintner in Vogue.
Supermodel, singer-songwriter, former first lady of France and now celebrity winemaker Carla Bruni has introduced her elegant rosé in the U.S. Called Roseblood d’Estoublon, the 2023 blush wine is produced on a magnificent Provençal estate and received an “outstanding” rating of 90 from Wine Spectator.
“I have completely fallen in love with winemaking,” said Bruni at the launch party in New York, where she performed a captivating short set as her husband Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France from 2007-2012, gazed at her adoringly. “It has a common point with music -– it’s a very creative process. Making it is a magical moment.”
The high-profile couple teamed with friends to buy the 495-acre domaine in 2020. Located in Fontvieille on the southern slopes of the Alpilles mountain range, the leafy property is famed for its 18th-century castle, fragrant rose gardens, award-winning olive oil and organically farmed vineyards. The gorgeously decorated 22-room residence – which boasts a movie theater, fitness studio, library and hammam steam bath along with an outdoor pool – has ten antiques-filled rooms and suites and is available for buyouts (from $108,000).
Day visitors can book a tour and tasting, along with a meal at La Table d’Estoublon, the on-site restaurant serving local specialities and the château’s own wines. Executive Chef Emmanuel De Oliveira designed the menu, which is inspired by harvests from the garden.
While Sarkozy doesn’t drink, Bruni does, and she enjoyed participating in the development of the label’s rosé.
“I knew nothing about wine. Really, like not a clue!” Bruni told Alexa. “It was a whole new discovery for me. I’m used to working with my ears and my eyes, but not so much with taste and smell.
“I’m just like a pupil,” added the 56-year-old musician. “I just learn. I don’t have input, I just listen and observe their way of working. And then I participate by tasting. I give my advice and my preferences. We work as a team and it’s lovely.”
She’s a fan of the flagship wine’s unusual name. “I like it because it has something sensual,” said the artist in her trademark sultry, low voice. “Also, it has the snake on the bottle, which is nice because it’s a little transgressive. It’s like a sin – but a nice, kind sin.”
One she pairs with everything from sushi to Indian to traditional French food. “It’s a very adaptable wine,” she says.
Bruni was born in Turin, raised in Paris and educated in Switzerland. The daughter of Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, a wealthy industrialist and classical composer, and Marisa Borini, a concert pianist and actress, she was raised in splendor. As a young woman, she discovered that her biological father is Maurizio Remmert, an Italian classical guitarist with whom her mother had a long affair.
Bruni started modeling as a teenager and strutted her way to the top of the profession, working for luxury houses such as Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Versace. She dated Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger, although she told the Post in 2014 that the Rolling Stones frontman was “never really her boyfriend.”
In 2003, Bruni released her first album, “Quelqu’un m’a dit” (“Someone Told Me”), which spent 34 weeks in the top ten of the French albums chart. She went on to release five more records, and has sold more than 5 million albums.
After a whirlwind romance, she married Sarkozy in 2008 at the Elysée Palace. Their daughter, Guilia, was born in 2011.
Bruni has a son, Aurélien, from a previous relationship with French philosopher Raphaël Enthoven. The handsome student graduated from Columbia University and is currently getting a masters in Paris at Sciences Po, one of France’s most prestigious universities. In 2022, he made his runway debut at the Versace spring 2023 show in a baroque-print shirt and black pants.
“He did a very short [stint] of modeling just for fun,” said Bruni proudly. “He’s very intellectual. All his energy is put into his studies.
“Sometimes I wonder if he’s my own blood!” she joked. “I was such a bad student myself. I didn’t study at all!”
An autodidact, she’s working on new music, which will drop next year.
“I am so slow!” she exclaimed. “I do everything so late. I’m writing the album right now. That’s my favorite time.”
That, and rosé-o-clock.
