PART IV

Encounters that Shaped My Experience

• 1999
With Nadine Gublin,
Tasting Grapes and the Sense of Place

Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise,
Châteaux de Chamirey and de Rully

As a young enology intern, I had never seen anyone taste grapes like that! Nadine Gublin was then the winemaker for Domaine Jacques Prieur and Maison Antonin Rodet. Both produced wines spanning the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise, and the Mâconnais.

Nadine tasted absolutely everything: appellations, terroirs, every single climate. With this approach to Burgundy, a simple grape berry suddenly became for me something capable of producing a wine of place or a single-vineyard cuvée.

• 2000
With Jean-Pierre de Smet,
Vinification of Whites and the Winemaker’s Family

Burgundy, Côte de Nuits,
Domaine de l’Arlot

At Domaine de l’Arlot, near Nuits Saint-Georges, Jean-Pierre de Smet trusted me even though I was still inexperienced—it was only my second harvest! He entrusted me with the complete vinification of the whites from start to finish!

To establish the day’s extraction protocol, and although he usually did it alone, Jean-Pierre shared every morning with me all the tastings of Pinot Noir tank samples. Staying on-site, I also had a place at the dinner table with the family, friends, and sommeliers who dined every evening. Someone would then be designated to bring up a bottle from the cellar for a blind tasting. The first question was always the same: “New World or Old World?”

• 2001
With Daniel and Florence Cathiard,
The Art of Blending

Bordeaux, Pessac Léognan,
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte

Jean-Pierre de Smet and Daniel Cathiard were friends. I would never have come to Château Smith Haut-Lafitte if Jean-Pierre hadn’t recommended me to Daniel. I worked enthusiastically and wholeheartedly, living a unique experience with the opportunity to participate in blending the precious 2000 vintage with Michel Rolland!

With them, I fully embraced the Bordeaux culture of blending, unique in the world. I realized that without blending, Bordeaux wouldn’t be Bordeaux—it’s an integral part of its history and identity. I learned to compose a wine with rules. If those rules have been perfectly respected during the vineyard and vinification processes, they give full meaning to what happens in blending.

• 2002
With Stéphane Derenoncourt,
Sensitivity and Rhythm

Bordeaux Right and Left Banks, Spain,
Derenoncourt Consultants

I met Stéphane at Smith Haut-Lafitte, where he was one of the consultants, with that rebellious and liberated “no god, no master” style that was so striking in Bordeaux! When he offered me a chance to join him for a while, I didn’t hesitate for a second. Stéphane impressed me as much with his legitimacy everywhere as with his innate intelligence of the vineyard and wine, and his 24/7 lifestyle! To me, he was that big brother who instilled in me a love for consulting that has never left me.

• 2004
With Michel Chapoutier,
Entrepreneurship with Vision and Audacity

Northern and Southern Rhône Valley, Australia & Alsace,
M. Chapoutier

Michel recruited me to take responsibility for the Ferraton Père & Fils estate. By entrusting me with this task, he allowed me to cut my teeth running this vineyard. This was where I first imagined the reorganization of an entire vineyard parcel layout. Until 2010, I served as the general manager of Ferraton Père & Fils. These years gave me time to implement a strategy for development and enhancing its image.

Michel also asked me to supervise production in Australia and manage grape purchases for the Northern Rhône. For this high-end négociant project, I also created my first range of single-vineyard wines.

In October 2004, after my first harvests and during a car ride, he offered me the technical direction of Maison Chapoutier, overseeing all French and international vineyards. I had just turned 29! With Michel Chapoutier, I understood essential concepts: the nobility of a certain kind of négociant akin to great wine Houses; the ultra-precise craft of winemaker-maturer; the audacity to always find a solution and move forward; biodynamic culture as markers of identity and ecology. These fundamentals have always stayed with me.

• 2006
With José and Francisco Bento Dos Santos,
my very first consultancy mission that still continues

Portugal, Lisboa,
Quinta do Monte d’Oiro

For over 15 years, I have been supporting this family estate with a loyal team since the beginning. In this region brutally affected by climate change, we have undertaken the conversion of the vineyard to organic farming together. Through meticulous and precise adaptation work, we have implemented initial seed sowing to promote soil restructuring. Made less drying in the summer, the soils have significantly increased their water retention capacity, thus reducing the effects of water stress on the vines.

• 2011 to 2022
With Antoine Leccia,
a comprehensive analytical approach

Burgundy, Chablis, Languedoc,
Domaine Laroche

Antoine Leccia, at the head of Advini, initiated everything with Laroche, an independent entity within Advini. While being a highly demanding qualitative estate, it needed a fresh vision. Antoine proposed me to be the “wine man” at Laroche.

With him, I learned to have a clear and structured direction in complete autonomy. I understood that having numerical data can greatly assist in the success of a project. My 360° function also allowed me to work with stakeholders, from the press to sommeliers and restaurants. This downstream work of production was incredibly enriching in understanding how a wine’s reputation is built and how to sell it better, for what consumption expectations and positioning.

• 2014
Our personal project becomes a reality

Burgundy, Irancy,
Maison de la Chapelle

With Delphine, we created our Maison dedicated to Irancy from scratch, inspired by those that perpetuate the prestige of Burgundy wines, but in a much more intimate way! Maison de la Chapelle is now our place of life and sharing. “Homemade,” this simple expression truly holds meaning for us. A place of work and reflection, Maison de la Chapelle is also a laboratory where the pursuit of knowledge is always evolving.

• 2016
Consultant to confidently initiate a radical shift

Champagne, Côte des Bar, Gyé-sur-Seine,
Marie Demets

The new generation, Pierre Demets and his wife Mathilde, took over the family estate with a desire for radical change. Together, we built an agro-ecological itinerary enabling a complete break from conventional practices; we approached the wines starting from the idea of place by crafting base wines with minimal enological inputs.

In 2022, at the Wine Paris fair, Pierre and Mathilde presented a new range of champagnes, impressive in purity and energy. The aptly named cuvée “Intransigeance” reflects Pierre’s commitment and convictions. The parcel-based approach is expressed in two single-vineyard cuvées, “Les Fins” and “Forêt.”

• 2017
Consultant to recover the incredible potential of an abandoned vineyard

Champlitte, Haute-Saône,
Domaine de la Pâturie, Joyandet Family

It all started with this somewhat crazy project of this family wanting at all costs to save a vineyard planted in the 1970s from certain bankruptcy and abandonment. Driven by her unwavering convictions in organic farming, Julia Joyandet leads this unique vineyard with its exceptional terroir. In less than 4 years, the wines she creates unmistakably bear her mark. They have quickly found their place in France and abroad, in the best restaurants and wine shops.