The team at Château Gigault, Gironde

It was during a summer vacation on a property in the Entre deux Mers region, at the age of 14, that I discovered wine and the conviviality it brings. So it was quite naturally and gradually that my interest in wine turned into a passion, to the point of making it my profession.
My career began in 1979, and by 1982 I had turned my attention to the trade in great and very great wines. Tastings were frequent, and the market seemed tailor-made for me, but after almost 20 years, I regularly met people so knowledgeable about viticulture and winemaking that I realized how much I was lacking and how much I needed to learn.
In early 1997, in association with a Bordeaux broker, I acquired Château Les Grands Maréchaux in Saint Girons d'Aiguevives. On the technical side, we enlisted the help of Stéphane Derenoncourt, then Cellar Master at Pavie Macquin, who was secretly preparing the first vintage of La Mondotte. Our first en primeur marketing in Bordeaux was such a success that the following year we acquired another property, Château Gigault, this time in association with Stéphane Derenoncourt. By way of an anecdote, our first vintage, 1998, was hailed by the press, notably Robert Parker, who commented: «The potential for the best Côtes de Blaye ever produced».
Between 2002 and 2008, I bought out my partners' shares, and from 2009 onwards, export demand, particularly in China, became significant. In 2011, I hear of a highly reputed terroir in Cars coming onto the market. The deal was closed in 30 minutes, and I named it Château Belle Coline in homage to my daughter Coline.
At the end of 2020, I'll be retiring from my business as a négociant to devote myself to my three vineyards in Bordeaux's most underrated appellation.

Stéphane Derenoncourt is a winegrower-consultant who works with a global approach in over 140 estates in Bordeaux, France and around the world.

Originally from northern France, Stéphane Derenoncourt arrived in the Bordeaux region in 1982. Self-taught, he made wooden toys and regularly worked in the vineyards. In 1985, he met Paul Barre, who taught him the winegrowing trade and introduced him to biodynamic agriculture. This encounter brought new meaning to the winegrowing profession, and Stéphane soon became cellar master at Châteaux La Grave, La Fleur Cailleau and Moulin Pey Labrie. In 1990, he became cellar master at Château Pavie Macquin, where his various technical experiences helped him to bring out the best in the château's wines. Stefan Von Neipperg, owner of Château Canon La Gaffelière, then called on him, and together they created Mondotte, which became a worldwide success. Building on this success, Stéphane acquired a solid reputation as a wine expert and a professional respect in the wine world. In 1999, he decided to found his own consulting company, Vignerons Consultants, and acquired his own estate in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, Domaine de l'A. At the same time, Stéphane was advising more and more estates in Bordeaux, France and abroad. Faced with this growing demand, he gathered around him a team of consultants trained in his philosophy. In 2010, 3 of them joined the consulting firm, which became Derenoncourt Consultants. Today, the company has 5 partners and a technical team of 12 consultants. Passing on Stéphane Derenoncourt's philosophy and sharing know-how works, and the team follows 146 estates around the world, offering unique global advice based on the optimal expression of terroir. A methodology based on observation, good viticultural sense and the search for wine balance ensures quality support, and the company has become an international label of excellence.

Described as an atypical consultant and a self-made man through and through, Stéphane Derenoncourt is passionate, wholehearted and creative. A rock fanatic, he presents the soundtrack to his life and the people around him in the vinyl-format book Wine On Tour. A vineyard globetrotter, he travels the world and appreciates the freedom and openness that travel brings.