The Concept

Art, Ink and Wine

My life in a few lines... to give you some context and understand the concept!

After completing a vocational diploma (BEP) and a professional baccalaureate (BAC PRO) in Graphic Arts and Printing at the splendid Lycée Paul Louis Cyfflé in Nancy, I decided to head off to Australia to see if the weather was nice there (where I also met Charlie). I began learning English and discovered the joys of washing dishes in a kitchen.

After getting a little too hot, I'm back to square one in Nancy (without collecting 20,000 francs). I work in construction and metalwork, where I learn to use my ten fingers. (Very useful for renovating a vineyard 15 years later.)

Next, I wanted to go to England (Bristol, to be precise) to see if it really rained there all the time. I went back to the kitchen for a few months, this time with a peeler and a knife in hand. I loved cooking, but I wanted to socialize a bit more. My English was pretty good, so I moved to the front of house, working as a waiter and bartender.

After being a bit too wet for a year, I headed to the Americas, passing through Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru, finally landing in Montreal, Canada , to see if it really was cold there. With my experience and my English, I found three jobs: mornings at a hostel, days at a restaurant, and evenings at an Irish pub. After a few months at this intense but enjoyable and incredibly educational pace, I decided to keep my job as a bartender at Fiddler's Green, where I was given a lot of freedom and where it was great to work! It was there that I met Joann, over two Guinnesses and a glass of Jameson. "Love is in the Ireland!"

So I left Canada again, this time with an Irish woman, and we went back to square one in Nancy. I found a job as a waiter in a French brasserie, and there, a question and an encounter would change everything. It was an evening in September, and I had just brought two plates of sauerkraut to a table of two. The man asked me, "Could I have a glass of red wine that's not too tannic, please?"
Since I'm a very good waiter, I agreed without having the slightest idea what the word "tannic" meant. (I admit that during my 18 months working in an Irish pub in Montreal, I hadn't sold much wine.) I rushed over to see Rémi, a fellow waiter (and a great friend I unfortunately don't see anymore—the downside of traveling a bit too much...) who had gone to proper sommelier school and who explained, as best he could, the definition of a tannic wine. It was that evening that the grape seed began to germinate in my head.

After a little over a year in Lorraine, Joann and I headed to Dublin, Ireland , and that's where things got serious. I found a job as a waiter in a Michelin-starred restaurant, learning something new every day, both from the chefs and from my colleagues, who were mostly French and more knowledgeable than me in the field. For Christmas 2013, Joann gave me the best gift ever: a WSET (Wine Spirit Education Trust) course. In 10 weeks, I completed Level 2 (with distinction, of course) . I loved what I was learning and wanted more, so I did another 10 weeks and passed Level 3 (again with distinction). Next step? Level 4, the Diploma. I discovered that it also existed in an "intensive" version (one year instead of two), but only in London. So we decided to cross the Irish Sea to see the Queen of England.

In September 2014, I started the WSET Diploma at Bermondsey Wine School in the heart of London. I found a job as a wine clerk at Selfridges, one of London 's finest wine shops , run by the talented Dawn Davis MW. For a year, I tasted wines constantly, every day, and passed all the Level 4 exams on my first attempt (with merit this time). London was great, but a bit too much for us, so we decided to return to France with the aim of starting to work and study in the French wine industry. Because, yes, in 2015 the WSET was only just beginning to be recognized in France, I needed an equivalent qualification to put on my CV. Off to Bordeaux!

After three weeks harvesting the delicious 2015 vintage at Château Margaux, I found a job at a wine startup in the heart of Bordeaux. I decided to pursue a Master's degree in Wine and Spirits at Kedge Business School, and thanks to my experience and my WSET qualifications, I was accepted (thanks, Patrice!). I started in September 2016, and a year later, balancing school and work, I graduated with my Master's degree.

I'm now looking for a job in the wine industry. I've applied to quite a few places and finally landed a position at Domaines François Lurton. Initially, I was the sales manager for the Scandinavian region, and then 18 months later, I became the marketing and communications director. Always eager to learn, François Lurton kindly sponsored me for the prestigious Master of Wine program , but despite my motivation, I dropped out after two years of unsuccessful attempts. You really have to be determined to become an MW!

In 2018, two new heads appeared at home, bringing with them lots of love, joy, and also a desire to get some fresh air in the countryside. After talking and dreaming about it with Joann, we realized we could actually live on a vineyard and make wine—it could be fun! We talked to Charlie, a childhood friend with whom I've never lost touch, and he agreed to help us financially with the project.

After four years of learning a great deal, I'm leaving Domaines François Lurton to embark on a new winemaking adventure. We began visiting vineyards on the Right Bank, where rolling plains, vines, and forests blend subtly. We fell under the spell of Château Laulan, in the Francs Côtes de Bordeaux appellation—a beautiful estate, a beautiful terroir, a place with great potential.

I fell in love with wine and gastronomy over the past few years; these two passions are linked by sharing and conviviality. Because without conversation and discussion over a glass of wine or a plate of food, there is practically no pleasure. That's why we must talk about wine and the magnificent and complex world that surrounds it! Geography, history, geology, chemistry, gastronomy, etc... it's all there!

I haven't really worked much in printing... However, I've always retained a love for the colorful and textured world of graphic arts. Now that I'm a winemaker, I wanted to use my graphic design skills to express something more on the bottles.

So I decided to partner with various artists around the world and screen print their artwork onto my bottles. All the bottles are hand-printed using a semi-automatic machine designed by our Italian friends at CPL Fabbrika . Each batch is then hand-waxed.

That's how I became a printer/winemaker.