90 Point Wines of Austria
(April 11, 2017) Our French organic wine partners at Vignobles Raymond recently added a new Cellar Master to their team, Elodie Gilles, straight from famed Champagne house Veuve Clicquot. Elodie chose to become a Cellar Master because of her passion for wine and a desire to get closer to the final product. She comes with impressive credentials. Elodie, 28, holds a Master 2 in viticulture, terroir and environment.
As Cellar Master, she is responsible for every aspect of production from the time the grapes arrive at the winery to the time the bottled wine is shipped out. She works with the winemaker, Yohan Lafon, to create wines that reflect his taste and style, while imbuing important aspects of femininity into the wines.
Elodie has been helping to develop a new French organic wine for Vignobles Raymond, a Cotes de Provence rosé for which she will be a namesake. She was sent to the vineyard in Provence to supervise and be a consultant. She and Yohan as well as winery owner Lionel Raymond have worked on the blend together, as they wanted the wine to have a balance of delicate beauty and vibrancy. The resulting French organic wine is extremely feminine yet dynamic, and will be released in the U.S. for the 2018 rosé season.
Prior to joining Vignobles Raymond, Elodie worked for two years at Veuve Clicquot. There she was in charge of the viticulture, traceability and vinification of 60 hectares, while managing a team of 15 people. Veuve Clicquot has a long history of female winemakers, beginning with Madame Clicquot, Barb-Nicole Ponsardin, who became the first woman to take over a Champagne house after becoming a widow (veuve in French) in 1805. Since 1972, the company has honored women in business from around the world with the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award.
Vignobles Raymond French Organic Wines
For Vignobles Raymond, the word “respect” is paramount in their organic wine production: respect of the soil, on which the vine is planted, respect of the vine, respect of the organic methods, and all of this for the respect of the environment and the respect of the consumer. Vignoble Raymond’s wines reflect a certain “savoir-faire,” speaking deeply to their heritage with a distinct taste of place that only organic wines can impart.
We are thrilled with the addition of Elodie to the SARL Raymond team, and look forward to the release of the new Cotes de Provence rosé in early 2018!
Author: Lisa Bell
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Welcome Elodie!