Born in 1975, Grégory Viennois is a qualified oenologist from the University of Burgundy. He worked as an assistant winemaker for Cru Classé Smith Haut Lafitte before joining the renowned Stéphane Derenoncourt’s team as a consultant, working with top châteaux in Graves and Saint-Emilion. He then joined the leading producer, Michel Chapoutier, as both a head buyer and vineyard investment adviser for Australia and Portugal. A year later, he was promoted to technical director, and oversaw the setup of a state-of-the-art winery in the heart of the Rhône Valley.
Grégory joined Laroche in April 2011. His mission is to maintain Laroche’s distinctive style throughout the entire range of wines. He is assisted by the technical teams of all Laroche’s estates to adapt to the most recent advances in viticulture and oenology.
Grégory takes a holistic approach to his work: No great wines are possible without high-quality grapes, nor great fruit without a comprehensive view of the vineyard that includes plowing the soil. He pays much attention to consistencies in grape growing and winemaking: winemaking techniques are adapted to each single variety and each single plot. Grégory also considers the grape berry as a whole, not only a source for juice, as he knows that richness and ripeness can impart both complexity and minerality to wines.
