Portraits
Gilles Meimoun
The great thing about wine is that you forget the number of years.
I was never meant to be in this world, but it seems like only yesterday that I was doing my first tastings when I was only 36 years old!
"The hazards of life: from Love to Passion."
It was the love of Sophie that led me to wine, but it was the affection for a man, a master, a mentor that made me love it. As a young graduate in Management, studying Finance, I could not see myself behind a computer following the latest economic indicators.
Not yet married, but in love with my future wife, whose father had such a beautiful vineyard in Provence, in the foothills of the high Var: Château Réal Martin.
The man who directed and elaborated the wines was a rare man whose relationship was that of a father to a son. If it was not him who taught me everything, I owe him this passion.
Jean Jacques Coll was a guide who introduced me to wine and its world in a way that I cannot imagine. Without this man, a Winemaker before his time, whose wines and cellars have risen to the top of the Mediterranean vineyards (Malherbe, La Verrerie, La Courtade, Dalmeran...), my passage into the wonderful world of wine would have been ephemeral.
I have to admit that my father-in-law Jacques Clotilde gave me all the freedom I needed to be able to appreciate and open my eyes to 360 degrees.
My consulting work with KPMG made me understand the importance of reflection, the fundamental role of thinking before acting. My ten years at TRENEL in the wonderful region of Beaujolais and Southern Burgundy allowed me to discover another culture, amazing people who deserve to be known.
Through my walks in the vineyards, I had the chance to meet exceptional, surprising, curious and especially passionate people. It is thanks to them that my palate has been built and enriched.
Homage To Heritage is an achievement, a fair return of things. It's the result of this journey, of these meetings, of these elders. To share this knowledge and experience of the great wine regions through "Homage To Heritage". To share my failures and successes with wine lovers. To put at the service of everyone the fighting spirit that characterizes me: to give up nothing and to believe in what we do.
Olivier Mousset
Because behind every wine is a winemaker, I am a man in love with my land. With a strong character that is reflected in my wines, I was born on the sacred land of Châteauneuf-du-Pape 53 years ago.
Immersed in the wine world since my childhood, I have lived a family adventure guided by the love of the vine. My family, winegrowers for 4 generations on their land, gave me the passion of wine, of the work of the vine, but also the reality of the job, often thankless in front of a difficult weather.
I am accompanied by my brother Franck and my father and mentor "Guy Mousset". Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I surveyed each hectare of vines, each stump, each row, each pebble so famous in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I understand that the terroir gives me back what I give it, and I am committed to cultivating our vines without the slightest pesticide in order to become a certified ORGANIC estate in 2020. For 30 years I have been making exceptional wines on an equally exceptional terroir.
And yet... I was destined for a career as a top-level ice hockey player. Until the age of 24, in parallel to my life as a "winemaker", I lived for sport and flew to Canada for a year to pursue my passion.
With my BTS in viticulture and oenology, I decided, in agreement with my father, to perfect my English and develop the market in the United States for a year. Back in France, the family adventure begins with my brother Franck. Franck took care of the vines and the vinification and I took care of the commercial, management and financial aspects of the estate. In 1994, we took over the reins and created a wine-making cellar in order to be completely autonomous. Now at the head of 40 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and IGP, I never cease to want to prosper and make exceptional wines that are often rewarded by the great tasters.
Like the great sportsman that I was, I fight every day to innovate. I like to create, like a builder. Discovering new appellations, creating packaging, a name, a label, a brand... I never rest on my laurels. The aim is to pass on the family tradition by adding a fifth or even a sixth generation of winegrowers to the land.