Olivier & Lafont
Negociant
LO RHÔNE
Baptiste Olivier and Gérald Lafont
542 Rue du Baron le Roy 30126 Saint Laurent des Arbres
Tel. +33 664 428 756 (Baptiste Olivier)
Tel. +33 683 321 457 (Gérald Lafont)
Direct sale: The vines are not for sale in France.
Mail: gerald-lafont@orange.fr / bolivier.lorhone@gmail.com
Web: https://www.olivier-lafont.com
LO in the company name
stands of course for Lafont
and Olivier. Gérald Lafont
and Baptiste Oliver are
both advisory oenologists who
have several known domains in Chateauneuf
du Pape as clients. They
are also friends, and in 2011 they
created together their negociant
project, LO RHÔNE.
Gérald
Lafont comes from Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres,
where his father had a minor domain,
Domaine d'Arbousset. It's now passed
down to Gérald Lafont.
After studying biology and geology
in some years he conducted
an oenological education at the Wine
University of Montpellier, completed in 2000.
After working for a year for
a negociant firm in Languedoc
responsible for the production,
he joined ICV as
an advisory
oenologist. Today he works as
such without being employed in the
ICV. He works as a consultant
for a large number of domains in
the northern and southern Rhone,
Languedoc and Provence. In
Chateauneuf du Pape he works
among others with
Domaine
de Cristia, Domaine de la Biscarelle
and Domaine Durieu
Baptiste
Olivier is from Léognan (Bordeaux).
He describes his interest in
the world of wine: "Coming from
a family passionate about
wine and good food, I still
remember the big family meals
and cheerful and Dionysian
atmosphere att prevailed
there."
Baptiste could certainly have
been a good chef, but it
became an
education as oenologist -
as Gerald Lafont
- from the Wine
University of Montpellier,
"Engineer viticulture and
oenology and oenologist."
After a few trips to US (Shug
Carneros Estate Winery),
Australia (Poet's Corner) and Bordeaux
(Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte),
he joined Louis Bernard in
Orange, where he was responsible for
establishing the company's showcase
in Rhone, Domaine de la Chartreuse
Bonpas.
Finally, he was late 2004 hired
as an
advisory oenologist at
ICV in Beaumes de
Venise. He has since then earned
a reputation as advisor to many
well-known domains in Chateauneuf du
Pape, among
others Domaine Pierre Usseglio,
Domaine Saint Préfert and La Bastide Saint
Dominique.
In 2016 Baptiste left the ICV to be independant so he himself
can choose which producers he wants to work for.
Most of the wines are "traditional" negociant wines made
in the cellars of the two oenologists
partners. This series of wines
are marketed with the brand Olivier &
Lafont.
Wines
Chateauneuf du Pape
60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault.
Delvis lagret i demi-muids.
Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc
50% Clairette, 50% Grenache Blanc.
Gigondas
70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Vacqueyras
60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre.
Lirac Rouge
70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre.
Cotes du Rhone
75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Cotes
du Rhone Blanc
70% Viognier, 15% Clairette, 15% Grenache Blanc. Ventoux
90% Grenache, 10% Syrah. Ventoux
Blanc
50% Clairette, 50% Grenache Blanc. |
