Stéphane Derenoncourt indicated plans to step back at his namesake wine consultancy businesss.
After leading Derenoncourt Consultants for nearly 25 years, he said he has decided to finalise a transition process that began 12 years ago, ‘so as to fully dedicate myself to new projects’.
Derenoncourt, a self-taught winemaker who grew up in northern France, is one of the most sought-after consultants.
The Derenoncourt Consultants group has many clients on both the Left and Right Banks of Bordeaux, whilst also working with wine producers in other French regions and in several countries, from Bargylus in Syria to La Massa in Tuscany.
‘It is now up to Julien Lavenu, Frédéric Massie and Simon Blanchard, my partners for the last 20 years, to continue this professional and human adventure together with the team we have built. Their level of skills and experiences positions them among the best wine consultants,’ said Derenoncourt.
However, he will continue in his role for several months, and a spokesperson told Decanter that he will be working with the team on the coming vintage, to ensure a smooth handover.
Derenoncourt also said he will continue as a consultant for Château Pavie Macquin in St-Emilion, ‘a domaine in which I have been involved since 1990 and where I have always worked on my own’.
Alongside that, he will play a more active role to develop Clos Stegasta on the island of Tinos in Greece, where he is now a partner alongside Alexandre Avatangelo.
‘Above all, I am deeply committed to raise Domaine de l’A, [which] I created with my wife Christine, to one of the highest quality standards in Bordeaux,’ he said, adding, ‘It’s a particularly demanding challenge, as it benefits from neither classification nor income.’
Rather than stepping out of the spotlight, he said this means he will become even more involved in efforts ‘dedicated to the cause of defending Bordeaux’s artisanal crus and to undermining the “Bordeaux bashing” that is still too prevalent’.
He added, ‘To this end, I will also be engaged in communication to share my experience and expertise.’