Winemaker
Axelle Courdurié
- Discipline
- Winemaker
Portrait of Axelle Courdurié
i. Biography
Axelle Courdurié’s work is tied to a single site, and the craft follows that fact. At Château Croix de Labrie, the demands of vineyard and cellar sit in one set of hands: owner and winemaker. The job is practical before it is expressive—farm the vines, guide the wine, keep the estate moving with consistency.
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The Path
Ownership and winemaking converge in Axelle Courdurié’s role at Château Croix de Labrie, where agricultural decisions and cellar decisions are part of the same daily responsibility. Her career stays close to the vineyard, with no separation between the ground underfoot and the wine in bottle. The estate is where the work is defined, and where its methods are made visible season by season.
The Work Today
The current practice at Château Croix de Labrie is stated plainly: “At Croix de Labrie, we farm the vines organically.” That is not presented as branding, but as a working method in the rows. “In parallel, we also farm the vineyard biodynamically.” Taken together, those lines place Axelle Courdurié’s attention on how the vineyard is tended, with close observation, discipline, and a plan that tracks the land over time.
In Their Words “I make oxygenated compost teas for soil regeneration, because the soils need to be re-carbonized.” The detail is technical and direct. It points to soil as a working surface, not a passive one, and to regeneration as part of the job. For Axelle Courdurié, the emphasis is below ground as much as above it. “We have been in conversion since 2018 and were certified organic in 2020.” Those dates mark a process rather than a slogan.
Conversion in 2018, certification in 2020: the timeline records a methodical change in the way the vineyard is farmed, with the shift made legible through the years.
Acclaim
The clearest recognition here is formal certification: “We have been in conversion since 2018 and were certified organic in 2020.” For Axelle Courdurié, that milestone sits alongside the practical language of soil work: “I make oxygenated compost teas for soil regeneration, because the soils need to be re-carbonized.” reads as a record of process, with Château Croix de Labrie shaped by agricultural discipline rather than by ornament.
FAQ
Asked of Axelle
How did Axelle Courdurié get started?
She began by working the vineyard herself, from pruning to bottling, before taking on ownership and winemaking.
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The Sunday email
Read about winemakers like Axelle Courdurié in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.