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    Winemaker

    Damien Laurent

    Discipline
    Winemaker
    Portrait of Damien Laurent

    Portrait of Damien Laurent

    i. Biography

    Damien Laurent’s work has stayed under one roofline at Domaine Fournier Père et Fils in Verdigny, which makes the progression easier to read: vineyard hand, then winemaker, now oenologist responsible for quality and the cellar. Training at Bordeaux University gave him the technical base; the estate gave him the repetition and range. In a house like this, continuity matters. The vineyard teaches the pace of the rows and the demands of the season, while the cellar asks for more exact judgment about what the wine is becoming.

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    The Path

    Training at Bordeaux University preceded Damien Laurent’s start at Domaine Fournier Père et Fils in Verdigny in 2012, where he began as a vineyard hand and later became a winemaker. Staying at the same address allowed each step to build on the last rather than begin again from zero. That kind of progression gives a clearer view of the estate: the vineyard side is physical and immediate, while cellar work requires closer reading, tighter control, and a working memory of what the vintage has already asked for. Today, he is the oenologist at Domaine Fournier Père et Fils, responsible for quality and the cellar.

    The Work Today

    Responsibility for quality and the cellar at Domaine Fournier Père et Fils in Verdigny, Centre-Val de Loire, France places Damien Laurent between daily execution and broader oversight. The role reaches across the life of a wine, from the vineyard’s raw material to the cellar’s final decisions, and it depends on both detail and continuity. The house’s bottles are shaped through that span, with assessment and presentation linked back to the same working logic.

    His name is attached to Les Belles Vignes 2025, a rosé cuvée, and to Pouilly-Fumé Saint Andelain, an experience imagined for the domaine. One is a named wine; the other is part of how the estate is presented. Both remain tied to the same house that has defined his career from the start.

    Acclaim

    Les Belles Vignes 2025 places his name on a rosé cuvée in 2025, while Pouilly-Fumé Saint Andelain shows that his work extends beyond a single bottling and into the way the domaine presents itself. The result is a career with a clear line of ascent, from Bordeaux University to vineyard hand, from winemaker to oenologist.

    ii

    FAQ

    Asked of Damien

    • What is Damien Laurent's current role?

      As of 2026, Damien Laurent is oenologist, responsible for quality and the cellar.

    • Where did Damien Laurent train or study?

      Damien Laurent trained at Bordeaux University.

    The Sunday email

    Read about winemakers like Damien Laurent 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.

    See a sample of the Sunday email

    Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.