François Delhon

The Climb

François Delhon trained at IDRAC Montpellier before beginning his early career as consultant sportif at Festival international des sports extrêmes (FISE) and as commercial at Domaine Bassac in Languedoc-Roussillon, France (2009–2010). Those first roles sit at the junction of movement, sales, and the practical business of making a domaine legible to its market. In that position, the task is not only to place wine, but to shape how the house speaks, how it is read, and how its voice is carried forward.

Today

Since 2014, Delhon has been co-owner of Domaine Bassac in Puissalicon, France. The present direction of the estate is tied to organic wines from Domaine Bassac in Côtes-de-Thongue, with vineyards worked organically and with particular care for soil and plants so the fruit arrives at the winery in perfect condition and needs no "dressing." The emphasis is exact and practical: the quality of the wine is set upstream, in the field, before anything reaches the cellar. Alongside Jean-Philippe Leca, he aims to give the estate a second wind while keeping the “Bassac Touch” that made it known. The formula matters: renewal without breaking the line, change without losing the house character that already exists.

Signature

François's signature wines include Armonia, Louis Delhon, Le Manpot, XXII Blanc, and Margalh Rosé.

In Their Words “When my father died, we took his best cuvées and made this wine (900 bottles), which we decided to continue with Jean-Philippe.” “This family vineyard, split among nine heirs, I had mourned it, I sold it... And I bought it back.”

Recognition

Armonia sits in the estate’s range as a three-colour thirst wine, round and fruity, while still carrying the rusticity of Côtes-de-Thongue. It is the kind of cuvée that keeps ease and regional character in the same frame. Louis Delhon is a tribute cuvée made from his father's best cuvées, produced in 900 bottles and intended to continue with Jean-Philippe. Delhon has described its origin plainly: "When my father died, we took his best cuvées and made this wine (900 bottles), which we decided to continue with Jean-Philippe." The name fixes the family line to the bottle, and the wine holds that memory in a small, exact run. Le Manpot, from 2015, is a white cuvée made from Chardonnay, aged half in barrels and half in vats. XXII Blanc brings Sauvignon and Chardonnay together in a blend described for its beautiful nose, long aromas, complexity, and drinkability. Margalh Rosé is made in a Provençal style from Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, extending the estate’s range with another register. Taken together, the cuvées show how Delhon’s family inheritance is translated in the bottle: organic farming, deliberate cuvée-building, and names, grapes, and memory held with quiet intention.