Laurent Combier

Coming Up

The handoff of a family domaine is less about ceremony than about continuity in the work itself, and Laurent Combier’s role at Domaine Combier follows that pattern. He took control of the domaine in 1990, placing himself inside a third generation of decision-making and day-to-day responsibility. When he says, “I am the third generation,” the point is not pedigree for its own sake; it is the practical fact of carrying forward a house whose identity has been built through successive hands. Rebuilding the cellar at the end of the 1980s marked the shift from inheritance to active reshaping. “I arrived at the end of the 1980s,” he recalls, “We reconstructed the cellar that we know today.” That work set the physical terms of the estate’s next phase. The cellar became more than infrastructure: it became the place where Domaine Combier’s present form could be organized, refined, and made legible through use.

Where They Are Now

At Domaine Combier, the job still spans ownership and winemaking, and Laurent Combier continues in both roles. That combination keeps the work close to the ground: vineyard decisions, cellar work, and the broader direction of the house all remain under the same hand. The standard he names is direct: “I search for a purity of fruit, above all.” That emphasis on purity of fruit defines the domaine’s current register. The aim is precision rather than excess, with freshness and definition carrying more weight than density or force. Read against the family history, it shows a style that has been deliberately shaped over time, with the cellar reconstruction and the continued work of the present both serving the same end: a clear expression of the estate.

Signature

Laurent's signature dishes include Cuvée L, Cap Nord, Crozes-Hermitage Laurent Combier, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge, and Crozes-Hermitage Cap Nord. Each name marks a distinct expression within the domaine’s range, and together they map a body of work grounded in place, family continuity, and a steady pursuit of balance and clarity.

In Their Words “We reconstructed the cellar that we know today.” “I search for a purity of fruit, above all.”