Olivier Vigneron

Coming Up

Coming from a family of farmers in the Marne region, Vigneron discovered the craft of winemaking during grape harvests while a student. He specialized in biochemistry at the University of Reims before completing his Diplôme National d’Œnologue (DNO), graduating top of his class in 1997. At age 24, he oversaw a large production team handling two million bottles across red, white, rosé, and claret wines. His cellar lineage inside the house began under cellar master Alain Terrier, who hired Vigneron as assistant cellar master at Champagne De Castellane. In 2004, four years after that initial chapter, he joined Laurent-Perrier directly under Michel Fauconnet. For over twenty years, Vigneron worked as Fauconnet's lieutenant, refining the house cuvées through vinification, blending, and disciplined tasting. Successive designations saw Dominique Demarville and Maximilien Bernardeau considered before Vigneron took the post. Vigneron's cellar philosophy draws a clear distinction between vintage expressions and the prestige assemblage: "with our vintages we look for difference, with Grand Siècle we look for continuity." That structural dialogue informs his approach to harvest variations; he characterized 2018 as a warm, expressive vintage with "a little more character," anchored by Chardonnay selections from Le Mesnil and Avize. Across older Millésimés such as 2008, 2012, and 2007 in magnum, tension meets aging potential. Outside Tours-sur-Marne, his wife manages Champagne Perrot-Batteux & Filles in Bergères-les-Vertus, an estate in the Côte des Blancs where Vigneron occasionally assists, noting that managing climate vulnerabilities directly in the vineyard demands immense resilience.

Where They Are Now

Olivier Vigneron succeeded Michel Fauconnet as cellar master in 2025, becoming the fourth cellar master in the modern history of Laurent-Perrier. In Tours-sur-Marne, where stainless steel temperature control dates back to pioneering steps taken in 1981, Vigneron oversees base wines and prestige bottlings alongside a domain of roughly 150 hectares of estate vineyards.

Career - Assistant Cellar Master — De Castellane (under Alain Terrier) - Winemaking Team / Assistant Cellar Master — Laurent-Perrier (2004–2025) - Cellar Master — Laurent-Perrier (2025–present)

FAQ What is Olivier Vigneron's current role? Olivier Vigneron serves as the Cellar Master of Laurent-Perrier, succeeding Michel Fauconnet in 2025. Where did Olivier Vigneron train in oenology? He studied biochemistry at the University of Reims and earned his Diplôme National d’Œnologue (DNO), graduating at the top of his class in 1997.