Jean-Michel COMME
The sap of the vines flows in his veins.
After his studies in Engineering and Enologist, Jean-Michel was the Technical Director of Château Pontet-Canet in Pauillac (Bordeaux-France) for more than 31 years.
He was the architect of the revival of this 81-hectare (202 acres) growth and the first to set up organic farming and biodynamics for a Bordeaux grand cru.
Now, he brings his experience to wineries around the world to share a know-how aimed at applying true principles of work and understanding of nature.
During his career, he also focused on innovation: harvesting in small crates, the principle of which later became a standard, the return of horses to the vineyards in a modern vision. He designed cellars that operated completely without electricity and designed wooden and concrete vats that were totally adapted to the type of wine produced. He was the first to introduce amphorae on a large scale in the ageing of a wine. It has made it possible to produce wines without any irrigation in countries where this technique is widespread.
It has also reinstalled old systems of managing vines by adapting them to current constraints.
Corinne COMME
She lives the vine and the living in a sensitive way.
Nothing predisposed Corinne to become a winemaker, but after meeting Jean-Michel at school, she also married vines and wine.
His higher education in the agri-food industry should have led her to run a meat or cookies production plant. On the contrary, she chose to take over and manage the family estate, Champ des Treilles, which has also become a reference in biodynamic farming in Bordeaux.
Thanks to this experience, she has gained the trust of several estates in France, Italy, Portugal, China and the United States for whom she acts as a consultant to help them achieve not only the health of their vineyard, but also the overall health of the company. She has many successful experiences with regard to wine quality, research, development and business strategies.
Her approach is a global one, as she has first-hand experience running her own winery.
Thomas COMME
The contact of the vine is part of his balance.
Thomas (and his sister Laure) grew up in the middle of the vineyards in Pauillac and Champ des Treilles. On weekends, they helped their parents in the vineyards, working in the cellar or packaging the bottles. At an age when children play with toy cars, Thomas already knew how to drive a tractor!
After higher education in business and marketing, he realized that the vine was a part of himself. When the opportunity arose to move to Napa, California, to run a winery in coordination with his father, he packed his bags and left.
Since then, time has passed, a marriage and two children have arrived, he left his old position to join the adventure COMME Consulting in California.
Here, it is no longer just a question of giving advice, but of organising the overall management of the vine to the wine on a daily basis in the estates that share his philosophy.