Benjamin Darnault
France
Your Winemaker of the Year 2011, kick-started by Angel funding
- Consultant oenologist, Benjamin Darnault, has clients all over the South of France. Which means he gets to cherry-pick the very best grapes the region has to offer.
- When you gave Benjamin the money he needed to set up on his own, you made his dream come true. Your reward is these superb wines at astonishingly reasonable prices.
- Voted 'Winemaker of the Year 2011' by our UK Angels, we're sure you'll love him too. (click 'read more' to view video)
Vineyard Location
Benjamin Darnault's Story
Meet Benjamin
"I would like to introduce myself as a new winemaker for Naked Wines. I am the first in our family to be making wine. My dad is an accountant, and the dazzling world of offices and figures didn't seem quite as enticing as getting dirty in the vines!
It was actually my best friend's dad who influenced me in becoming a winemaker. I was always at their place, listening and observing. I liked his lifestyle. I then had the opportunity of working with him in his cellar, Le Terte Roteboeuf, in St Emilion and it went from there.
My time abroad
My career in the wine industry has bought me more than I'd ever expected. I met my wife whilst I was in Australia making wine. We spent two months together during harvest and married 1 year later in Cape Town where we also spent a bit of time. Twelve years later we're now settled in the South of France making wine together... which includes this exciting new project for Naked Wines!
Thank you Naked Angels!
Working with Naked means means I can put all my energy into growing the grapes and not have to worry about buyers pushing down the costs and compromising the quality of my wines... so thank you in advance.
Some of my proudest moments in my career were firstly in 2005 when I had a wine listed in the Top 100 Best Wines in the World by the Wine Spectator. Secondly when I got 95 points from Parker with an Australian wine that I made in 2006. Pretty happy about that... and here's to winning more awards with you support."
