The Team

L’equipe à Fondugues

Danielle Rey Costes Delavigerie

Madam Danielle Rey, originating from the Languedoc and 5th generation of winegrower, is the dean and the soul of the estate. Her parents, wine merchants and sail lovers, discover the old port village of St Tropez in the 50’s and decided to settle there. They quickly fell in love with the region, and acquired in 1966 Pradugues wine estate, then Fondugue’s vines located next to it.

Stephen Roberts, Proprietor and Wine Grower

Like our vines, Stephen has American rootstock, but during the last fifteen years in France he has worked in communications, technology, and international relations before settling in the south of France to be a wine grower.  While the property has been in the family since 1964, Stephen conceived the project to produce high quality wines on the domain since completing his studies in Winemaking, Viticulture and Estate Management at the Université du Vin in Côtes du Rhone.  His vision has been enhanced by his team of top professionals from both new and old world wine industries.

Charles-Henry Sans, Cellar Master

A native of Bordeaux, Charles-Henry studied winemaking and viticulture at the CFPPA Gironde before cutting his teeth in Medoc at various chateaux vineyards.  His experience in organic and biodynamic farming has helped us to renew the vineyard, restore biodiversity and breathe new life into our soils.

Valerie Marzano, Office Administrator

Valerie has over fifteen years experience in team administration and office management, and is in charge of the financial and administrative aspects of the project.  She has a passion for wine, and studied Agricultural Accounting at the Universtié du Vin in Côtes du Rhone.

Bastien Mousnier, Commercial & Marketing manager

After his studies in Loire Valley, Bastien has travelled in Italy, Spain and Australia before returning under the sun of Ramatuelle.

Léa Balestracci, Manager @ L’Ephémère

Léa is the “Tropézienne” of the team, and a real ambassador of the Provencal traditions.   She is in charge of events and our tasting room “Le Chai”.

Nicolas Calmein, Vineyard Assistant

Nicolas was hired to manage and care for our workhorse on the vineyard, which is his profession but also his passion. After studying different aspects of environmental protection, he decided to focus on working with horses and farming. An avid horse rider since childhood, he quickly developed a bond with our Percheron workhorse, Byzance, and now oversees everything related to working the land on the vineyard. Efficient and rigorous, the duo are key to attaining the natural balance our vines require.

Byzance, Percheronne

Born in Urbise in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, our Percheron workhorse, Byzance, sets the pace of our work in the vines. In October 2016, after being trained in the Champagne region, Byzance joined the Fondugues Pradugues adventure. Working steadily and deliberately, she plays a vital role in the day-to-day operation of our vineyard.