Les Hauts de Talmont began with the meeting of three wine enthusiasts : Michel Guillard, Lionel Gardrat and Jean-Jacques Vallée. Passionate about the region, they decided to combine their expertise to create a showcase vineyard for Charente viticulture on this prestigious site.

Michel Guillard

The father of the project, he was the creator and editor, alongside Jean-Paul Kauffmann, of the magazine L'Amateur de Bordeaux. A renowned photographer of vineyard landscapes, about which he has written and produced a travelling exhibition, he has also devoted himself, out of passion, to the application for Champagne to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He directs the ‘Inventaire des territoires’ collection and has published an encyclopaedia of Cognac.

He's therefore naturally responsible for contacts with the wine world : journalists, oenologists, sommeliers and restaurateurs.

Lionel Gardrat

A talented young winegrower, regularly recognised in competitions for his Charente wines, particularly his whites. He was the natural choice to be the winegrower and winemaker for this new estate, which is mainly dedicated to Colombard and Merlot, two grape varieties he knows well, having grown them for years on his own estate near Cozes.

He has the key responsibility of managing the vineyard and ageing these wines in the new cellar on the Caillaud cliff, near Talmont.