The Winery

Driven by their passion for wine, a desire to return to their roots, and a taste for challenge, Olivia and Didier Le Calvez have, since 2010, been producing their own wine in one of the most prestigious regions of the Bordeaux constellation, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saint-Émilion.

Didier Le Calvez’s passion for wine and its culture dates back to his childhood. Since then, he has always taken a keen interest in the evolution of the wine market, from the wine farms of his childhood memories in Pessac-Léognan to the rise of the great Californian vineyards of the 1970s, which embodied the spirit of the American dream. Passionate about wine and authenticity, Olivia Le Calvez also traces her earliest memories to the Haut-Médoc. This intimate bond that connects them both to these lands of vines undoubtedly nourished their entrepreneurial dream.

After several years of research beginning in 2007, Olivia and Didier’s dream took shape in the form of an authentic Girondine stone house nestled within the green, softly contoured landscape of Bordeaux’s right bank. This former wine estate, with its magnificent cellars, had been in the hands of the Estager family for more than a century. It lies on the highest plateau of the Gironde, in one of the four “satellite” villages of Saint-Émilion. Only a humble stream, the Barbanne, a tributary of the Dordogne, separates it from the illustrious fortified town.

Thus was born Château Clarisse, named after their daughter, who was one year old when the first bottle was produced in 2010, marking the beginning of a beautiful family story.

After more than forty years at the highest level of luxury hospitality, Didier Le Calvez chose to take on a new challenge: to create, in Puisseguin–Saint-Émilion in 2009, a wine that would meet his exacting standards. The founding of Château Clarisse brings to life a long-held dream, inspired by deep family roots and a sensitivity shaped through decades spent among the world’s great vineyards, from the French grands crus and the Napa Valley of the 1980s to the finest dining tables and sommeliers across the globe, beginning notably with Eric Beaumard.

A former executive of legendary establishments such as Le Pierre in New York and the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, he brings to viticulture the same operational precision and attention to detail that define his approach to hospitality, resulting in a wine style that is pure, elegant and vibrant.

Located on the highest plateau of the Gironde, Château Clarisse flourishes on an exceptional clay-limestone terroir where agroforestry is practiced, with four hectares of woods and hedgerows. Since 2010, nearly 70% of the vineyard has been restructured, now boasting top-quality plant material and a distinctive grape composition that revives historic and rare varietals of the region, such as Petit Verdot, Carménère and Petit Manseng.

The technical direction of Château Clarisse is entrusted to oenologist Julien Viaud. The red wines are predominantly Cabernet Franc-based, as is the case for the illustrious Château Ausone and Cheval Blanc, in keeping with the great Saint-Émilion tradition. By 2027–2028, the estate plans for white wines to represent around 35% of production, primarily Chardonnay, complemented by Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and a touch of Petit Manseng, creating cuvées of great distinction.

Julien Viaud is an agricultural engineer and oenologist, graduated from Montpellier SupAgro. After five years managing a 45-hectare family estate in the South of France, where he practiced every aspect of vineyard and cellar work, he joined Michel Rolland in 2006.

Since 2020, he has been a partner at the Rolland & Associés Laboratory. Born in Libourne with Italian roots, he has shaped his vision through consulting missions from India to South America, including China and Lebanon. This international exposure has nurtured a resolutely parcel-based and pragmatic approach: supporting decisions, letting each terroir express itself, and seeking balance and precision in the blends.

Alongside Château Clarisse (certified organic since 2019), which he has been advising since 2018, he oversees the cellar work, crafting a pure, elegant and vibrant style. The reds are centered around Merlot and Cabernet Franc, while an increasing share of whites (Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng) brings freshness and tension. Rarer grape varieties, such as Petit Verdot and Carménère, complete the blends and enhance their complexity.