Native to France, I was born and raised in the South West, in a small village just outside of Toulouse. As a teen, I enrolled in culinary school with the ambition of traveling the world by pursuing a career in the restaurant industry. After graduation I headed to London, where I learned to speak English and had my first taste of working in a big city. In 2009 I made my way over to the US, my first stop being one of the most famous cities for hospitality and entertainment in the world, Las Vegas. Then with good advice from my best friend, I decided to make a move East for New York City. Manhattan is where I gained exposure to the sommelier world; my interest in wine flourished, and I began to imagine a new career path in the wine industry.

The beauty of the central coast instantly captured my interest. With the apparent dynamic of the wine industry and opportunities within it, Paso Robles felt like a natural fit for me. In 2018 I took a position at TH Estates as a harvest intern. I then spent the next 4 years learning all the ins and outs of wine making, farming, and tasting room hospitality. I found passion in the wine industry as it allowed me to apply many of my acquired skills as well as gain many new ones. TH is also where I met my partner Phil LaMontagne. From working together over the years I saw the potential to build something with a winemaker I admired, for his dedication, passion, and his never ending thirst for discovery. 2022 felt like the right time to put our ambitions together and bring our own brand to fruition.

A local to the Central Coast, Phil grew up running around the hills on the west side of Paso Robles. With a love for cooking and music he first embarked on a career in the service industry while moonlighting as a local musician. In 2011 he started working at Shale Oak Winery for some extra cash and discounted wine for his upcoming wedding. Working at a boutique winery unlocked access to winemakers, cellars, and vineyards across the Central Coast. From there a new passion, and ultimately a new career, was born. Phil spent any free time in vineyards and cellars, swept up in the excitement of the rapidly growing Paso Robles wine scene. By 2015, he was enrolled in the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture program while working over at Denner Vineyards and Terry Hoage Vineyards. In 2016 Phil became the first recipient of the Garagiste Festival Scholarship on his way to graduating summa cum laude from the Wine and Viticulture program. Harvest of 2016 Phil was named Assistant Winemaker at Terry Hoage Vineyards. Just a year later, he was promoted to Lead Winemaker and was given the reins to the winemaking program. While running the wine program at Terry Hoage (TH Estates) the winery released its most heralded and critically acclaimed wines in its 20+ year history. In 2022 the Hoages made the decision to retire and close down the winery operations. Phil used the opportunity to strike out on his own project, teaming up with longtime coworker and friend, Cyril Pujadas. They cashed out their retirement plans and bought 10 tons of fruit from some of their favorite blocks to work with and IIWII Wines was born.