Jean-Charles Boisset

Jean-Charles Boisset (born 1969) is a French vintner and the proprietor of the Boisset Collection, which operates 28 wineries in California, France, and Canada.

Boisset comes from a viticultural family. His father and mother founded a winery in Burgundy, France, in 1961. When a young Boisset visited Buena Vista Winery, in California, with his sister and grandparents, the 11 year old Boisset shared with his family that he wanted to live in the United States one day.

Boisset moved to California in the early nineties and purchased his first winery, Lyeth Estates and in 1999 he co-founded Domaine de la Vougeraie with his sister, Nathalie. In 2003, Boisset purchased DeLoach Vineyards in California's Russian River Valley AVA, followed by Raymond Vineyards, located in Napa Valley, California, in 2009 and Buena Vista Winery, located in Sonoma, California, in 2011. Boisset was born in Vougeot, France in 1969.

When Boisset was seven years old, he tried two wines from Burgundy: a 1969 Clos de Vougeot and a 1964 Bonnes Mares. He would eventually name a wine under his JCB label "No. 7," as a tribute to the first time he tried wine. Regarding that wine, Boisset said "I was transfixed - such pure, elegant, and tropical notes that we did not know in Burgundy!" After their visit to the winery, Boisset suggested to his sister that he hoped to one day own a winery in California. In 2011, he would purchase Buena Vista. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Life in wine

Boisset was exposed to the wine industry at an early age. He was raised in his family's home near Clos de Vougeot and spent considerable time in the family's vineyards. In the early nineties, the Boisset family sought to close the office of Boisset America (now called the Boisset Collection) in San Francisco. Boisset chose to operate the office, relocating to San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, Boisset purchased his first California winery, Lyeth Estates. In 2003, Boisset purchased DeLoach Vineyards in California's Russian River Valley AVA, followed by Raymond Vineyards, located in Napa Valley, California, in 2009 and Buena Vista Winery, located in Sonoma, California, in 2011. As a wine drinker, Boisset has cited Pinot Noir as his favorite varietal and on his death bed he would drink a 2006 and a 2003 Clos du Vougeot Blanc. This consolidation included vineyards in the Clos de Vougeot. They also focused on maintaining, or introducing, sustainable farming to each vineyard. Boisset acquired DeLoach Vineyards in 2003. DeLoach produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County.

Raymond Vineyards

In 2009, In 1989, Kirin Holdings purchased the winery, with the Raymond family still managing the property and production. Boisset purchased the property from Kirin. Stephanie Putnam was hired as Director of Winemaker in 2010. Putnam collaborates with Consulting Winemaker Philippe Melka to produce Raymond Vineyards wines.

Under Boisset's leadership, Raymond became a biodynamic producer. The Theater of Nature's gardens produce biodynamic and organic produce. The winery is also operated on 100% solar power.

Additionally, Raymond is known for the many "experiences," offered to guests, including the "Crystal Cellar," which features mannequins hanging from the ceiling, Baccarat crystal and silver made by Christofle. The "red room," has a burlesque-style decor, with red velvet. The winery also has a dog friendly space named after Boisset's own dog, Frenchie.

In 2012, Raymond Vineyards earned Wine Enthusiast "American Winery of the Year" award. In 2014, the winery was named by Great Wine Capitals as the Regional Winner for "Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences." Raymond Vineyards was named "Best Unique Tasting Experience" by CellarPass in 2014. The North Bay Bohemian named Raymond Vineyards the "Best Winetasting Room" in Napa Valley in 2015 and 2016 and for having the best Cabernet Sauvignon.

Collaboration with John Legend

In late 2015, Raymond introduced LVE: Legend Vineyard Exclusive, a label featuring a Napa Valley Chardonnay and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon created by Boisset, Stephanie Putnam, and singer-songwriter John Legend. In 2015, Legend performed at Auction Napa Valley, performing as part of Raymond Vineyards' auction lot, which helped to raise $850,000 for Napa Valley charities. The lot included six double magnums of LVE, dinner, and a private concert by Legend at Boisset's Napa Valley home. In 2016, the collaboration between Raymond Vineyards and Legend was awarded the inaugural "Wine & Culture" award by Wine Enthusiast.

Buena Vista Winery

Boisset purchased Buena Vista Winery, the oldest commercial winery in California, in 2011.

JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset

Boisset has his own wine label, JCB. Each wine in the portfolio is named after a number, i.e. No. 3 JCB, similar to Chanel No. 5. The label produces still and sparkling wine from France, mainly Burgundy and Provence, California, specifically Napa and Sonoma. JCB 47 is a wine created with Fratelli Wines in the honour of India's independence in 1947

JCB Tasting Lounge

A tasting lounge for JCB wines is located at DeLoach Winery, Raymond Vineyards and Buena Vista Winery. The lounge offers JCB wines and additional wines from Buena Vista and Domaine de la Vougeraie. The space has been described as an "opulent French parlor," and "over the top," due to the decor, which includes purple velvet couches, gold fringe stools, and leopard print carpet. The lounge has a digital touch table designed by Ideum, that guides guests through wine tastings and builds a wine profile based on guests preferred wines. The lounge is decorated with leopard print couches, and cheetah print stools. The Atelier is decorated with a Baccarat chandelier and gold leaf covered shelves.

Surrealist

Under the JCB label, Boisset also produces The Surrealist, a Napa Valley red blend wine, decanters, and jewelry in one package. A piece of jewelry is used on the bottle in lieu of a traditional wine label, reflecting old world wine necklaces, and a Baccarat crystal stopper transforms the bottle into a decanter.

Alternative wine packaging

Boisset has acknowledged that while glass wine bottles have "romance and aesthetic," and the importance of glass for aging wine. However, he believes that alternative packaging "helps to improve value, ecology and convenience." Boisset is interested in packaging that reduces carbon footprints while still providing a quality wine experience, especially in places where glass bottles are not allowed.

As the president of Boisset Collection, he is credited with the creation of French Rabbit, a wine brand that uses Tetrapaks instead of wine bottles.

Boisset has also introduced a Beaujolais in an aluminum container called Mommessin. The wine is meant to be drunk chilled and the bottle turns blue when it is at the right drinking temperature. It takes 10 minutes to chill, versus 30 minutes in a glass bottle. He is also credited with being one of the first Burgundian vintners to use screwcaps instead of corks.

Personal life

Boisset met Gina Gallo, winemaker at Gallo Family Vineyards, in 2006 at a tasting room in Bordeaux. They were married in 2009 at the Fairmont San Francisco. The couple have twin girls, born in 2011.

In 2011, Boisset and Gallo purchased the former home of Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley. The family also has an apartment in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco and a home in Burgundy in France. That same year, Boisset was awarded the first ever recipient of the French-American Partnership of Excellence Award awarded by the French-American Foundation. That same year, he was the 2014 Jefferson Award Honoree from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The following year, in 2015, Boisset was named an Honorary Chair of Sonoma Valley Wine Country Weekend.

Style

Boisset's fashion sense has been described as "theatrical," "unpredictable," "flamboyant" and "fantastical."