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News
New technical director at Margaux
Bordeaux first growth Château Margaux has named a new technical director to replace Do Chi Nam.
Sebastien Vergne was appointed by the estate to replace Nam who left in spring last year. He was not immediately replaced as his role was temporarily filled by estate director Paul Pontallier.
Vergne was subsequently appointed last summer and the 2015 harvest will be his first full vintage at the estate.
A graduate of the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Agronomie de Montpellier – as is Pontallier – where he gained a PhD, Vergne previously worked in research for water resources and purification at Danone for five years and then retrained as an oenologist.
Following his retraining he spent time at Cheval Blanc where he heard about the opening at Margaux. Pontallier explained to the drinks business that he, “applied for a job exactly when we needed a new technical director and,” after a few meetings, “I thought he was the right guy.”
Pontallier explained that not only does Vergne have a “solid scientific background which I thought was needed for the next 20-30 years,” but hailing from a rural corner of south-western France he also “understands agriculture”, which Pontallier added was equally important.