1, 2 and now 3 winery acquisitions for French investor Thierry Denjean

omaine de la Tour Gallus, in Gorges, in the Nantes wine region, had been owned by the Rineau family for nine generations – it now belongs to Paris-based investor Thierry Denjean. Originally from Lyons, Denjean helms an accountancy firm which he founded in 1994 and which generated revenue of €21 million in 2023.

A keen wine enthusiast, he bought his first wine property in the Loire, where he took over the family-run Anjou-based Haute-Perche estate (35 hectares) from the Papin family in 2019. Three years later, he purchased a stake in Domaine de l’A in Valais, Switzerland, which was founded by Alex Stauffer and had been run by him since 2018.

Denjean’s latest 17-hectare acquisition is designed to promote vineyard sites in the Nantes region. “Muscadet is an up-and-coming region”, claims the investor who intends to continue working with outgoing winegrower Damien Rineau, due to stay with the winery until 2027. A head viticulturist and female manager are set to join the winery shortly. Other changes include the switch from organic – the winery has been certified for two years – to biodynamic. From a wine perspective, Alex Stauffer will be managing the portfolio in a bid to develop “interactions between the wineries”.

Denjean also intends to focus on sales channels by developing exports and introducing an e-commerce website whilst also ramping up the winery’s image and reputation.