60 | FORBES AFRICA APRIL 2020 FORBESAFRICA.COM
J
EAN-CHARLESBOISSETQUIETSA LONGTABLEOF50-PLUSGUESTSINNEWYORK’S
MeatpackingDistrictasgoldmagnumsofChampagneclinkinthebackground.It’sa
Last Supper-inspiredmealfortheFrench-bornwinemaker,partofhismulticitytourto
promotea $395coffeetablebookcalledTheAlchemyoftheSenses. Assaumonà l’oseille
arriveswitha richpinotnoir,Boissetbeginstoexplainhisselection,anunusualblendofgrapes
fromBurgundyandCaliforniacalledJCBNo.3.
Afterinhalingdeeplyfroma particularlywidecrystalgobletthat’spartofhisnewcollaboration
withBaccarat,Boissetadmitsthatthisdinnerhascausedhimtomisstheten-yearanniversaryof
his marriage to Gina Gallo, the third-generation face of the family behind the world’s largest wine
A GlassbyHimself
Jean-CharlesBoisset,inthe
RaymondVineyards’RedRoom,
hasa boutiquethatsellsjewelry
anda bobblehead of himself
that sings
WinemakerJean-CharlesBoissethasstealthilybuilta $450million
oenologicalempireinFranceandCaliforniaonestrugglingvineyard
at a time — and uncorkeda lascivioussecret-agent persona.
The James Bond Of Burgundy
BY CHLOE SORVINO