62 | FORBES AFRICA APRIL 2020
CONTRARIAN• JEAN-CHARLES BOISSET
FORBES AFRICAFORBESAFRICA.COMHeclosedonDeLoach
VineyardsinSonoma
insteadin2003.Boisset
thenbeganspending
moretimeinCalifornia
asDeLoachtransitioned
tobiodynamicfarming
basedonthelunarcycle.
In 2007 heacquired
the300-acreestateof
RaymondVineyardsinSt.Helena.BoissetfinallysecuredBuena
Vistain2011,aftertryingatleastfourtimes.
Afteranacquisition,Boissethasthreemainstrategies:First,
everyvineyardtransitionstoorganicfarming.Next,heincreases
thepriceofthewines,usuallyaround30%to40%.(Inthecase
ofRaymond,theretailvalueofseveralbottlesmorethandoubled
to$45each.)Finally,thewinesaremarketedwiththerestofthe
collectiontomorethan 600 partnersworldwide.
BuenaVista,De-LoachandRaymond,forexample,arenow
soldinmorethan 20 countrieseach.BecauseBoisset’swines
rangefrom$15to$2,600,thissystemstreamlinesthebuying
processfordistributorswhocanmixandmatchfordifferent
accounts.
“InEurope,if youcomefromBurgundy,you’reontheupper
scale,”Boissetsays.
“Butit’stoomuchstratificationofsociety,perceivedvalueand
historybasedonheritageratherthanwhoyouare.IntheU.S.you
couldcomefromwherever,whoever,whatever.It’sabout you.
That’swhatI reallyvalue.
That’swhatallowedmetobecomewhoI am.”
Thatincludeshisnot-so-secretidentity,Agent69,anersatz
JamesBondwhobrandishesswordsandrescueswomen—and
wine—atlavishpartiesandinseveralverycampyvideos.
It’ssometimesdifficulttotellwheretheseriouswinemaker
endsandthelouchealteregobegins.AtRaymond’stasting
room,visitorsontoursareusheredpastindustrialtanksand
mannequinshangingupside-downonfuzzyredswings,wearing
sheerbrasandleopard-printleggings.
Boissethasalsocommoditizedhishyperactivelibido.
WithSwarovski,JCBproduceslinesofjewelry,oneofwhich,
Confession,featureshandcuffs.There’salsoa redwinecalled
Restrained.Thebottleis fastenedwitha leatherbondageharness
andO-ring.
Boisset’sbusinesspartnerssaythey’renotputoff.“Hedoesn’t
hidewhoheis,”saysDinaOpici,presidentofherfamily’sNew
Jersey-basedwine-and-spiritsdistributioncompany, who has
knownBoissetfor 15 years.
“It is really genuine. He’s well-intentioned.”With 10 wineriesintheU.S.anda growingprivate-labelbusiness,
Boissetmustnowcontendwithanovercrowdedwinemarketamid
fast-growingcategoriessuchashardseltzerandlegalizedcannabis.
Lastyear,Americans’wineconsumptiondeclinedforthefirsttime in
25 years,accordingtotradegroupIWSR.
Butopportunitiesbeyondwineriesabound.Lastyearwas
particularlybusy:Boissetacquiredthenearly140-year-oldOakville
GroceryandfoundedNapa’sfirstwine-historymuseum.
Healsoopeneda stripmallcalledJCBVillageinYountvillethat
featuresa tastingroom,a dayspaanda boutiquethatsellsJCBlabel
candlesanddresssocksalongwithBaccaratdecantersinspiredby
Boisset’sowncollection,whichis thelargestintheworld.
AmiddecliningNapatourism,hehasopenedloungesoutsidethe
valleyattheRitz-CarltoninSanFrancisco,GhirardelliSquare’sWattle
CreekandtheRosewoodHotelinPaloAlto.
Boissetinsistshisluxuryempirewillcontinuetotakeyearstobuild
—andwillwithstandthreats,betheywinetariffs,climatechangeor
competitors.
“Youdon’tbuilda luxurybusinessinfiveminutes,”hesays.“Besides
LVMHandPernodRicard,twomonsters,noone has had our journey.
The American way of life drove me here.”In theU.S.youcouldcome
fromwherever,whoever,
whatever.It’saboutyou.
That’swhatI reallyvalue.
That’swhatallowedme to
become who I am.CrystalClear
Boissethasa longstanding
collaborationwithSwarovski—
thecollectionincludesa brooch
of his wife Gina Gallo’s lips