With an altruistic twinkle in his hazel eyes and his imposing stature , Laurent is destined to become a force to be reckoned with in the white Burgundy echelons . Born in 1975 , he exudes confidence and drive and he has a crystal clear understanding of what constitutes a great Chardonnay de terroir . His formative years were spent as wine consultant for the fine wine section of a major brewery in Lyon and then a stint as commercial agent for Champagne BILLECART SALMON in Paris . This gave him a solid grounding in matters of marketing and sales . In 2004 , he returned home to Buxy permanently to take over his parents’ vineyards - the produce of which had been hitherto delivered to the local cooperative . He tends 7 hectares and revamped the vines , weening them progressively onto a natural sustainable model involving much ploughing to drive the roots deeper into the terroir . He only uses environmentally friendly treatments and sprays . 80% of the Montagny 1er Crus are fermented in cask of which a majority are large 500 litre barrels (1/3 rd new oak each year ) which temper the uptake of the vanilla flavours into the wine . The remainder is aged in stainless steel tank to add zing and freshness to the wine .