Champagne Devaux appoints new president as Gillet steps down

By Lisa Riley

Published: 04 March, 2019

Champagne Devaux has appointed Pascal Dubois as its new president following Laurent Gillet stepping down after more than 30 years.

Dubois joins Devaux from Maison Halley, whose portfolio includes the Bordeaux Grand Crus from Maison Hebrard as well as Chateau de Meursault and Chateau de Marsannay in Burgundy.

In his new role, Dubois will continue to build Devaux’s reputation as a “terroir Champagne”, working with the house’s family of 80 winegrowers to create quality wines that also respect the environment.

He will also continue Gillet’s work to build momentum and focused growth and increase the house’s profile in the UK, in the premium on and independent off-trade.

Coming from a family of Burgundy winemakers and having studied business in Paris and held managerial posts at Wolfberger and Veuve Ambal, Dubois combined a “passion and knowledge of wine with strong commercial credentials”, said Champagne Devaux.

“Excellence and exclusivity is in the DNA of Champagne Devaux, and I am confident that Pascal Dubois will continue this tradition, whilst also bringing enthusiasm, dynamism and the benefit of his many years in this industry. As I step down, I feel confident that Pascal Dubois will continue to take Devaux from strength to strength,” said Gillet.

Dubois said: “Heralding from Burgundy, I couldn’t think of a more natural fit than to work with a house which has Pinot Noir at the heart of all its blends. I very much look forward to continuing to build the legacy of this unique Champagne house and bringing more of its wines to drinkers with an appetite for discovery.”

Devaux has been led by Gillet since the early 80s, who alongside cellar master, Michel Parisot, has built the house’s reputation for innovative vine growing and a forward-thinking, artisanal approach to wine making.

Under Gillet’s leadership, Devaux has developed the Collection D and vintage Sténopé ranges, along with the exclusive-to-Majestic Oeil de Perdrix.

Currently Devaux has more than 169hc that are certified sustainable and 30hc that are certified organic. From the 2018 tirage, the Coeur des Bar cuvee will be officially labelled as ‘Côte des Bar Organic’.

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