LOUIS BARRUOL

'I’m 50 this year – oh my God! At 50 you suddenly think, “I’ve passed the halfway mark”. But I don’t feel old at all.’ Neither does he look it. Barruol was playing in rugby tournaments (fly half) until the age of 48, and looks ready to receive a ball and start running at any moment. From a certain angle, his nose betrays his favourite sport. But off the pitch it’s an effective perch for a pair of small, round spectacles, which give him a more clerical air.

Barruol needn’t worry too much about reaching half-time – he’s already achieved more than most vignerons manage in a lifetime. In the space of a few decades he has transformed his family domaine, and with it the appellation of Gigondas. His 50th year marks two major accomplishments – establishing the largest Grenache conservatory in the world and purchasing a historic Vinsobres domaine – that further cement his position as one of the most dynamic