My Father's Wine: Laurent Dulau's wine tribute, general manager of KAVIAR
There are wines that tell a story. There are wines that tell a life story. Le Vin de mon Père by Laurent Dulau belongs to the latter category. Behind this hand-drawn label, behind this pure Cabernet Sauvignon aged without electricity on a family estate in Béarn, hides an extraordinary character: a trained oenologist, former research director in the wine biotechnology sector, and now CEO of KAVIAR, the group behind the French caviar brand Sturia — whose selections grace the tables of the world's greatest Michelin-starred chefs and Air France's La Première class.
A caviar man who makes garage wine. A scientist who makes wine in a bucket. A son who carries on the work of a departed father. Vinodelice had the exclusive opportunity to meet Laurent Dulau to discuss his journey, his connection to the Béarn terroir, and the philosophy that guides each vintage of Le Vin de mon Père — a confidential and authentic cuvée, now available on our platform.
A childhood dream, two theses, and a life in wine
Before becoming the man who presides over the destiny of the leading French caviar group, Laurent Dulau was a wine enthusiast — passionate since childhood, haunted, as he puts it, by the dream of one day becoming a producer. This dream took time to materialize. Life had other plans, at least initially.
He pursued two theses simultaneously: one in molecular biology, the other in oenology, under the direction of the prestigious Denis Dubourdieu, a tutelary figure in Bordeaux viticulture and one of the great names in world oenology. This dual education gave rise to a rare sensitivity: understanding wine through both living organisms and chemistry.
He then joined a company specializing in wine biotechnology — yeasts, bacteria, enzymes — and became its research director. His profession took him all over the world as a flying winemaker, advising the most diverse estates. A brilliant, international career, but one that did not entirely fulfill his original desire: to make his own wine, on his own land.
A father-son project, a replanted vineyard, a story begins
Everything changed at the turn of the millennium. Laurent and his father realized that they were spending their lives alongside each other, without ever truly sharing anything. Their complementarity, however, was evident: the father was a man of the land, a winemaker at heart, skilled in the secrets of viticulture. The son was the chemist — the one who knew what was happening in the tank, in the barrel, in the glass.
In 2000, they replanted the family vineyard together, on the property where Laurent's father was born. A half-hectare plot of clay-limestone on a terrace, facing south-southeast towards the Occitan Pyrenees, in Salies-de-Béarn. A half-hectare of Tannat, a half-hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is modest. It is family. It is authentic.
Twenty-six years later, the father is gone. But Le Vin de mon Père is still there — a testament to a transmission, a guardian of shared values between a son and a father who worked the land together and created something lasting.
Salies-de-Béarn: a confidential terroir, real potential
Béarn is not the first region that comes to mind when thinking of great French vineyards. This is precisely what makes Laurent Dulau's approach interesting. The AOC Béarn exists, but its specifications require a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat. However, Laurent chose to work only with Cabernet Sauvignon — 100% pure — to produce his Le Capso.
This choice obliges him to forgo the appellation and market his wine under the designation Vin de France. A deliberate decision. The AOC Béarn, he says bluntly, is not yet sufficiently recognized to represent a real commercial leverage. Being a Vin de France in Bordeaux, where appellations are keys to success, would be a real risk. In Salies-de-Béarn, it is simply a choice of freedom and consistency.
The vineyard is currently maintained by the Lamazou family, neighbors and colleagues whose importance Laurent gratefully emphasizes: without them, he says, the project would be impossible to maintain given his other professional commitments. The Lamazou brothers cultivate about ten hectares, bringing their grapes to the Belloc cooperative cellar — a local, collective organization deeply rooted in the territory.
A garage wine, in the noblest sense of the term
The term "garage wine" sometimes has a pejorative connotation. Laurent Dulau fully embraces it, and even proudly claims it with humor — pointing out that in Saint-Émilion, a garage wine has become one of the absolute benchmarks on the global market. For him, it is not a marketing positioning: it is a technical and philosophical reality.
Winemaking is done entirely without pumps, by gravity or by bucket. The tanks are 400-liter barrels from which Laurent has removed the bottom to create open tanks. Pigeage (punching down the cap) is manual, in the Burgundian style. The press is his grandfather's, restored. Zero filtration. Zero additives — with the exception of a selected yeast (Laurent spent his career studying them, so he couldn't be dogmatically anti-yeast) and a bacterium for malolactic fermentation in barrels.
Maceration lasts about ten days. The wine is then aged for two years in barrels — not new barrels — before being bottled. Laurent still waits before commercializing: the wines arrive on the market about four years after harvest, when their drinkability is optimal.
➡️ Vinodelice tip: if you open a young bottle of Le Vin de mon Père, an hour in a decanter is enough to fully open it and reveal the full aromatic complexity of the fruit.
The wine's profile: a Cabernet Sauvignon of remarkable precision
The 2020 vintage particularly illustrates the identity of Le Vin de mon Père. The year was generous, sunny, conducive to good phenolic maturity — the maturity of the seeds, the most difficult to achieve, which gives supple tannins despite their intensity.
On the nose, the typical pyrazine dominants of Cabernet Sauvignon are present, but in their most seductive expression: not the astringent green bell pepper of immature wines, but the grilled, oiled red bell pepper, served as an aperitif. Around this varietal marker, notes of redcurrant and black cherry complete the picture.
On the palate, the structure is there — dense, precise, flawless — but always serving drinkability. Laurent speaks of an umami finish, that sensation that makes you salivate and invites you to have another glass. This is the hallmark he seeks in every vintage: generosity, elegance, and that roundness he claims as a personal signature.
Production is not annual. Climatic hazards have sometimes interrupted harvests: 2022 was lost to frost, as were 2020 and 2021 initially. In years when harvest is possible, it is done by hand, among friends, during collective harvests that end in large tables, including guitar and songs.
From Michelin-starred restaurants to your table
Make no mistake: this artisanal garage wine is found in very select establishments. Laurent proudly cites the Maison Guérard, which he describes as the nec plus ultra. He also mentions wine merchant Yves Durand and his Michelin-starred restaurant clients, who appreciate precisely what the wine offers: a frank personality, impeccable fruit, digestible tannins.
It is also, and perhaps above all, a table wine. In the most convivial sense of the term. It pairs perfectly with poultry, pork, and remarkably with venison. A wine that moves from bistro to Michelin-starred table with the same ease as its creator moves from exceptional caviar to his grandfather's press.
➡️ Vinodelice pairing: try Le Vin de mon Père with a roasted guinea fowl with wild mushrooms — the roundness of the fruit and the finesse of the tannins sublimate the earthy notes of the dish.
FAQs – All about Le Vin de mon Père by Laurent Dulau
Where is Le Vin de mon Père produced?
The wine is produced in Salies-de-Béarn, in the French Basque Country, on a family estate passed down through generations. The vineyard, facing south-southeast towards the Occitan Pyrenees, is planted on terraced clay-limestone soils.
What grape variety does Laurent Dulau use?
Le Vin de mon Père (marketed as Le Capso) is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This choice of varietal purity is why the wine is classified as Vin de France rather than AOC Béarn, which requires a blend with Tannat.
Is Le Vin de mon Père a wine for aging?
Yes. Vertical tastings have shown that the wine ages very well, with vintages like 2009 and 2010 remaining remarkable. That said, Laurent releases his bottles four years after harvest, when they are already very approachable and pleasant to drink.
What is the connection between Laurent Dulau and the Sturia brand?
Laurent Dulau is the CEO of KAVIAR, the French group behind the Sturia caviar brand — a benchmark for ethical and high-end French caviar, found in Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide and aboard Air France's La Première. Le Vin de mon Père is a personal and family project, entirely separate from his professional activities.
A wine that resembles its maker
There is something deeply consistent in Laurent Dulau's approach. A man who dedicates his professional life to excellence — that of French caviar, ethical luxury, exceptional products — and who, on weekends, rolls up his sleeves to make wine in a bucket in his family barn in Béarn. Two seemingly opposite worlds, which in reality share the same values: care for the terroir, respect for living things, transmission.
Le Vin de mon Père is not a wine of communication. It is a wine of conviction. Round, generous, precise, it carries the story of a son and a father who decided, one day in 2000, to plant vines together. And to create something lasting.
