Nicolas Audebert
Nicolas Audebert
(Image credit: Nicolas Audebert)

Nicolas Audebert, winemaker at Cheval des Andes, is to join the two Bordeaux chateaux owned by Chanel, Rauzan-Segla and Canon.

Audebert, who is from Toulon in southern France and studied winemaking in Montpellier, has been at Cheval des Andes, owned by LVMH, for eight years. He began his new role on 1 June this year, initially working alongside John Kolasa, long time director of the two properties, who is set to retire.

Audebert has previously worked at Terrazas de los Andes, Moet & Chandon, Krug and Veuve Clicquot, before moving to Cheval des Andes – the joint venture between Terrazas and Cheval Blanc – in 2006.

John Kolasa has been director of 1855 Second Growth Rauzan-Segla since 1994, when he was hired from Latour by the Wertheimer brothers.

‘I am not retiring yet,’ Kolasa told Decanter.com, ‘but I am starting to plan for the future. Audebert is a hugely talented winemaker and I look forward to working with him’.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux

Explore More
Jane Anson
Jane Anson

Jane Anson was Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent until 2021 and has lived in the region since 2003. She writes a monthly wine column for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and is the author of Bordeaux Legends: The 1855 First Growth Wines (also published in French as Elixirs). In addition, she has contributed to the Michelin guide to the Wine Regions of France and was the Bordeaux and Southwest France author of The Wine Opus and 1000 Great Wines That Won’t Cost a Fortune. An accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux École du Vin, Anson holds a masters in publishing from University College London, and a tasting diploma from the Bordeaux faculty of oenology.

Roederer awards 2016: International Feature Writer of the Year