Asked to summarize his first decade of experience, Romain told me that he got his philosophical base from Patrick Desplats. From Patrick, he says, he learned that "everything makes wine", which is to say that the winemakers job is to capture the essence of life, whether it manifests as sun-kissed Chenin, musty Grolleau, or botrytized Sauvignon Blanc.  From Jean-François, Romain learned "how to work", meaning how to elaborate wine from grapes. Romain currently has 2.5 hectares of vines planted to Grolleau Noir and Gris, Gamay Chaudenay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc. He does not buy grapes, preferring to vinify the fruits of his own labor.