Carpe Diem

Winemaker: Christian Roguenant

Christian Roguenant

Pinot Noir & Chardonnay from Firepeak Vineyards

Winemaker Christian Roguenant, a native of Burgundy, grew up among the vineyards and decided early in life that winemaking was his future. At the University of Dijon he studied enology and winemaking. Further developing his passion, Roguenant traveled to opposite ends of the world to study and work in diverse types of terroir. His travels brought him to wineries in Argentina, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.

Roguenant arrived in California’s Central Coast in 1986 and worked for Maison Deutz, producing sparkling and still wines. With nearly 17 years of experience on the Central Coast, Roguenant decided to focus on producing a Pinot Noir that had Central Coast terroir characteristics with the elegance of a traditional Burgundian wine.

Today Christian Roguenant produces a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir under the Carpe Diem label represented by Maisons Marques & Domaines. Roguenant was instrumental in the development of this new release and carefully chose the clones and rootstocks that would best suit the terroir of Firepeak Vineyard.

Roguenant believes that Firepeak Vineyard is the “jewel” of the Edna Valley with its optimal location just 4 miles from the cool Pacific Ocean. “This vineyard allows me to achieve my goal: to make the wine as true to the varietal as possible” states Roguenant. He confirms “Give me rough but nice diamonds and my job is to polish without scratching them.”