Philippe Raoux represents the 4th generation of a particularly dynamic family of wine growers and traders. His father was a wine producer and trader near Oran, Algeria. The family grew vines on over a hundred sundrenched hectares and produced concentrated and rich wines.

1962: The Exodus: Uprooted and repatriated to France, the Raoux family started their life over in Bordeaux. Settling in and finding new bases in an unknown region and in unfamiliar surroundings proved difficult at first…everything had to be reinvented. The Chamvermeil wine trade business, founded by Philippe Raoux’s great grandfather Théodore in 1890, became their new occupation. Chamvermeil (www.chamvermeil.fr) was to gradually become the market leader in mail-order wine sales in France. Even to this present day, Chamvermeil has over 600,000 customers throughout France and Belgium.

Philippe Raoux has kept his family’s entrepreneurial spirit and is always motivated to attempt new adventures. He resuscitated Châteaux d’Arsac, a Margaux property which he acquired completely abandoned in 1986. By replanting vines, completely renovating chateaux and modernizing the winery, Mr. Raoux’s Château d’Arsac has become a world class wine producer.

Philippe Raoux is regarded as a visionary in Bordeaux. As a winegrower following in the footsteps of his family’s passion for wine and vines he built La Winery (http://wine-tourism-france.winery.fr/), a place entirely dedicated to wine. Opened in January 2007, La Winery is the only site of its kind in the world, designed to welcome wine lovers, connoisseurs or newcomers to the winegrowing world. Offering a unique cellar of 1001 wines from around the world, vineyard tours, a contemporary “bistronomic’ restaurant, the WY, contemporary art exhibitions and music recitals, people from all over the world venture to La Winery to discover the facility, not to mention their wine profile through the convivial Wine-Sign experience. (www.wine-sign.com). La Winery is located 4km from Château d’Arsac.