WI&NE - TRUST AND DISCRETION – A Certified Wine Broker and Bureau Ripert’s Manager

The Bedrock of a Robust Business Relationship

Article written by Nathalie Parent Dumoulin, NEXT Edition

A Key Player

The wine and spirits brokerage profession is often overlooked, yet it serves as a vital intermediary between wineries and merchants. From a legal standpoint, the broker is crucial in facilitating commercial transactions by bringing together interested parties.

Daily, the broker’s negotiation and conciliation skills are essential in reconciling offers from estates and demand from distributors, ensuring a smooth and successful transaction.In the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions, brokers oversee over 70% of bulk transactions between estates and merchants.

For crus classés and champagne, this figure escalates to 90%. These statistics unequivocally underline the crucial importance of the brokerage profession and the unwavering trust placed in it by the entire industry.

Timothée Bouffard: A Certified Wine Broker and Bureau Ripert’s Manager

In the WI&NE Nouvelle-Aquitaine community, Timothée Bouffard’s remarkable career and recognized expertise in the Grands Crus de Bordeaux have made him a key player in the wine world. His support for investors in acquiring wine estates and the services offered by Bureau Ripert for stock appraisal, valuation, marketing, and networking testify to his willingness to share his know-how and create fruitful opportunities for all players in the sector. To carry out its expertise, Timothée Bouffard relies, in particular, on our legal commissioner, Jean-Marie Dulaurens, on Ann Ly Truchasson’s linguistic talents and knowledge of Asian markets and Philippe Bonnin‘s legal advice. One of WI&NE’s pioneering members, he has been working for over seven years with David Lawton, the association’s founder and an expert in sales and acquisition.

Timothée Bouffard and his colleagues consistently operate with unwavering discretion, collaborating with some of the most influential names in the wine sector. Bureau Ripert excels in building robust relationships between key industry players. Their extensive network enables them to seamlessly connect producers, distributors, and potential investors, facilitating transactions and advancing the growth of the Bordeaux wine scenery. In a world where secrecy is paramount, Bureau Ripert stands as the essential ally for wine professionals in Bordeaux.

2023 Bordeaux Futures

As a member of the Commanderie du Bontemps Médoc for the past 17 years and a jury member for the Left Bordeaux Bank Cup, we sought Timothée Bouffard’s impressions on the 2023 vintage.

“This vintage has been tailored to meet consumers’ desires at very reasonable prices. We have revisited the great classics of Bordeaux with freshness and balance. It’s a very expressive vintage with good acidity and a lovely tannic structure. A must-have for your cellar!”

Due partially to economic and political uncertainties (France-US relations), the 2023 Bordeaux Primeurs campaign is lasting longer than usual, extending until the end of July. Do not hesitate any longer!

Meet our WI&NE Nouvelle-Aquitaine expert: https://www.wi-ne.net/nos_experts/thimothee-bouffard/

The article was authored and translated by Nathalie Parent Dumoulin, founder of NEXT Edition and a WI&NE Nouvelle-Aquitaine member. https://www.wi-ne.net/nos_experts/nathalie-parent-dumoulin/