Nicolas PARMENTIER

Head sommelier : 1 restaurant At just 29 years of age, Nicolas Parmentier, sommelier at Château de la Gaude alongside Matthieu Dupuis Baumal, has reached a level of excellence in sommellerie. And there's no end in sight.

Presentation

"I come from a family of restaurateurs. I've always been involved with wine and gastronomy", says Nicolas Parmentier. That's why, in 2011, he left Strasbourg for the CFA Médéric in Paris. For three years, he alternated between his vocational baccalaureate in room service and his training at Le Laumière restaurant, a stone's throw from Buttes-Chaumont.

He then returned to Alsace to take a complementary sommelier diploma as an apprentice at the Auberge de l'Ill, in Illhaeusern (Haut-Rhin), working alongside Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier in 1989. The final stage: a professional sommelier diploma as an apprentice at Le Meurice, then at the Ritz for its reopening.

After completing his studies, Nicolas Parmentier was hired at the Ritz, the Espadon restaurant and the Jardins de l'Espadon. "I was able to work with Estelle Touzet. She's a great sommelier. She taught me a lot about tasting and theory." His desire to get away from it all prompted him to leave Paris for Annecy, where he took up the position of assistant head sommelier at the Auberge du Père Bise.

In 2022, he spent some time helping out at the Tour d'Argent, then at Château de Berne, in Flayosc (Var), to "taste southern wines and perfect my knowledge". Since November of the same year, Nicolas Parmentier has been working at Le Art restaurant, Château de la Gaude, Aix-en-Provence. Surrounded by 3,000 references and 25,000 bottles, the young man feels right at home. But whenever he gets the chance, he doesn't hesitate to do what he loves best: travel and meet winemakers from all over the world.

I. B.