Axel Domont

From professional cyclist to winegrower

His destiny wasn't necessarily linked to wine, but rather to his faithful steed: his bike. A former professional cyclist with the AG2R La Mondiale team, Axel Domont decided to change his life and trust his second passion, wine.
In 2020 he set up in Savoie, at the foot of Mont Granier, to make wines just the way we love them at Epi-curieux.com. A must-discover!

The story of Axel Domont

Originally from the Drôme, Axel first rode the roads of France and the world before landing in the vineyards. Based in Chambéry, he came through the AG2R La Mondiale academy before riding for the pro team for seven years. His career change was almost forced on him: after two Tours de France and many races worldwide, he broke his collarbone and pelvis several times, and his last race ended with a sixth broken collarbone. Exhausted physically and mentally, he decided on his hospital bed to stop and take a new path.
He turned to his other passions, nature and wine, and decided to become a winegrower. He went back to school, set up his company and met Nicolas Ferrand of Domaine des Côtes Rousses, who trusted him and welcomed him into his cellar. Axel started as a négociant, buying grapes from Savoie growers farming organically or biodynamically and vinifying them his own way.
Nicolas lent him his cellar, barrels and tanks, and gave him free rein: Axel Domont's first wines were born in 2021.
Two years after his self-taught beginnings, Axel set up his own place in Les Marches, with a stunning view of Mont Granier, a mountain with a great story of its own.

The cuvées of Axel Domont

Axel has no regrets: getting back to the land and working with his hands is what he wanted. And he has pulled off his career change with talent, making wine with sincerity, boldness and enthusiasm. His wines have a real story and you can taste it: above all they are fresh, with controlled acidity that wakes up the taste buds.
Axel also rents vines on the slopes of Apremont and in Les Marches, farmed organically.
It all began with Nuit Blanche ("sleepless night"), a 100% Gamay from Fréterive, named after the nights he spent watching over a wine that threatened to go off track: the result is full of energy! A nod to his cycling career, Flamme Rouge is the name of the last kilometre of a race: a blend of Pinot Noir, Mondeuse and Gamay with a short maceration, full of freshness and fruit. Also referring to his sporting past, Kilomètre 0 is a 100% Jacquère from several terroirs, for the purest expression of the grape. Chien d'Arrêt, a tribute to his faithful hunting dog, plays on the liveliness and tension of Jacquère, with long ageing on the lees. Rencontres is his 100% Mondeuse from Fréterive, fine, light and juicy.
Since then the range has grown: Jardin Secret blends Jacquère and Altesse in almost equal parts, Eterlou comes from the highest Jacquère vines of Apremont, and Le vent qui danse brings together several co-planted grapes from Saint-Alban-Leysse. You'll also find Groussette and Mongars, plus two lovely collaborations: Tandem, a 100% Gamay in magnum made with Clément Chevrier, his former AG2R La Mondiale teammate turned sommelier, and En une seconde, with his friend Imanol Garay, combining Savoie Mondeuse and South-West Tannat.
Wines in Axel's image, made for sharing, all about freshness and juiciness, and Epi-curieux.com is delighted to offer them to you.