Lolita Sene

Lolita Sene, born in 1987, had a life before her career as a winemaker. She first worked as artistic director of a club in Paris. After two years in this role, she enrolled in an agronomy school, and although she had no family roots in viticulture, she decided to follow her passion for natural wine. Her love for living wines pushed her to explore cellars and vineyards in France and North America. Frustrated at not being directly involved in the production of what she was serving and recommending, she decided to take the plunge.
Today, Lolita owns a small hectare of vines in Gard and collaborates with a trading party to pursue her passion. She started small in 2018 with 1,800 bottles, then increased production to 5,000 bottles in 2019. Her motto is "start small, stay small." She joins the growing community of natural winegrowers from Gard, the new generation, alongside names such as Valentin Vallès or Les Frères Soulier.
In her vineyards, Lolita works in organic farming, mainly using manual tools such as rotofil and backpack sprayer. Her artisanal approach continues in the cellar, which she shares with Nicolas Renaud of Clos des Grillons, where each step, from harvest to labeling, is carried out manually. The grapes are pressed with a ratchet press, lightly crushed by foot, then the vats are filled using buckets, before being bottled with a small machine. The wines are made without any chemical input, Lolita preferring to let the grapes follow their own path in fermentation.
Its wines are becoming more and more accomplished and elegant, offering hope of continuing to shine for many years to come. Her passion and dedication for natural wine led her to leave her previous life in Paris to pursue her dream.