Florent Rouanet was born and raised in the tiny village of Aragon in southern France, a community of just 400 residents. His family has farmed vineyards there for four generations, but Florent is the first to estate-bottle wines under his own label.

Before returning to the family vineyards, Florent enjoyed a successful career as a professional rugby player with Carcassonne, helping the club win three French Championships. He also spent a season with the French national team in 2015. Five years ago, he returned home to focus on viticulture and winemaking. Today, Florent farms his family’s vineyards and produces two white wines and two red wines. Wanting to add a sparkling wine to his portfolio, he created “La Belle” Crémant de Limoux. Because his winery lies just outside the Limoux appellation boundaries, he purchases grapes and produces the wine within the appellation.