My Story.

A locally-minded vigneron with a world traveler’s perspective, Lucien Dimani brings an indispensable combination of talent, skill, and experience to his family’s Cahors estate. His passion for both the land and the art of winemaking was passed down from his parents, Arnaldo and Monique Dimani, who founded Domaine Le Bout du Lieu over two decades ago.

Lucien was introduced to the intricacies of running a vineyard at an early age, and developed an appreciation for this under sung yet admirable home region of Cahors. After earning a degree in viticulture and enology from the Institut Rural de Vayres in Bordeaux in 2007, he gained a wealth of experience working abroad, which allowed him to bring a global point of view and fresh enthusiasm to the family business.

His first stint was in New Zealand, where he could contemporaneously pursue his love of playing rugby, his intent to learn English, and his desire to gain winemaking experience. Under the tutelage of mentors Allain Hedgeman (head winemaker for Mud House) and Matt Thompson, an acclaimed consultant, Lucien began to develop his winemaking worldview. Later, Lucien spent time closer to home in the Rhône Valley with his now-wife Eileen—an American with deep experience in both countries’ wine trades, who had been studying in Burgundy when they met—before traveling to the United States.

Tradition and Adaptability

Despite being in a new country, Lucien found work consulting at a winery called Afton Mountain Vineyards in Virginia’s Monticello AVA [Fun fact: the French began cultivating imported grapevines in Virginia in the 1600s]. There, he began to understand the vast chasm between the rigid winemaking philosophies he had learned in Bordeaux, and the audacious experimentalism of maverick American viticulture. Without the centuries-old winemaking traditions of their European brethren, the winemakers at Afton (and neighboring estates like King Family Vineyards, where Lucien found a mentor in fellow Frenchman Matthew Finot) were free to dabble in growing 14 different varieties among their 25 acres of vines. Lucien was promoted to Winemaker almost immediately, and, in his first vintage, earned the winery a gold medal at the Virginia Governor’s Cup.

After that eye-opening experience, Lucien and Eileen returned to Lucien’s family home, where he is now charged with leading Domaine Le Bout du Lieu into its next era, helping the estate continue to thrive, while remaining true to its historic roots.

Hope and Pride

Lucien’s progressive, sustainable, and optimistic approach to winemaking, combined with a deep commitment to craftsmanship, wonderfully embodies the philosophies passed down from generations prior. The family’s goal is to listen carefully to nature, help the vines express their very highest potential, and allow the terroir to shine through in every bottle of Domaine Le Bout du Lieu wine.