Tony Parker: From Basketball To Winemaking
WITH TONY PARKER
For most Hip-hop moguls and athletes today, putting money into a vineyard – manufacturing fruity merlots and sustaining cellars of full-bodied, earthy wines – has become the identifying mark of a more sophisticated celebrity and Parker has his eyes set.
Photography, Simi Vijay
Words, Igee Okafor In Conversation with Tony Parker
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What is Tony Parker envisioning for his future? “Taking stock and gearing up for a strong year – literally! ” he tells BOND OFFICIAL. After an extensive career that has earned Parker four NBA championship titles and numerous accolades, the former San Antonio Spurs star currently has transitioned into a succeeding career as an investor. His current portfolio includes ventures such as LDLC ASVEL, the Tony Parker Adéquat Academy, and even a ski resort.
About a year ago, Parker teamed up with the owner of Cos d’Estournel, Michel Reybier to launch brands, Château La Mascaronne, and Champagne Jeeper. “I’ve been a fan of Michel Reybier’s probably going back to my first visit to his estate in Bordeaux, but when he had me taste La Mascaronne Rosé, I knew I wanted to work with him,” Parker says about joining forces with Michel Reybier.
La Mascaronne is a beautiful rosé that hails exclusively from grapes grown on-site at Chateau La Mascaronne in Cotes-De-Provence. It’s fresh and delicate. Champagne Jeeper is full-flavored champagne and its sophisticated bottle is bound to impress. It's all a testament to the quality Parker aspires to and strives for.
The comprehensive day-to-day tasks of a winemaker, which Parker continues to learn about started to appeal to him during childhood. Growing up in Lyon, France, he and his family would go to Bordeaux to visit different wine castles. “It’s serious work and it has helped me respect the expertise of the winemakers on a whole different level,” he says. “But it’s also very creative work and it’s been a way for me to flex a different muscle.”
staying self-assured in the face of new challenges and even setbacks–just playing the long game–that is what’s helped me in this new phase of my career.
The 40-year-old French-American touches on the distinguishing qualities between his basketball career and transitioning into wine. “My game was always about speed, which served me well on the court. ” says the entrepreneur. “off the court, I’ve come to rely on some of the other skills that Coach Pop honed in me: discipline, and motivation too, without a doubt. But, also, self-belief.”
The venture with La Mascaronne and Champagne Jeeper, two of his first wines with Reybier feel like the ideal way to jumpstart his winemaking career, which is also gearing up to be a very busy one this year. “I always say, I’m in this game for the long haul,” he says. “With Michel Reybier, I get to learn from someone with more than twenty years of experience making some of the most incredible Bordeaux at Cos d’Estournel––who’s now putting all that know-how into making some of the most incredible Provence rosé and Champagne with La Mascaronne and Jeeper. So, I want to keep learning as much as I can.”
After his current tour of duty working alongside Reybier, Parker’s approach to winemaking focuses on striving for the utmost quality and consumer enjoyment. When asked about the possibility of putting his own name on a bottle of wine, he says, “A cuvée in my name is definitely something that I could see down the line. That would be another dream come true, for sure.”
For the full interview with Tony Parker, read on below:
THE LOOK
Trench Coat, Nili Lotan; Shirt, BMC Studio; Sunglasses, Akila
IO: New Year, New Resolutions. I’m curious, what is Tony Parker envisioning for his future?
TP: The new year is always a great moment to start fresh. At Château La Mascaronne, that means kicking off with the 2022 vintage of La Mascaronne Rosé. This bottle is particularly special for me, as it’s the first vintage I’ve been involved with through my partnership with Michel Reybier. It’s symbolic of his guidance and the welcoming support I’ve received. At Champagne Jeeper, we’ve also released a special new cuvée, In Love, which we hope champagne fans will enjoy this Valentine’s Day.
The transition into 2023 is also a time for taking stock and gearing up for a strong year – literally! We’re out in the vineyard making sure the vines are in good shape and pruning where it’s needed.
IO: After four NBA championship titles, you transitioned into a career as an investor including projects like LDLC ASVEL, the Tony Parker Adequat Academy and even a ski resort. It’s all incredibly impressive. How would you say the success of your basketball career impacted your ventures moving forward?
TP: You know, I never dreamed of becoming an NBA champion. Playing in the NBA was always a goal ever since I was a kid, maybe 9 years old, but actually reaching the top of the league so early on–and then riding that pinnacle with Coach Pop, Tim, Manu and all the rest of my teammates–was an incredible reward for a lot of hard work, looking back.
My game was always about speed, which served me well on the court. But off the court, I’ve come to rely on some of the other skills that Coach Pop honed in me: discipline, and motivation too, without a doubt. Self-belief, too. There’s always going to be someone better than you, bigger than you, someone who knows more than you. But staying self-assured in the face of new challenges and even setbacks–just playing the long game–that is what’s helped me in this new phase of my career.
THE LOOK
Suit, BMC Studio; Nili Lotan; Watch, Tissot, Sunglasses, Akila
IO: Well said. Tell me about your friendship with Michel Reybier and how you were able to transition into a business relationship.
TP: We met about a year and a half ago. It was a natural friendship; I’ve been a long-time admirer of his being the mastermind behind Cos d’Estournel. He’s a basketball fan and has come to a few of the ASVEL games in Lyon. It sprang from there.
IO: Before deciding to embark on this journey with Michel Reybier, which one of the wines did you taste that made you a fan?
TP: I’ve been a fan of Michel Reybier’s probably going back to my first visit to his estate in Bordeaux, but when he had me taste La Mascaronne Rosé, I knew I wanted to work with him. It’s a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Vermentino, and produced from all their own fruit, which is great – it allows them to stick to really high standards. It’s what the French call a ‘rosé de terroir’, meaning you get a sense of Provence and the vineyard with every taste. It’s a phenomenal rosé – delicate, but really complex at the same time.
IO: What wine profiles do you gravitate towards?
TP: You can’t get more classic than Left Bank Bordeaux. Working with Michel Reybier, I’ve really enjoyed exploring other wine regions, for instance Provence, where Château La Mascaronne is based, and of course Champagne, with Jeeper. But my first love, the one that has me coming back again and again, is Bordeaux. I’m drawn to the grapes and the structure. The energy too––remember, speed is my game!
IO: What makes Champagne Jeeper a great champagne? And what kind of food would you pair it with?
TP: Michel Reybier is respected for producing bottles that have structure and texture. Even La Mascaronne Rosé, which could be a simple affair like so many others, has a real personality. Champagne Jeeper––I’m just waiting for the world to discover it. It has a liveliness that I just love. My favorite thing is to serve it for friends as an apéritif, just as it is or with a light goat cheese and freshly baked bread.
THE LOOK
Suit, Salvatore Ferragamo; Bracelet, Hermes
I’ve really enjoyed exploring other wine regions, for instance Provence, where Château La Mascaronne is based, and of course Champagne, with Jeeper.
IO: Making good wine requires a lot of time and thoughtfulness. Is there anything new you discovered about winemaking that you didn’t already know?
TP: Going into this venture, I already had a working knowledge of the process. Between the trips that I’ve made over the years to various wineries and Champagne houses, and the dinners that Coach Pop and I hosted over the years, I had a good command of what I liked and what I didn’t like. In the last several months, working alongside Michel Reybier and his teams, I’ve been able to fill out the gaps in my knowledge.
IO: How hands-on are you as a winemaker?
TP: Being hands-on has been one of the best parts. I’m seeing first-hand how the artistry is all in the blending. After the harvest, I tried grapes from every parcel of land, and that process of mixing and testing until you get to the right blend is super interesting. It’s serious work and it’s helped me to respect the expertise of the winemakers on a whole different level. But it’s also very creative work and it’s been a way for me to flex a different muscle.
IO: Being French, it feels as though it's almost part of the culture to cultivate your own wine. As time goes by, a lot of this has to do with making the product itself better in taste and for health. How are you implementing sustainability practices for your wines?
TP: Everyone knows the French have an appreciation for the rewards of the land–and as a Frenchman, I’m no exception; I love food, I love wine. But the appreciation goes way beyond it. It extends to the land, and in the case of wine, to the soil, to the root. With Château La Mascaronne, the shift towards organic farming started in 2016. And since I joined last year, I’ve gotten to see how organic fruit is really just a starting point. We produce from all our own grapes and with that comes control over the quality.
IO: Talk me through some challenges you’ve experienced within the business of winemaking.
TP: Just getting your foot in the door is a challenge. I was lucky I already knew Michel Reybier, and as we became better friends, he invited me to join him. He said it would be an adventure and, it definitely has been one, every step of the way. But getting an opportunity to invest in great wineries is no easy feat.
THE LOOK
Wrist Watch, Cartier
IO: I can only imagine. For those who would one day want to be in your position cultivating some of the best wines in the world with no experience or capital, how would you suggest they break in?
TP: Michel Reybier has put his faith in me; it’s a thrill to have that kind of partnership, where we trust one another and can share in our successes. For people who have the motivation to develop a portfolio, but without real experience or investment capital––or someone in the field to show them the ropes––I’d say start small by learning whatever you can and meeting whoever is open. The NBA season is intense, but whenever I’d have a chunk of free time, maybe five or six days in the summer, I’d go to Bordeaux and visit different estates. Making those connections and being willing to learn can go a long way.
IO: What’s the ultimate goal for your wine portfolio?
TP: I always say, I’m in this game for the long haul. With Michel Reybier, I get to learn from someone with more than twenty years of experience making some of the most incredible Bordeaux at Cos d’Estournel––who’s now putting all that know-how into making some of the most incredible Provence rosé and Champagne with La Mascaronne and Jeeper. So, I want to keep learning as much as I can.
Everyone knows the French have an appreciation for the rewards of the land–and as a Frenchman, I’m no exception; I love food, I love wine.
THE LOOK
Pinstripe Suit, BMC Studio; Sunglasses, Jacques Marie Mage
IO: Are there any additional projects you’re excited about for 2023? Maybe launching a wine in your name?
TP: We do have to save some surprises! But a cuvée in my name is definitely something that I could see down the line. That would be another dream come true, for sure.
