founders

philippe chivée

Philippe Chivée founded Integrity Wines with one mission: to do what he loves and do it right! Born in Paris, France, Philippe’s happiest moments have always been at the table, enjoying great wine and food with friends and family. Raised to respect and appreciate the many traditions of France’s agricultural heritage, Philippe has devoted his career to cultivating relationships with wine makers who share with him the idea that great wines are about more than just what’s in the bottle. To Philippe, great wines are born of the love and passion of the winemaker, the agricultural traditions of France and a sense of care and stewardship for the earth.

Philippe studied wine making and the business of wine in Bordeaux and worked for one of Bordeaux’s most famous négotiants; Jean-François Moueix. After following his future wife to New York in 2003, he worked as an Ambassador of great French wines in New York building friendships along the way. His philosophy in business is his philosophy in life: share what you love with people you love and if business happens too, wonderful! In 2009 he launched Integrity Wines with his close friends Bruno Lafon and Paul Vallin, intending to bring his passion to the next level. Integrity means high quality, true-to-their-térroir French wines from his favorite producing regions shared with other passionate and appreciative connoisseurs. Santé!!

bruno lafon

With partners Philippe Chivée and Paul Vallin, Bruno Lafon co-founded Integrity Wines. They founded the business with the goal of integrating their most cherished personal values into the work they do. The values of Integrity wines are respect for the customers and for the vine growers, passion and friendship…

Bruno was born in Burgundy in 1959—a fabulous vintage! His family is one of the regions’ most famous wine making families—the founders and owners of Domaine des Comtes Lafon. He grew up walking the patchwork quilt of vineyards and cellars of Burgundy. Because of this lifelong emersion in wine making, he feels that he absorbed vine-growing by osmosis. For his father, the domaine was a passion, not a job. He always had another job besides managing the estate, so in his family wine was a part of life and education more than a business.

Bruno studied science and business but in 1983 he joined his father in the management of Comtes Lafon where he worked with his brother Dominique for 7 years. In 1999 he moved to South of France where he created a broker company – Diva Sud – and purchased a vineyard – Domaine Magellan –. His objectives are to make and select wines that express their terroirs, respect the environment, give pleasure to the consumers. As co founder of Integrity, his mission is to find the best wines from South of France, Rhône , Provence and Languedoc, Roussillon…

paul valin

Paul was a student in biology at the University of Burgundy in Dijon when gourmand friends and connoisseurs first introduced him to the world of wine. He soon changed his course of studies to winemaking. After being trained in Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, Bordeaux and California, he vinified in Jurançon for five years at the foot of the Pyrenées. Paul came home in 1994 to finally make wine from chardonnay and pinot noir in Burgundy for Maison Violland , an estate of eighteen acres on the Côte de Beaune. When this property was bought in the fall of 1996, Paul declined to stay and go along the new policy of mass production and big business; instead, he seized the opportunity to replace Henry Meurgey, founder of Diva Beaune, who was retiring. For nearly fourteen years now, he has been relentlessly touring the cellars and guiding clients to discover passionate producers and expressive wines of the many “climates” of Burgundy