Sergio Calderon, a life of wine after wine
This year, Sergio Calderon, a sommelier who has accompanied 3 generations of the Bras family, will hand over the keys to the Suquet cellar to Théo Larroque, not without having bequeathed to him over the years, some treasures and many memories.
From Lou Mazuc to Suquet
“I arrived in 1990 and I hadn’t necessarily planned to stay long, but my strong relationship with Les Bras made me decide to settle on this hill.” This hill is that of Le Suquet, opened barely 2 years after the arrival of Sergio, an Argentinian with a gravelly accent and the appearance of an eternally young man who started at Lou Mazuc, the restaurant where Les Bras began. “I’ve worked with 3 generations and the generosity of all the members of the family, including Pépé and Mémé Bras. I was captivated by the endless creativity of Michel and Sébastien and I quickly learned that we could go from the impossible to the possible,” he smiles. “The empathy and sensitivity of Gi and Véronique also left a lasting impression on me. They taught me what a true welcome in a restaurant was.”
Transmission and passion for wine
My path has been punctuated by encounters with many vineyards and winemakers, some of whom have become friends. Wine has always been my fuel in life, it excites me,” he adds, “but I have never defended an academic vision of wine. My ambition has always been to make it accessible to customers. Sommellerie must be about proximity, about fraternity.”
Words that resonate strongly for Théo, who has been working alongside Sergio for the past four years and to whom he will be handing over the keys to the cellar he built over 35 years and which now houses more than 35,000 bottles. "It's not easy, this cellar is 35 years of my intellectual property," he says, amused. "I have confidence in Théo, who will be able to bring it to life with a new sensitivity, because times change, desires change too, as do winemaking methods."
The adventure continues
No misplaced nostalgia for this active enthusiast who never mentions retirement. "The show must go on!" Above all, he wants to take care of the people he loves, of his shop "la cave de Sergio" , prominently located on the Allée de l'Amicale in Laguiole, and which is full of gems. "I have another idea: to go back to the School of Wine! That is to say, to walk the vines with my winegrower friends, to give them a hand in the cellar, to collect their secrets and those of nature, with this obsession in mind: to better understand how we bring a great wine to life!" Enough to occupy several lives.
