Leaving his homeland of Peru at the age of 18, the young man could have had no idea what an unusual path he would take before deciding to revive Château Saint-Jean d'Aumières.

Paul Tori-who holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Gerogetown University, as well as a Masters degree in International Politics and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University-began his professional career working for Citibank in Brussels. From Spain to Thailand-by way of Peru, Switzerland, and England-Paul Tori spent 10 years in business development activities for international banks, all the time harboring a secret wish to one day get back to his roots.

Product of a French-Italian family that had emigrated to Latin America, Paul Tori always knew that he would one day follow in the footsteps of his winemaking Italian grandfather. What an odd story of crossing paths, this Latin American (now Frenchman) who "set up shop" in Languedoc amid French winemakers who themselves are now investing in Latin America.

It was in 2000, after his family grew for the second time, that Paul Tori set his sights on France; and, with his wife, Manuela, decided to pursue the dream of rediscovering his roots. That year, he threw himself into studies of both winegrowing and winemaking while at the same time beginning his search for a vineyard.

At that time, the market for real estate was hot across the more prominent French appellations, so Paul Tori focused on the Languedoc region where there remained a few affordable opportunities. After several months of unfruitful research, he discovered a vineyard worthy of his ambition: Château Saint-Jean d'Aumières.