The Godfather of Rosé

If you want to understand Sacha Lichine, you need to know his father's life story. Alexis Lichine was born in Russia and educated in France. He spoke three languages – Russian, French, and English – not only fluently but also without an accent, as his son Sacha Lichine recounts. During World War II, Alexis Lichine served as an aide to Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower in the U.S. Army and worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor to the CIA. After the war, he devoted himself tirelessly to establishing French wine in the United States. “Bordeaux and Burgundy were the focus of his efforts,” recalls Sacha Lichine. Alexis Lichine was a colorful figure in the world of wine – a legend, if you will. In 1951, he purchased Château Prieuré-Cantenac, which he renamed Prieuré-Lichine two years later. It was here that his son, Sacha Lichine, caught the wine bug as a child – and never shook it.