Carte Blanche Wines was founded in 2009 by Ben Llewelyn out of a desire to represent the growers he had met whilst living and working in France. Having been in the trade since 1997 Ben worked his way up from the shop floor of Oddbins to becoming one a director of Enotria Winecellars. In 2008 he moved his family out to France whilst studying for the Master of Wine exams and during this time he met or rekindled relationships with many of the growers on the list today. The mantra of the business was always about finding wines that expressed terroir, were produced with respect to nature and her surroundings, and that offered a pure and exciting drinking experience.
In 2015 Tamsin Jones joined the team in order to help with the back office and sales and has since used her considerable experience in retail and wholesale to improve the shape of the business. She is now Buyer for the company, as well as managing clients in the South West of the UK. Helen Salter joined in 2022 to bolster the sales relationships and to provide administrative support. Her work at Handford Wine Merchant in London meant she had a good grasp of the portfolio and great customer facing skills. Finally, in late 2022 Angus Hunter joined the team a London Sales Director. His experience at Caviste, a wine merchant once owned by CBW, and considerable experience in the off trade has provided the company with the perfect ‘face’ for the company in the capital.
CBW is a small but ambitious importer and distributer that prides itself in finding new and exciting wines which hark back to the founding ethos of Terroir, Purity and Drinkability. If you would like to know more, please get in touch with us.
Ben, Tamsin, Helen and Angus.
Carte Blanche Wines Limited