In 1999, Patrick de Suarez d'Aulan co-founded the Alta Vista winery in Argentina. In 2001, he was among the first producers in Argentina to make single-vineyard
Malbec grape wines from specific old vines' terroirs of Mendoza. In 1999, d'Aulan also acquired the Château Sansonnet estate in
Saint-Émilion, France, whose
classification of Saint-Émilion wine had dropped from Grand Cru Classé to Grand Cru in 1996. In 2008, wine critic
Robert Parker praised d'Aulan's "talented" development of Château Sansonnet in the seventh edition of his ''Wine Buyer's Guide''. In 2010, Patrick d'Aulan was appointed as the chairman of Cordier Mestrezat Grands Crus, a wine trading company based in Bordeaux, France. He acquired the company in 2012, and under his leadership, the company expanded its portfolio to include several high-end Bordeaux wines. In recognition of his contributions to the wine industry, d'Aulan has received several awards and honors over the years. In 2016, he was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, one of the highest civilian honors in France. The following year, he was inducted into the French Legion of Honor, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to French culture and society. ==Personal life==