Michel Rolland, a famous oenologist, spends almost half of his life travelling: he consults wine manufacturers all over the world. He’s a cult personality, goes under the name of the "flyting winemaker" and his name on the bottle the highest quality trademark.
Rolland and his family own wineries in France. They’re the birthplace of such spectacular wines as Chateau La Grande Clotte 2005 AOC Bordeaux Blanc; Chateau Bertineau Saint Vincent 2003 AOC Lalande de Pomerol, Château Le Bon Pasteur 2001 AOC Pomerol, Château Rolland Maillet 2004 AOC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru and Le Defi de Fontenil 2000 Vin de Table Français. Michel Rolland co-owns the wineries in Spain, South Africa and Argentina that make the wonderful Campo Eliseo 2003 D.O. Toro, Bonne Nouvelle 2002 Stellenbosch, Yacochuya 2003 Cafayate and Val de Flores 2004 Mendoza.
- You were born in Pomerol and raised on local wines. Did it influence your taste?
- Yes, I was born into a wine making family; my grandfather had grown grapes at Chateau Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol since 1920. I graduated from the Bordeaux Oenology Institute and dreamt of new winemaking technologies. I was lucky to have studied with Professor Peynaud who says that the mission of an oenologist is to persuade the client into following knowledgeable advice. The key to successful oenologist’s work is to build mutual trust, our professional mission is to produce not the greatest but the best of wines.
With all the variety of tastes, including those formed from childhood, there’s an invariable pattern as far as wine is concerned. Here’s the example. We all have our own assumptions and each winemaker has his or her own concept of winemaking. But when in Bordeaux we gather at the same table with clients and colleagues we realize that we like the same wines. In other words, we like fine-quality wines regardless of their region. As far as my personal taste is concerned, I prefer tender and rounded wines with soft tannins. Wine is the essence of pleasure, it can be different, but the quality should be invariably good.
– Which of your achievements are especially meaningful to you?
(Michel Rolland contributed to creating many a top-class wine, including Pavie and L’Evangile that got 95-100 points in the rating of the Wine Spectator, an influential wine magazine. He cooperates with Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Angélus, Certan de May, Clinet, Le Gay, Lascombes, Péby-Faugères, Magrez Fombrauge, Pape Clément, Rouget, Troplong-Mondot and other wineries, all in all over 100 wineries from 17 world countries. – auth.)
- It’s a pleasure that I had an opportunity to influence the great Bordeaux winery, to persuade the local winemakers that they should gather riper grapes, which significantly improved the quality of wine. Besides, I took part in making the most expensive wine in the US – Californian Harlan Estate. I managed to vinificate almost all grape varieties, even those in India, Hungary, Argentina and South Africa.
– Does the style of Michel Rolland change with time?
– Yes, because slowly or quickly time changes too, and everything in the world with it. It is important to keep up with the progress, change of tastes and fashion. 20 years ago fine wines had to be straightforward and stern, and we had to wait for the tannins to become so rounded that the wine could be drunk. But now people wish to see more elegant wine: maybe that’s because their culinary preferences have changed as well. The cuisine gets more and more refined, but the wine is made to match the food. It means that we need to adjust the technology. I try not to miss the new trends.
– Which wines would you recommend to our readers for Christmas and New Year celebration?
- When serving a special occasion meal do not forget the classic rule: first serve fine subtle white wine, besides champagne, of course. The feast can be continued with elegant red and completed with weighty, fine, mature red. In the end it’s holiday and we’re supposed to afford very fine wine! I think that regardless of culinary traditions these simple rules followed at special holiday occasions suit every cuisine.
– What else would you like to achieve in your life?
- I haven’t grown tired of life yet and I hope to do much more for those who love fine wine. If one day I’m offered to set up a winery on the Moon, I’d be delighted to go there.
Larisa Korobkova
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