WHAT I’VE LEARNED | Michel Rolland
The original ‘flying winemaker’, Michel Rolland is probably the most famous wine consultant in the world. Today, his consultancy advises over 150 estates in 14 countries, notably in Bordeaux (Châteaux Pontet Canet, Figeac and La Conseillante, among others), the US (Harlan, Staglin, Screaming Eagle), Italy (Ornellaia), Chile (Casa Lapostolle), Argentina, South Africa, Spain and India. In addition, over 400 estates engage his Pomerol-based laboratory, Rolland & Associés, for analysis and advice. In December, he visited the London Club to host a Member tasting of his multi-continent Bordeaux blend, Pangaea, which marries wines from five different countries
‘I grew up in Pomerol, so of course I love Merlot. People say that Merlot will become more difficult because of climate change. The climate is definitely changing, but from a winemaking perspective, up until now, it’s been a positive change. We’ve never made such good wine as we are now – all over the world. The only problem is that the climate is continuing to change, and we don’t know for sure where the limit is. I’m 77, and for me, it’ll be fine. For others, we’ll see…’
‘There are some great wines that are organic and biodynamic, but a wine doesn’t become great just because it’s made that way. I’ve had a lot of very good wine in my life, including wines from the 19th century and the great vintages of the 20th century, when none of them were organic.’
‘If we could make wine without any vineyard treatments, I would love that, but in Bordeaux in particular, where there’s an ocean-influenced climate and lots of rain and humidity, it’s difficult. In Argentina, I make a wine called Val de Flores, which has been organic for 12 years. But I don’t put ‘organic’ on the label. There’s so much fake information on labels these days, it doesn’t mean anything.’
‘Yes, I am good at blending wine. But I can’t explain how I do it – there’s no secret. I just see the blend in my head. It’s instinct – like a painter, or a golfer, who has a magic touch. I’m just lucky.’
‘I’ve always been able to do it. When I was younger, and just starting out, I could see the final blend in my head, but I knew that clients wouldn’t take me seriously if I said I’d got it right straightaway. So I would do three or four versions and then say, ‘Yes, that’s it.’ Now, I have 50 years’ experience and everyone knows my name, so I just do it straightaway.’
‘You might think I’m crazy, but I firmly believe that if I made a blend of Lafite, Haut-Brion, Petrus and Cheval Blanc, it would be a better wine than any of them tasted separately.’
‘I may not always seem it, but I am quite humble. I am very honest. I do what I think is best, and I never change my mind. If I’m wrong, I’m honestly wrong. Yes, I got a lot of criticism [around the time of Mondovino, a film which portrayed Rolland as making identikit wines with plush, ripe flavours bolstered by new oak]. But if you have no critics, you may as well not exist. I prefer to exist.’
‘Blending white wine is different. I enjoy it, but it’s more difficult, more technical. The temperature is more important, you need to avoid oxidation, you need to be more precise. Red wine is more instinctive, and I love that.’
‘I was born on Christmas Eve in 1947, the best Right Bank vintage of my lifetime. I’m embarrassed to say that I have tasted the first growths from 1947, side by side, many times. And every time – every time – Cheval Blanc is the best. Number two? Mouton. Number three? Petrus.’
‘1945 is the best on the Left Bank, but it was before I was born, so since then, I would probably say 1982 – but 2022 could challenge that. We’ve had lots of good years recently – 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018… But ‘22, for me, is the best of the lot.’
‘When it comes to drinking wine for pure enjoyment, I am very open-minded. So long as the wine is good quality, I enjoy it. Plavac Mali is a very characteristic red variety from Croatia that I love; Areni in Armenia, too, can make beautiful wine. Sagrantino in Italy used to be almost undrinkable, but today you can get some very pleasurable versions.’
‘What I don’t like is trends. Right now, the fashion is for acidity and greenness. Not for me. My taste is my taste. I’m not saying it’s the only one, or the best one, but I know what I like.’
‘Yes, new oak is going out of fashion, but you have to think about what kind of wine you want. Everybody asks me to make wine to age, and yet people want to drink it after three years. It’s one of my biggest challenges. Who speaks about new oak on a wine after 10 years’ ageing? Nobody. It’s a fake problem.’
‘You can’t truly tell if a wine is really good for at least two years. It’s the same with en primeur. I like the en primeur concept, but only 3% of people are able to appreciate a young Bordeaux. People say, ‘Oh, it’s very oaky, it’s very tannic.’ You’re tasting a Pauillac six months after harvest. Please…’
‘I’ve had many clients who’ve asked me to make a wine that would score 100 points, and I just laugh and say, ‘I’ll try’. I’ve never been fired. But it’s not true that I made wine to suit [Robert] Parker. It’s completely fake. Parker just liked good wine. Lafite always had a very good rating, and I never made that. Petrus had lots of good ratings, and I never made that. So that’s ridiculous. Maybe Parker was ridiculous too, in terms of the amount of influence he had. It was too much.’
‘It’s not possible to make a Saint-Estèphe in Pomerol, or a Pomerol in Saint-Estèphe. We have to make the wine from the region, and that’s not so complicated because the place is always much stronger than the winemaker.’
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TWO
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WITH
Christie Schulz, Turkey Flat
UNDER
THE
SURFACE
Are wineries doing enough to combat climate change?
ON
THE
LIST
Elvio Sgaria