Dear wine friends,
Last
week I did a presentation on French Wines at the Embassade de France in
Washington DC. Of course, the iconic wines of Bordeaux played an
important part in this tasting. My focus here was on the art of blending
so important for the unique taste of red Bordeaux wines.
Little did I
know that exactly a week after this tasting, Michel Rolland, the person
so instrumental in changing global viticultural standards and perfecting
the blending style of Bordeaux wines, would leave us.
We
met Michel Rolland once during one of my wine tours to Bordeaux when
visiting Château Leoville-Poyferré in St-Julien.
However, I have a
different memory of the world of Michel Rolland. On every wine tour to
Bordeaux, I organize a wine pairing lunch at Château Le Bon Pasteur in
Pomerol with Dany Rolland, Michel’s wife, an accomplished oenologist
herself. Château Le Bon Pasteur is an iconic wine estate located at the
junction of the famous terroirs of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion and the
boyhood home of Michel Rolland. It is here where Michel Rolland grew up
in the middle of a sea of vines, the smell of ripening grapes,
fermenting grape juices, and the cluttering noises of the work in the
barrel cellar. Around 1978 Michel and Dany started Rolland Laboratories
in Libourne which morphed into the consultant business that advised
generations of growers and winemakers on vineyard, cellar management
techniques, and blending processes that were considered over the top at
that time.
The
wine pairing lunches with Dany Rolland at Château Le Bon Pasteur are
one of the highlights of my wine tours to Bordeaux. My next Bordeaux
tour will be in 2027 (Tue, August 31 – Thu, September 09, 2027 - mark
your calendars!). It will be with a heavy heart to return to Château Le
Bon Pasteur knowing that Dany lost her husband and partner in their
world of wine. Rest in Peace Michel Rolland, and my deepest sympathy
goes to Dany Rolland and their daughters and grandchildren.
Enjoy this beautiful, sunny, warm Sunday
Best
Annette
WINE EDUCATION /// WINE TOURS
Annette Schiller, Diplom-Volkswirt
Professional Member and Wine Educator
American Wine Society AWS
German Wine Society, Capital Chapter
Total Immersioin in Bordeaux: World
Class Wines and Exquisite French Gourmet Cuisine - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Total Immersion in Bordeaux: World Class Wines and Exquisite French Gourmet Cuisine - Bordeaux Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Total Immersion in Bordeaux: World Class Wines and Exquisite French Gourmet Cuisine - Bordeaux Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Total Immersion in Bordeaux: World Class Wines and Exquisite French Gourmet Cuisine - Bordeaux Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
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