Michel Rolland and the art of blending around the world. One wonders how Rolland was so successful in convincing producers to adopt them. Why did he become so famous?
With a straight face, he ponders,“ Mmm... I don’ t know really. Maybe it’ s because I am... charming?” I laughed at his unexpected answer, which is typical of Michel. Then I considered his response seriously. Perhaps he’ s right— charm resting on a foundation of intricate technical knowledge is a perfect combination.
Michel, in a more serious tone, explains that he thinks there are two reasons for his fame.“ Number one, I have had a coaching role to convince people to change their minds and see a different way of doing things, and the second, because I have a very hard head and I insist, and I won’ t take NO for an answer.” He adds jokingly,“ It took me a lot of time to do this. That is why I am so old now!”
Rolland’ s influence extended from the vineyard into the winery. Bordeaux is essentially a blended wine of at least two grape varieties. The blending requires great skill in the winery. Once upon a time, the final blend for a Bordeaux wine meant that the“ bad” batches or barrels of wine were discarded and the final wine was made only from the good, with no consideration of the final contribution of each grape variety. This certainly made for cleaner wine, but Michel and his professors of enology were among the first to recognize that better wine can be created by selecting just the right combination of grape varieties, much in the manner that a master blender creates the perfect perfume.
While travelling extensively to promote his own wines in the 1980s, Rolland recognized the opportunity to work as a consultant. It quickly became evident that Michel was not the worst blender in the world. His first opportunity arose in the United States and now he consults in thirteen countries. His influence is missing in Australia because“ three continents is enough, and it is already hard enough keeping the jet lag under control.” Michel now has ten assistants who travel independently and consult in the wineries. Things have changed in 20 years. As Michel explains,“ at the beginning, consulting was more difficult, but today it is different. I work for who I like.”
The list of wineries using his consulting services is long and reads like a who’ s who of the wine world. Napa Valley’ s
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