This special project of the Bordeaux negociant, Bordeaux Millesimes (called Once Upon a Wine), and its proprietor, Dominique Renard, was originally labeled “The Winemakers’ Collection, Episode 1," but the name had to be changed. As I wrote last year, in each vintage, one of the world’s greatest winemakers (Michel Rolland in 2005 and Denis Dubordieu in 2006) is chosen to focus on a single parcel of a given terroir, in this case, Chateau d’Arsac. Five-thousand cases will be produced in 2005, and everything, including viticulture, fermentation, upbringing, and bottling, is being controlled by the chosen winemaker who has full control over the winemaking team, the yields, the choice of fermenters, the style and type of barrels, the time in oak, and the manner in which the wine is bottled. Michel Rolland was fortunate to be chosen in 2005 as this is an exceptional vintage. It boasts classic richness, deep, smoky, black currant and sweet cherry fruit, a gorgeously opulent texture, decent acidity, high but sweet tannin, and a seamless, full-throttle mouthfeel. This stunning effort competes with some of Bordeaux’s finest wines. It should age effortlessly for 15 or more years.
I think it is a brilliant idea....ROLLAND lucked out with a great vintage to start...but the idea of the world greatest talents (and in some cases egos as well) working with the same terroir each year...having carte blanche authority to do whatever they want.....should lead to some fascinating tastings in 10-20 years.....and keep in mind....the folks behind this intend to recruit the likes of California super-stars like Krankl,Turley,Foley,Aubert, etc......to produce future vintages…
"This exciting, totally new concept will be fascinating to follow over the ensuing years. The negociant firm of Bordeaux Millesimes decided to launch a wine with a cinematic approach, choosing one of the world's great winemakers to focus on a single terroir, in this case the vineyard of Chateau d'Arsac in the southern Medoc, and produce 5,000 cases with no compromises. Everything is done at the discretion of the winemaker, from yields, the choice of fermenters, the type of barrels, the time in oak, and the manner in which the wine is bottled. The winemaker will change each year.
Episode 1, is produced by Michel Rolland, whose serious image appears on the label. The winemaker for Episode 2 will be the well-known University of Bordeaux professor, Denis Dubourdieu. The choice for Episode 3 will apparently be one of California's greatest winemakers, assuming the details can be worked out. The following years will be handled by some of the great winemakers of France, California, Italy, Spain, Australia, and elsewhere. All will be utilizing the same terroir, but will obviously be faced with vintage variations, yet will have carte blanche to do whatever they want. Since these winemakers all possess brilliant resumes (and egos to match in some cases), this will be a serious competition among the creme de la creme. Michel Rolland has already set the bar at an enormously high level. This is a spectacularly rich, dense, opulent, potentially long-lived wine. I do not know the exact blend, but it appears to be a primarily Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee. Super-endowed with seamlessly integrated tannin, wood, and acidity, this stunning effort should compete with the finest wines of the vintage.
