Blending the Rules*
Harpers, June 1997

Renowned in Chablis, Michel Laroche is now also noted for his pioneering work in the Languedoc.  During Vinexpo this week, he talked to Paul Henry about his latest development at Domaine de Chevalière.

Michel Laroche is best known as a keen practitioner of the art of premium Chablis production, although his recent forays into the Languedoc are beginning to foster an equal reputation for being an inventive and adaptable champion of the new generation of French Vin de Pays.

At Domaine la Chevalière, Laroche is working with 20 growers in Languedoc-Roussillon, across a wine-growing area that is three times that of Bordeaux and six times that of Australia.  The centrepiece of the initiative is a refurbished manor house just outside Béziers, surrounded by a 6ha walled vineyard.  An on-going replanting programme is currently introducing a new selection of premium varietals – Roussanne, Vermentino (Rolle), Chardonnay and Viognier for the whites; Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for the reds.  In addition, the areas that Laroche can access are diverse and he can draw from approximately 100,000ha for the red varieties, and 15,000ha for the whites.  The ability to cherry-pick from selected vineyards is designed to give the winemaking team enough latitude to obtain the optimum quality potential when it comes to blending the finished wines.

Speaking at this year's Vinexpo, Laroche explained the move south, as well as his reasons for eschewing the traditional AOC approach.  "In France we have been producing wine for so long that we think we know everything," he said.  "We have lost the ability to ask consumers what they want.  At Laroche we are doing two completely different things, but they should be seen as complementary and not conflicting. In Chablis, we are trying to express unique terroir, and achieving that through using one grape.  The reason for this is simple: Chardonnay is the best grape for Chablis, and the AOC system has got it absolutely right.  The Languedoc initiative is different, it's about askng what the consumer actually wants, and reacting to that demand.  In trying to achieve that, I do not want to be restricted to prescribed varieties, because I believe I can make better wine by claiming the right to use all the varieties available to me, including those outside the traditional rules."

He went on: “In France we have an education or attitude that operates best within a framework, and we tend to have an inbuilt suspicion, or reluctance, of venturing outside that.  At Domaine de Chevalière, we are not trying to challenge the traditional Languedoc producers, we are trying compete against the New World.  What I like about Australia or South Africa is that if you decide to make 200 hectolitres per hectare, or if you decide you need to irrigate or to blend, you can.  I've got no interest in AOC regulations for the Languedoc, and I don't believe that the consumer has either.  Why should they?  Either it is good wine, or it is not.  I am convinced that having the freedom to pick and choose varieties we have the ability to produce the greatest possible quality from the region.  That must be good news for the consumer, and that should be our primary concern."

The new Domaine de Chevalière range is classified as Vin de Pays d'Oc, and will go on-line in the UK from September 1997, through Laroche’s UK agent, Percy Fox.

* This article has been reprinted with the permission of Harpers.Certain sections have been highlighted by our webmaster for your convenience.

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