In today’s wine market dominated by corporate-owned wine factories, it is rare to encounter a man whose family history and character are so completely woven into all its wines. Michel Rolland and his wife Dany recently presented their wines at a dim sum lunch last month at Kee Club in Central. Beyond discussing the technical aspects of his wines, Michel and Dany are oenologist-farmers who love their wines so much that they are more like artists who use their terroir as a canvas for artistic impression.
And like many passionate artists, their work and sense of adventure are never satisfied. They own or work with vineyards and wineries in new and old world locations like France, Spain, Argentina and South Africa. All of their distribution comes under the family banner “Rolland Collection.” The family first acquired their estate around 1920 along the borders of the great terroirs of Pomerol and Saint Emilion in Maillet, France. By 1978, the founder’s two grandsons, Jean-Daniel and Michel Rolland assumed management of the estate.
Rolland's Campo Eliseo vineyard in Toro, Spain established in 2001
By 1986 and 1988, the Rolland’s passion and curiosity for wine making expanded beyond their own properties into the Fronsac region and Cafayate in the north western Argentina. Today, the family collaborates with more than 150 wineries from 13 countries. Michel Rolland explains that, “I’ve led an interesting life between the vine and wine. My timetable is rather complicated- too many hours wasted in cars and airports. But it is entirely devoted to wine - my passion.” Whether they act as partners or consultants, they offer unalloyed enthusiasm for every project. Today, their collection of wines reflects decades of worldwide experience and a passion for extracting the best from every vineyard they embrace.
Grapes harvested from the Mariflor vineyard
A dim sum menu’s wide range of flavours and ingredients fully exploits the collection’s quality and diversity. Yung Kee’s rich, signature roast goose dish and a dim sum platter were both carefully balanced by the complex grapefruit and lemon-lime perfumes of the Mariflor Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from Mendoza, Spain. We were pleasantly surprised how it made a sensible alternative to drinking Chinese tea with dim sum. Then, a Mariflor Pinot Noir 2007 (which was aged for 14 months in oak barrels) from the same vineyard was soft enough to enhance the taste of the scrambled egg whites with crab meat. Just a bit of underlying tannin and plenty of sweet fruit flavours complemented the fresh crab meat. Rolland advised that it shouldn’t be served too cold otherwise the flavours won’t come through.
The highlight of the lunch was the Chateau Fontenil 2000. In 1986, the Rollands acquired a few hectares in Saillans in the south of France, where traditional and sustainable viticulture works alongside new winemaking technologies. This yields strong aromas of fruit and vanilla blended with a long finish of ripe fruits - perfect with the equally powerful and complex dish of sautéed string beans with minced pork and dried shrimps. The Rolland Collection represents a lifelong labour of love by its founders, a prolific body of work that surprises and amuses you at each label.
For more information on The Rolland Collection, visit wwww.rollandcollection.com.
To purchase his bottles, contact local distributor Amorosso Fine Wines Ltd at +852 35905348 or check out www.amorossowines.com.
