2007 pedestal - 93 Points Aromatically pure and focused, brimming with blackberry and currant fruit shaded with white pepper and allspice.  Hints at wet earth as the finish persists impressively.  It seems like this can go on for a long time in the cellar.  Drink now through 2017.

As with previous vintages, Pedestal is a blend of carefully selected vineyards chosen to create a layered, complex wine. Roughly a third of the grapes were grown either near or on Red Mountain, including such well-known sites as Tapteil Vineyard and Weinbau Vineyard (Wahluke Slope).

 
Michel Rolland is considered by many to be one of the most influential winemakers in the field.  A graduate of the esteemed Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology, he continues to build upon this practical source of knowledge through observations in his own laboratory in Pomerol, France.  He consults for over 100 vintners and vineyards on every continent, producing wines with an alluring style recognized as the “Rolland Method”.
 
Rolland also maintains partnership interests in far-flung regions of the globe, including his involvement with Long Shadows.  His home, however, is in Pomerol, where he owns and manages a number of holdings and fine wine estates: Chateau Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, Chateau Bertineau Saint-Vincent in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Chateau Rolland-Maillet in Saint-Emilion, and Chateau Fontenil in Fronsac.  In addition, Michel manages the Chateau La Grande Clotee in Lussac-Saint-Emilion under a vineyard lease system.
 
Vineyard management techniques championed by Rolland include effeullage (thinning of leaves), and eclaircissage (pruning of clusters), both used to encourage the advent of perfectly ripened grapes. Aging on the lees in new oak barrels and in-barrel malolactic fermentation are also Rolland’s trademarks.
 
However, those who view the “Rolland Method” as a craftsman’s book of recipes have missed the mark. Rolland is not a technician – he is, first and foremost, an observer.  He studies the surround, that is, the blend of personality traits that distinguishes the vintner, the vineyard, and the grower.  In uncanny fashion, Rolland understands the unique culture of the wine - and therefore the nuances that separate an unexciting wine from something quite extraordinary.  It is this ability to understand the wine that makes him such an amazing oenologist.
 
Michel and his wife, Dany (a qualified enologist in her own right), live in Pomerol. Although usually winging his way to a vineyard in some far corner of the world, he makes a point of returning home each year to celebrate the birthdays of his two daughters, Marie and Stephanie.

 

New Release

The 2007 vintage has not yet been submitted for review. Please follow the links to the right to read reviews of previous vintages.