Remembering Sam Neill, 1947 – 2026

The actor and winemaker Sam Neill passed away on 13 July in Sydney, Australia.

Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill grew up in New Zealand and became a passionate ambassador for the country's wines. He bought his first vineyard in Central Otago in 1991 and established Two Paddocks winery in 1993, which is now one of New Zealand's most respected wine brands.

Earlier this month, he was recognised as a Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers for promoting New Zealand wine. He was due to be inducted at a celebration dinner at the end of August.

The organisation commented: 'As an internationally acclaimed actor and tireless advocate for the industry over many years, Sam has generously used his profile, talents, and distinctive voice to promote New Zealand wine, bringing authenticity, warmth and global attention to the people, places, and stories behind the industry.'

Neill was known for his role as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films, as well as numerous other film and TV appearances including The Piano, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October and Peaky Blinders.

Decanter magazine published this interview with him in its July 2026 edition, where he discussed his wine lineage, his fondness for big Aussie reds, and how a producer once tried to woo him with two bottles of Latour 1964.

On the rack: Sam Neill on his love of wine

Interview by Lucy Shaw. As featured in Decanter magazine's July 2026 issue.

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Early years at Château des Tours

Emmanuel spent his early winemaking career in Sarrians at the family’s Vacqueyras estate, Château des Tours.

This property was obtained by Emmanuel’s grandfather Louis Reynaud in the 1930s, who had entrusted it to Emmanuel’s father, Bertrand Reynaud, who in turn handed it to Emmanuel.

Emmanuel helped build the winery at Château des Tours in 1989; until then, the fruit was delivered to a local co-operative.

It was at Château des Tours that he made his first wines and honed his style.

Taking on Rayas and Fonsalette

During this time, the family’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate, Château Rayas, was managed by Emmanuel’s uncle, Jacques Reynaud.

Following Jacques’ sudden death in 1997, Château Rayas, and the family’s other property, Château de Fonsalette (located further north in the village of Lagarde-Paréol), were passed down to Emmanuel. He continued to manage Château des Tours alongside them.

Emmanuel was a discreet man who prioritised the close management of his three estates over travelling the world to promote his wines. He didn’t have to: the world came to him. Or at least it tried to; securing a visit at Château Rayas has always been notoriously difficult.

Emmanuel didn’t tolerate lateness and he didn’t suffer fools gladly. But he could be welcoming to those learning the profession.

I remember the first time I visited Emmanuel at Rayas. During the first half of the visit he was combative, asking pointed questions about my motivation for visiting and my understanding of the Rhône. Once I had passed the test – and it did feel like a test – he was cheerful and friendly. From that point on he was always welcoming.

An inimitable style

Emmanuel stamped his unmistakable winemaking signature across all of his wines, and winemakers around the world have cited him as an inspiration. Especially those working with Grenache, the most important grape variety in all of his three estates.

Although much imitated, Emmanuel’s style has never been truly mastered by anyone else; it remains unique in the world of wine. So much so, his wines can often be identified by their aroma alone – an ineffable perfume combining strawberries, honey, rose petals, mint and dried herbs.

No wonder they became so keenly sought after, fetching some of the highest prices for Rhône wines at auction.

They might be easy to identify, but quite how he achieved such heights is less clear. He was always the last to pick in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, favouring very ripe grapes, and liked to wait until after the rain before harvesting. He extracted very lightly and never used new oak. But he wisely kept his biggest secrets to himself.

Rayas has always been a mysterious estate. Emmanuel helped to perpetuate the legend – and the quality.

The Decanter team sends its condolences to his wife and children.

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From smuggling Burgundian plant material to pioneering the use of new oak in red winemaking, Jan Boland Coetzee’s legacy was defined by courage and a deep connection to the land.

‘Wine is a mirror of the environment. You need to listen to the voice of the land,’ Coetzee once said.

The voice of the land

Coetzee played flank for the Springboks from 1974 to 1976. The day after his passing, the team faced New Zealand, opening with a moment of silence in his honour. He must have been the extra fire in the team’s boots, because they handed the All Blacks their heaviest defeat in history.

Adi Badenhorst, the well-known wine producer behind his family label, had known Coetzee all his life through their fathers’ friendship, and says he had a profound influence on him.

‘Jan was one of those complete enigmas, a deep thinker behind a gruff exterior,’ said Badenhorst. ‘When he spoke, his knowledge of South African farming, wine, and his sense of humour kept us listening for hours, especially to stories of him growing up on the West Coast.’

Early roots in the Cape

The Coetzee lineage runs deep in the Cape, tracing back to 1679 when the family arrived in Table Bay.

From Stellenbosch’s Coetzenburg the family moved to the West Coast and was among the first to farm Grenache in Piekenierskloof.

Generations later Coetzee was born into humble circumstances. From modest beginnings he went on to Stellenbosch University, where he deepened his connection to wine and excelled on the rugby field, graduating with a degree in oenology.

He began his winemaking career at Kanonkop in 1967, and in 1973 produced the estate’s first vintage. Drawing on friendships with Bordeaux coopers he made during his rugby days in France, he introduced barriques to Kanonkop.

In 1980 he bought Vriesenhof on the slopes of Stellenbosch’s Paradyskloof, releasing the farm’s first vintage the following year. Here, he worked with Pinot Noir and Grenache long before they were fashionable.

Chardonnay, by any means necessary

During this time, white winemaking at the Cape was largely limited to Chenin Blanc and Colombard. Coetzee, a lover of Burgundy, was determined to change that.

He moved his family of five to Beaune. From there he began sending Chardonnay plant material back to South Africa, tucked into chocolate boxes, hidden in jacket linings, and even smuggled in nappies.

Illegal as it was, the rumours soon reached the bureaucrats. In 1986, Coetzee and his fellow conspirators were summoned before a Commission of Enquiry. Instead of prison time, the embargo was lifted and the case inspired the formation of the Vine Improvement Association (VIA).

Around this time his family grew, too; another son was born, bringing the total to four children.

Decades later, his grandchildren share in his legacy. Badenhorst recalled, ‘He was a wonderful grandfather to my children. I’m grateful he had the chance to know them. When a man like Jan leaves his mark, it burns deep, and you are never the same again.

‘I’ll miss sitting with him on the stoep, sipping Vriesenhof Chardonnay, talking about Burgundy, climate change and the great South African vintages. His knowledge was profound. He could recall the exact rainfall of February 1977.’

Badenhorst added, ‘A massive tree has fallen, whose roots have touched thousands of people, both inspiring and disrupting the status quo. That’s my Jan Boland Coetzee. I’ll miss him immensely.’

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Gone too soon but not without a fight, Laurent Chaniac (18 June 1970 – 7 July 2025), has left a gaping hole in our industry. Loved the world over by many hospitality peers, wine industry professionals and guests, as a husband and father and as a friend. A calm and determined man, Laurent remained optimistic and stoic till the end.

A kind man with a warm smile and a charming sense of humour, Laurent contributed greatly to the art of hospitality service and sommellerie. As a wine consultant in London, Laurent become very popular at offering ultimate wine and food experiences, with a particular focus on cuisine where spices were the drive.

His love for hospitality teamwork, for wine and winemakers was infectious. The ever-professional sommelier wine buyer, Laurent guaranteed respect, courtesy and honesty to all he crossed paths with, never patronising nor intimidating, he simply found ways to work harmoniously for the greater good with ease.

Laurent worked as general manager for some of London’s finest dining establishments for over 25 years, including L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, The Square, Harrods, The Stafford Hotel and later for The Cinnamon Club and The Cinnamon Kitchen.

With expertise, Laurent pioneered an unprecedented taste revolution through matching wines to high-end Indian cuisine. Constantly researching and exploring how to create new wine-and-food experiences, matching spices, regional flavours, contemporary cuisine, and wines through contrast, harmony and natural perspectives.

Results of Laurent’s contribution to the renovation of the London Cinnamon Club wine lists were well noted, where he worked alongside chef Vivek Singh, one of the first chefs to put Indian fine dining on the map, designing ad-hoc dishes matched to specific wines in order for the wine to become the seasoning element of the food.

Laurent’s knowledge of wine spanned worldwide from classics regions to the lesser known, including countries such as Georgia, Croatia and Luxembourg. As well as understanding conventional styles, Laurent appreciated wines with a natural character, as he developed a deep knowledge and understanding of organic and biodynamic principles and methods.

In 2017, Wine List Confidential magazine placed Chaniac’s wine list for Cinnamon Club at number 6, in a list of 350 top London restaurants. A longstanding wine judge at DWWA since 2006, Laurent was also a sake sommelier.

On 10 July in the Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata in Noto, Sicily, Laurent was remembered as loved ones gathered and surrounded him with love and respect as he was finally laid to rest. He is survived by his loving wife and young daughter.

From the outpouring of comments on social media and conversations had with many of Laurent’s peers and close friends since, he is no doubt greatly missed and will be long remembered.

The hospitality and wine industry extends its deepest of sincere condolences to Laurent’s family and friends. Thank you for being you Laurent. The gift of your light, your warmth, your sincerity, your humility and the kind experiences which you brought so many we’ll never forget.

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Château Pavie confirmed via its social media channels that the visionary vintner, who transformed Château Pavie into one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated estates, passed away on Saturday, 19 July, 2025.

Perse’s remarkable journey from humble beginnings to a towering figure in the world of wine leaves an enduring legacy in St-Émilion and beyond.

Born in 1949 in Paris to a large, modest family, Perse’s early life was marked by determination and hard work. He left school at 15 and worked alongside his father before launching a fruit and vegetable business.

A former professional cyclist, he channeled his competitive spirit into a successful career in the retail sector, building a chain of supermarkets with his wife, Chantal. Eventually employing over 1,000 people, Perse sold the company and turned his attention to viticulture.

His passion for wine, sparked during business trips to Bordeaux, led him to St-Émilion, where he acquired Château Monbousquet in 1993. Five years later, in 1998, he purchased the historic but struggling estate Château Pavie from the Valette family for a reported $31m. It was an ambitious move that marked the beginning of one of the region’s most significant transformations in modern times.

With relentless energy and significant investment, Perse revitalised Château Pavie, overseeing extensive vineyard replanting, reducing yields, and modernising vineyard practises – to rebuild the estate’s reputation.

Perse’s vision also extended beyond the vineyard. He demolished the original winery and in 2012 unveiled a striking marble-clad facility designed by Alfredo Pinto. 

His meticulous approach to the estate’s terroir – predominantly spanning St-Émilion’s famous limestone plateau and clay slopes, as well as sandy foothills – elevated the wine’s quality, culminating in its promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A in the 2012 St-Émilion classification, a status reaffirmed in 2022 – both of which he was immensely proud.

Speaking to Decanter in 2012, he said; ‘As soon as I heard the news, I was overcome with emotion. I’m very happy and proud to have invested in an appellation as courageous as St-Émilion, which submits itself to this 10-yearly classification.’

Under his stewardship, Château Pavie became synonymous with finesse, complexity, and vibrant fruit although his approach drew both admiration and controversy. He brought in consultant Michel Rolland, shifted Pavie’s style toward ripe, concentrated, New World influenced wines, and embraced techniques such as green harvesting and malolactic fermentation to craft high‑scoring vintages.

His tireless efforts helped restore not only Pavie’s reputation, but also elevated the standing of the Right Bank in general. Perse was clear in his mission: to produce structured, long-ageing Bordeaux with the kind of power and finesse he admired in old bottles from the 1950s and 1960s.

While some critics debated the style, few questioned the quality or the results. Particularly in recent years, which have seen further consolidation and evolution.

In 2022, Perse reintegrated the vineyards of Château Pavie-Decesse and Château Bellevue-Mondotte into the Pavie footprint, bringing the total estate to 42 hectares. Adjustments in viticulture and winemaking have also followed – including reduced new oak use, earlier picking and shorter macerations – allowing the terroir’s complexity to shine with greater clarity. Pavie today retains its power, but now with more freshness and nuance.

Beyond his winemaking achievements which also include ownership of the new St-Émilion Grand Cru Classé Château Monbousquet, and a vineyard on the Sainte-Colombe plateau – the highest point of the Côtes de Castillon – from which the Clos Lunelles bottling is made, Perse’s entrepreneurial vision extended to hospitality and gastronomy.

Alongside Chantal, their daughter Angélique, and son-in-law Henrique Da Costa, he developed Perse Latitudes, an empire encompassing the luxurious Hôtel de Pavie in St-Émilion as well as the estate’s restaurant, La Table de Pavie, which earned two Michelin stars under chef Yannick Alléno. They also own the L’Envers du Décor restaurant, which was taken over in 2017, cementing the UNESCO-protected village as a destination for wine and fine dining.

Perse continued to be a passionate cyclist, known for racing regularly well into his later years, and remained close to the vineyards he helped elevate.

His legacy is one of ambition and excellence, transforming the neglected estate into a benchmark of quality. He is survived by his wife, Chantal, their daughter, Angélique, son-in-law, Henrique, and their grandchildren, who continue to nurture the family’s vineyards. His contributions to Bordeaux’s wine culture and St-Émilion’s global reputation will resonate for generations.

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A passionate freediver with over fifteen years experience, Panaïotis’ death during a training exercise in Rochefontaine, Belgium was reported by diving club Reims Palmes Apnée on Sunday. In a statement, Maison Ruinart remembered a ‘brilliant oenologist and a man of great warmth and attentiveness’, who ’embodied the spirit of Champagne with both elegance and humility worldwide’.

Panaïotis joined Ruinart as chef de cave in 2007 after 12 years in the winemaking team at Veuve Clicquot, before which he completed stints with the technical team at the CIVC (Champagne’s governing body) as well as in California. He quickly made a mark at Ruinart, honing the research the Maison was doing on cork tirage – or bottling long-ageing cuvées under cork rather than crown caps for the secondary fermentation – culminating in the first full bottling of a Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs under cork in 2010.

The resulting wine has widely been viewed as one of the most remarkable Champagne releases of the past decade; leading Champagne critic and author Essi Avellan MW wrote that Panaïotis ‘lifted this already superlative cuvée to the next level’, also reporting that he believed ‘the best Dom Ruinarts are still in the cellars’.

Panaïotis’ technical flair extended beyond the realms of the cellar, though. Visits to Ruinart would often delve into meticulous research on everything from vintage weather patterns to the effects of hedgerows and agroforestry on the grapes, soils and microclimate of Ruinart’s ‘laboratory’ vineyard in the village of Taissy. Ever the empiricist, Panaïotis was always clear-minded about his commitments: ‘We don’t do these things just to make better wine,’ he said during a visit to the estate in 2024. ‘We do it for the land of Champagne, and for the planet.’

His open-mindedness led to the development of Ruinart’s highly imaginative ‘Blanc Singulier’ which, in Panaïotis’ words, ‘tries to answer the question of what Blanc de Blancs might look like in the future’. Indeed it is Panaïotis’ mastery of Chardonnay, the grape of his grandparents’ village in Villers-Marmery on the Montagne de Reims, that many in the region will remember him for through his work on the ever-popular Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Dom Ruinart cuvées.

‘Whatever the topic, he was inquisitive, open-minded, simple and modest despite his immense knowledge,’ said friend and fellow Chardonnay specialist Rodolphe Péters of Champagne Petérs in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, remembering ‘a sincere friend who many of us are mourning today’.

Panaïotis straddled the worlds of cellar technician and spokesperson with a rare adeptness, and was ‘one of Champagne’s all-time best communicators’ according to Avellan. Julia Scavo, winner of the Ruinart Sommelier Challenge in 2018, remembered Panaïotis as a ‘luminary and a guide’ in her discovery of the region, a ‘storyteller and mentor, rendering his work and research transparent to the mentees he shaped’.

‘Fred was brilliant, obviously,’ said Christian Holthausen of Westbrook Marketing Partners, who worked with Panaïotis at Veuve Clicquot before commencing a long personal and professional friendship. ‘He would organise these private tastings where some of the very best winemakers in Champagne would come to taste wines from other parts of the world. I was very lucky to be included, and I am not even a winemaker! Fred just wanted us to learn, and to be open to the outside world. That is rare in Champagne.’

Péters echoed the sentiment. ‘He combined the widest possible wine culture with a great analytical finesse’, paying tribute to ‘a great teacher and a marvellous standard bearer’ for Ruinart and Champagne as a whole.

‘But Fred was much more than that,’ Péters recalled. ‘Above all, he was a free soul.’

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The mayor of Savennières said that ‘the local profession is stunned’ by the passing of Evelyne de Pontbriand, who died in her sleep on 5 November in Angers.

Evelyne de Pontbriand was born into a distinguished family of female vigneronnes in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Although she initially pursued a career in education, she returned to her ancestral home in 2001 to take over the family business, Domaine du Closel – Château des Vaults.

Her mother, Michèle Bazin de Jessey, handed her the reins, and that marked the beginning of a transformative chapter for Domaine du Closel and the wider Savennières appellation in the Loire Valley.

Evelyne de Pontbriand brought a new lease of life to the historic family estate, which can trace its roots back to the 15th century.

She placed a heavy emphasis on sustainability, and she set about converting the vineyards to organic and biodynamic production.

Another key focus was expression of terroir, so she partnered with a renowned local geologist to catalogue and study each vineyard parcel in painstaking detail.

Meanwhile, she overhauled the winemaking process. Her move to a natural approach in the cellar, employing indigenous yeasts and minimal sulphur, underscored her mission to craft wines that truly captured the essence of Savennières.

‘Being as close as possible to the rhythms that affect both the vine and the wine produced from it, helping the vine to help itself, to use living things to perpetuate life, seemed to me to be the path to excellence,’ she told Decanter.com in 2020.

Her wines earned strong reviews and high scores from critics, which helped to put Savennières on the map.

She was equally adept at the commercial side of the business, establishing new markets and bolstering sales across Europe, North America and Asia.

Evelyne de Pontbriand served as the president of the Savennières appellation from 2008 to 2016.

Midway through her tenure, she told wholesaler Louis Dressner: ‘When I was first elected, I wasn’t too sure what I was supposed to do. So I decided to gather all the vignerons, get them drunk, and asked what they expected of me. It worked out great.

‘We debated on what we expected of our appellation, and I suppose this is the role of the president: to create an identity and to communicate it to the rest of the world.’

Her leadership inspired a renewed focus on Chenin Blanc, while also boosting wine tourism in the region. She said she felt ‘a great ambiance between everyone in Savennières’ during her time in charge of the appellation.

She also co-founded the Académie du Chenin, hosted the first international congress of Chenin Blanc, and served as a tireless champion of the grape variety on the global stage.

Beverley Blanning MW, wine writer and Decanter contributor, paid tribute to de Pontbriand on Instagram: ‘A pioneer of the Savennières appellation, she was a woman of great energy, passion, kindness and humour.

‘She always made time to talk and to taste, always with her characteristic, infectious smile.’

Evelyne de Pontbriand is survived by her husband, Gael de Pontbriand, her four children – Isaure, Gersende, Romuald and Aymeric – and six grandchildren.

In a statement, her family said it remains ‘committed to honouring Evelyne’s legacy in Savennières, ensuring her vision and passion live on’.

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Wine producers and military colleagues paid tribute to Captain Arsen Fedosenko, who was working as a photographer for the Ukrainian armed forces’ strategic communications department.

He was wounded in the Kharkiv region in June, and died in hospital one day later, said Wines of Ukraine, which represents several producers in the country.

A funeral service was held in Kyiv on 13 June, as reported by Canada’s CBC News, with a selection of his photos also on display.

Fedosenko joined the Ukrainian army as a correspondent in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February, and used his photography skills to document life on the frontline. 

However, he had been a photographer for more than two decades. He became closely connected to Ukraine’s wine sector, earning plaudits for his work charting the country’s winemakers and vineyards.

‘I want the world to fall in love with Ukrainian wine through art photography,’ said Fedosenko in his nominee profile on the Wine Travel Awards website.

Wines of Ukraine, which is headed by Svitlana Tsybak of Beykush Winery, described Fedosenko as a talented photographer, designer and artist, as well as a passionate wine enthusiast and aspiring winemaker. 

‘He took hundreds of wonderful photos of the vineyards, wineries and winemakers, and was planning to publish a photo book about Ukrainian craft winemaking,’ the group said. 

‘Arsen visited over 30 wineries located throughout Ukraine and laid his own vineyard in 2019. His works were exhibited in Ukraine and abroad.

‘He also created labels and logos for several wineries, [and] hosted wine tastings and wine lectures, promoting Ukrainian wines. His creative impact in the development of Ukrainian winemaking can’t be overestimated.’

Fedosenko had a wife and two sons, the group said. ‘The Wines of Ukraine team, along with Arsen‘s family, friends and colleagues and all Ukrainian winemakers, will keep his memory alive.’

Fedosenko was the 82nd media worker killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion back in 2022, said the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), a Ukrainian non-governmental organisation. Ten of those people died ‘while performing editorial assignments’, it said.

IMI cited a Telegram post by the Ukrainian armed forces’ strategic communications department that paid tribute to Fedosenko’s character and dedication.

Military casualty figures for Ukraine and Russia are difficult to confirm. In February 2024, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

A May 2024 report from the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said there had been 32,989 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022, including 11,126 people killed and 21,863 people injured.

Arsen Fedosenko’s photography appears in Decanter’s recent sponsored guide to the wines of Ukraine, created in partnership with Beykush Winery, Big Wines, SHABO and Vinos de La Luz.

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After a long battle with lung cancer, Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, founder of the eponymous Rioja estate, passed away in Barcelona, where he was undergoing treatment, at the age of 73. His death was announced on Tuesday prompting immediate and heartfelt reactions from all those who worked and interacted with him throughout his illustrious, if unconventional, career.

‘Fernando leaves an incredible legacy, both professionally and personally, inextricably linked to the history of Rioja and Spanish wine,’ said Jose Ramón Urtasun, general manager of Remírez de Ganuza. ‘He led all our harvests, including 2023. The vineyards were his passion and the focus of all his energy.’

A path of his own

Remírez de Ganuza helped to define the present and future of modern Rioja, with an idiosyncratic approach that questioned many of the assumptions that constrained the region’s wine output in the late 1980s and 90s – prompting debates that, in light of recent developments within the DOCa, are still topical today. ‘In the 1990s, Rioja was an extremely traditional region, where wine production was led by local families. Fernando’s arrival represented the beginning of a revolution,’ said Urtasun.

Born in Navarra 1951, to a family dedicated to the production and retail of cured meats and sausages, Remírez de Ganuza went on to study technical drawing – a skill that would prove particularly useful in his later chapter as ‘bodeguero’. His inquisitive nature made him quit school at the age of 21, marking the beginning of an entrepreneurial path that culminated in the foundation of the Rioja estate in 1989. Before then, Remírez de Ganuza spent 20 years working as a vineyard broker and agent in Rioja, facilitating more than 2.700 transactions, of which some are of rare importance to the region (the best example is perhaps the arrival of the Vega Sicilia-Rothschild joint venture, now producing the Macán label).

Passion and ingenuity

Over two decades of intense commercial activity, Remírez de Ganuza developed in-depth knowledge of the region’s terroirs and a fierce passion for its incredible stock of old vines. Thus were defined the foundations of the Remírez de Ganuza estate and of its founder’s obsession: selecting the best vineyards and grapes to produce high-quality wines only.

His lack of viticultural and oenological training on the one hand, and his status as an ‘outsider’ not bound to family traditions on the other hand, required Remírez de Ganuza to learn through experimentation while also allowing him to freely question techniques that, in his view, did not do justice to the quality of the fruit. Armed with ingenuity and drafting skills, he created some of his own, then pioneering, equipment – such as a selection table and grape press – which would go on to be used by other Rioja producers. The focus on precision and careful selection steered the development of a portfolio that now counts 10 labels, including sommelier favourites Trasnocho and Fincas de Ganuza.

In 2010, Remírez de Ganuza sold a 50% stake of the winery to the Sidercom group, owned by the Urtasun family. In 2019, the group purchased the remaining half of the business; however Fernando Remírez de Ganuza remained closely involved in the estate’s operations and production process. Having worked alongside Remírez de Ganuza for the past 14 years, Urtasun will remain at the helm of the estate and winery, now without its founder to guide him through the perils of each vintage. ‘He leaves an unfillable void,’ said Urtasun.

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Chiarlo was famous for vinifying the essence of Piedmont and bringing Barolo, Moscato and Barbera d’Asti to the world.

He was born on May 25, 1935, and he grew up in Calamandrana. His parents were grape growers, and he helped out on their land in the Piedmont hills.

Chiarlo eventually convinced his father, Pietro, to enrol him in the oenological school in Alba. His father agreed, on the condition that he always work hard to better himself.

It proved to be a shrewd decision, as Chiarlo went on to become one of the most renowned winemakers in the world.

He studied alongside fellow luminaries such as Pietro Ratti, Ezio Rivella, Franco Ziliani, Giuliano Noè and Giacomo Tachis in Alba.

In 1956 Chiarlo took his first steps as an entrepreneur, opening a bottling business with his sister.

He simultaneously managed the family’s farmhouse and vineyards, and he bottled and sold his first Barolo cru in 1958.

Throughout the 1960s, Chiarlo worked tirelessly to promote the wines of Piedmont in export markets, with a particular focus on northern Europe and the Americas.

In 1972, he opened a new winery in Calamandrana. Over the subsequent decades, he built up the family estate via several acquisitions, selecting the best parcels of land in Langhe, Monferrato and Gavi.

His meticulous and patient approach allowed him to secure some of the most prestigious land in Piedmont.

Chiarlo continued to innovate, and in 1974 he unveiled a Barbera made using malolactic fermentation, helping to create wines with greater stability, lower acidity and more accessibility in their youth.

He served as the president of the local consortium for Barbera d’Asti during the 1980s. In 1987, he was among the founders of the Consorzio Grandi Vini, the first nationwide trade group dedicated to promoting Italian wine around the world.

At the same time, his expansion drive continued, and he secured plots of land producing world-class Barolo crus, including vineyards such as Cerequio and Cannubi.

His two sons joined the family business in the 1990s, with Stefano handling viticulture and vinification, and Alberto working in sales and marketing.

Chiarlo went on to play a key role in establishing the Nizza DOCG in Piedmont in 2014, one of many achievements of his career.

The family-run company that bears his name now owns 110ha in the region, including areas of DOCG Barolo, DOCG Barbaresco, DOCG Nizza and DOCG Gavi.

Only native grapes are grown – Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cortese and Muscat – and each vineyard parcel at Michele Chiarlo is vinified separately.

The top two vineyards, Cerequio and La Court, are now recognised as UNESCO world heritage sites.

Chiarlo continued running the business alongside his two sons until he passed away peacefully at his home. He is survived by his wife, Giuseppina, and his sons, Alberto and Stefano.

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Chelini made his name in Napa at Stony Hill, where he was a longstanding winemaker, moving there with his wife Kathleen and their family in 1972. Chelini began at Stony Hill in the vineyard manager role before becoming the winemaker. Born in Sonoma in 1948, he and Kathy came to Napa in 1970, beginning his wine career in the Valley at Sterling Vineyards as an assistant winemaker.

Chelini would go on to craft wines and, ultimately, the reputation of Stony Hill as one of the Napa Valley’s most iconic Chardonnay producers. Crafting long ageing wines that reflected the terroir of the Spring Mountain vineyards from which they came. Eschewing oaky Chardonnay, Chelini made wines of precision and focus, making his first Chardonnay in 1973. Mike would go on to be the longest-tenured winemaker in Napa at Stony Hill until the sale of the estate in 2019.

When Stony Hill was sold, Chelini went on to partner with Trinchero Family Estates in a mentoring role, working with Napa’s next generation of winemakers. He worked with young winemaker Matt Torres, his protégé, teaching his approach to crafting Chardonnays of precision and balance for Trinchero’s Protégé wine brand. The wines are a result of their relationship and Chelini’s giving approach to mentorship.

Chelini was a proud family man, steeped in his Italian-American culture; he is survived by his wife Kathleen Ann (Ragghianti), his children, daughters Misha and Missy Gott, and his son Rico, seven grandchildren and his sister Kit Chelini of Sonoma.

In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome a gift to the Mike Chelini Wine Growing Scholarship instead (PO box 528 Saint Helena, CA 94574) created by his family for aspiring winemakers and grape growers attending St. Helena High School.

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Surely there has been no greater ambassador for Bordeaux and its wines than Jean-Michel Cazes (1935-2023), who has died at the age of 88 after a lengthy illness. He never believed the region, however prestigious, should rest on its laurels, and he was foremost among those who roamed the world promoting its wines and its culture.

Home base for Cazes was Château Lynch-Bages, fifth classified growth in Pauillac. It had been acquired by the family in 1939, and they also owned Ormes de Pez in St-Estephe and, for many years, Villa Bel-Air in the Graves.

Forty years ago Bordeaux in general, and the Médoc in particular, was not an inspiring place to visit. Wine lovers were confronted by iron gates barring entrance to the châteaux, and visits were discouraged. Jean-Michel, who returned to Pauillac after a career with IBM in 1973, was among the few proprietors who took the opposite approach. Lynch-Bages was open to some 10,000 visitors a year, who were given guided tours and tastings in various languages. Despite Cazes’ acknowledgement that Bordeaux’s often damp and chilly climate did not allow it to develop wine tourism on the scale of Napa Valley or the Barossa, for many decades he showed what could be done to develop a serious international interest in the region and its wines.

It was no coincidence that for many years Cazes was also the Grand Maître (or head) of the Commanderie, the promotional organisation boosting the wines of Médoc, Graves, and Sauternes. Only the Chevaliers du Tastevin in Burgundy could rival it for the sometimes tongue-in-cheek splendour of its ceremonies and events. The Féte de la Fleur was the great social occasion of the Bordeaux calendar, and although many châteaux and proprietors have been closely involved in organising these banquets, few did so with as much flair as Jean-Michel.

He was a man of exuberant enthusiasm, but never grand or pompous. The Bordelais can be somewhat distant, but Cazes always displayed an almost Mediterranean warmth of character and gregariousness, no doubt encouraged by his Portuguese wife Tereza. It was telling that when I wanted to interview him back in 2000, we met not at Lynch-Bages but at the AXA insurance office in downtown Pauillac. He knew that owning properties in Bordeaux was no automatic passport to riches, so for many years he remained active in the other family business, insurance.

It so happened that one of his oldest friends, Claude Bébéar, was the CEO of AXA and by 1986 was hoping to purchase a group of top wine estates, so who better to advise and manage this project than Jean-Michel Cazes? Together they created AXA Millésimes, a group that includes among its holdings châteaux Pichon-Baron in Pauillac, Suduiraut in Sauternes and Petit Village in Pomerol (until 2020), plus Disznoko in Tokaj, and Quinta do Noval in the Douro. Cazes retired from their administration in 2001, succeeded by Christian Seely.

Not surprisingly, Jean-Michael loved good food and wine. The former was in short supply in Pauillac, so in 1985 he acquired the somewhat run-down Château Cordeillan-Bages and converted it into a Relais & Châteaux hotel with an outstanding restaurant where he loved to entertain lavishly and generously. Later the Cazes family acquired the venerable Chapon Fin restaurant in Bordeaux itself. But even more remarkable was Jean-Michel’s transformation of the sleepy hamlet of Bages, just steps away from Lynch-Bages, into a major tourist destination. Its drab stone houses were converted into a bakery and delicatessen (now bicycle rental), Bages Bazaar (wine shop and gift store), and bistro-style restaurant, the Café Lavinal.

There was more. He developed a small négociant house called Michel Lynch. He bought Domaine de l’Ostal in the Languedoc in 2002, and was an early partner in Brian Croser’s Tapanappa estate in Australia. He founded a wine school, initially in Pauillac, then central Bordeaux. During his retirement he wrote his autobiography, From Bordeaux to the Stars, which was published in English this year.

His father André had been the mayor of Pauillac for four decades, and Pauillac remained the family home. Jean-Michel, unlike most proprietors, lived at his château, and despite his countless activities and projects, he never allowed the quality of his glorious fifth growth to slip.

In a sense, that wine will remain his principal memorial, but for those who knew him, it was his warm and welcoming personality and his crusading spirit that will linger in the memory. When Decanter chose him as Man of the Year in 2003 (now Hall of Fame), there were surely no dissenting voices.

Jean-Michel is succeeded by his son Jean-Charles, who took over from his father in 2006, and three daughters; Kinou, Marina and Catherine as well as several grandchildren. Decanter would like to wish Jean-Michel’s entire family sincere condolences for their loss.

Jacky Blot, the esteemed Touraine-based winemaker, passed away on Monday (15 May) following a brief illness, according to his family.

Blot spent 10 years as a paratrooper before getting into the wine business. He initially worked as a wine broker before settling in Touraine in the Loire Valley in 1989, when he purchased Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups in Montlouis.

In 2002, Blot expanded his business by acquiring Domaine de La Butte in Bourgueil, allowing him to produce red and white wines under four appellations.

His portfolio ran the gamut from bone dry sparkling wines to decadent sweet wines, and he was widely regarded as one of France’s most talented winemakers.

For the last 10 years, he has overseen 70 hectares in Montlouis, Vouvray and Bourgueil in tandem with his son, Jean-Philippe.

Wine writer Jane Anson described Blot’s famous Triple Zéro, made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes grown on 50-year-old vines, as ‘one of the world’s great-value sparkling wines’.

His botrytised wines and cuvées, such as Rémus and Romulus, also garnered high praise, and he is the only Touraine winemaker to obtain a five-star review in the Bettane et Desseauve guide.

Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups is just 11km from Vouvray, so the house speciality is Chenin Blanc, but Blot drew great inspiration from Burgundy too.

Many of its wines follow a single-vineyard, terroir-driven approach, with a focus on organic viticulture.

Blot also earned acclaim for producing high-quality Cabernet Franc from Bourgueil, displaying a great deal of versatility as a winemaker.

He and his wife, Joëlle, opened wine cellars across the region, followed by a restaurant named Le Bistrot des Belles Caves in Tours, which is renowned for its remarkable wine list.

Aside from his love of fine wine, he was a man of culture, with a fondness for the opera.

He is survived by Joëlle, his children and several grandchildren, and his legacy will live on through the wines produced by Jean-Philippe and the teams at Domaine de la Taille aux Loups and Domaine de la Butte.

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Latour was the 11th generation of his family to lead Maison Louis Latour (and the seventh named Louis Latour).

The house of Latour was formally founded in 1797, although the roots go back to the first vineyards purchased in 1731 by Denis Latour. The Latour family originally worked as coopers, and Denis’ son Jean moved to Aloxe-Corton to set up an independent cooperage and later to found Maison Louis Latour, naming the business after his son. The house of Latour remains closely associated with the hill of Corton, where it own over 26 hectares of grand cru vineyards in addition to its premier cru and village holdings. In total the maison owns 48 hectares of vines in Burgundy as well as domaines in the Ardèche, the Var, Chablis, Beaujolais, and the Coteaux Bourguignons.

Louis-Fabrice was born in Beaune in 1964. He took his degree in political science from the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris in 1985 and worked briefly in finance with BNP Paribas before returning to the family domaine in 1989. He married his wife Patricia in 1995 and in 1999 assumed direction of the family firm. In 2003 he led Latour to ISO 14001 certification and in the same year purchased the house of Simonnet-Febvre in Chablis. This acquisition was followed by Beaujolais producer Henry Fessy in 2008, and the launch of the ‘Pierres Dorées’ vineyard for Pinot Noir in Coteaux Bourguignons outside of Lyon. However, his devotion to the hill of Corton was a constant, and in May of this year his support made possible the restauration of the famous ‘Cross of Charlemagne’ on the Corton Hill.

Latour gave himself ceaselessly to the broader cause of Burgundy wine. From 2003 to 2014 he was the president of the Federation of Burgundy Négociants (FNEB); from 2011 to 2014 he was the president of the Federation of Wine and Spirit Exporters (FEVS), and from 2013 to 2021 he was the president of the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB).

Latour’s co-president of the BIVB from 2015 to 2021 was François Labet, who remembered him fondly, remarking: ‘We worked in a “cool” and at the same time very professional way, with a single goal: the interest of Burgundy wines, the standard of which we both defend.’

Latour was a recipient of the Légion d’Honneur in 2011. Although his passing was not unexpected, everyone hoped for a remission until the very end. His memorial is scheduled for this Friday at the Basilica de Notre-Dame de Beaune. Latour is survived by his wife Patricia, their four children and his three siblings.

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The world of fine wine was saddened this weekend at the news of the passing of the widely loved wine authority Clive Coates MW.

Few, if any, Masters of Wine exhibited the spontaneous generosity and amiable disposition that Clive Coates displayed throughout his long and illustrious career.

His generosity with his time was remarkable given the breadth of his activities. Personally, I will always be grateful for his encouragement while I was preparing for the MW exam and again when publishing my first book. His many friends, colleagues and admirers likewise mourn his loss.

Coates was born in 1941, and he initially set out to become a chef. Following hotel school, however, he was inspired by a trip to Bordeaux to return for an internship at the Bordeaux négociant house Calvet.

His time there was followed by a stint at Hedges and Butler, and by 1967 Coates had taken a position at The Wine Society. He published his first article in the same year, and passed the daunting Master of Wine exam in 1971.

In 1975 accepted the role of the head of the wine department for British Transport Hotels, which included all of the properties owned by the British Railways.

Initially, Coates focused on Bordeaux. His first book, Claret, was published in 1982. He followed this success with a more general topic in Wines of France, which appeared in 1990, and Grands Vins, The Finest Châteaux of Bordeaux and Their Wines, which appeared in 1995.

Latterly, he was considered one of the pre-eminent experts on Burgundy. 

His work Côte d’Or (1997) was showered with prizes: the André Simon award, the Veuve Clicquot prize, a James Beard award, and the Prix des Arts et des Lettres from the Confrérie du Tastevin.

He continued to work at a rapid pace, publishing his Encyclopaedia of the Wines and Domaines of France in 2000, The Wines of Bordeaux in 2004, The Great Wines of France in 2005, and The Wines of Burgundy in 2008. 

Although he is thought of as an expert in Bordeaux and Burgundy, Coates’ enthusiasms ran far afield, to Bellet, Bugey, the Côte Roannaise, and the wines of the Orléannais. 

In addition to his work as an author, Coates was a prolific journalist. He published 241 issues of The Vine, his magazine devoted to fine wines, between 1984 and 2005. 

He also appeared in nearly every major wine publication. His profiles of Bordeaux châteaux and top Burgundy domaines for Decanter are references to this day skillfully written and a joy to read.

Coates was widely recognised during his career. He was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the French government, and Wine Writer of the Year by the Champagne Lanson Awards.

In recent years, he ‘semi-retired’ to St-Bonnet-de-Vieille-Vigne, west of Mâcon, although he continued to write about wine through the harvest of 2021. He passed away in Lyon on 26 July 2022 after a long illness.

Burgundy profiles by Clive Coates MW

Published on Decanter Premium in 2018

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Domaine Armand Rousseau

Domaine Dujac

Domaine Leroy

Domaine Georges Roumier

Domaine Jean Grivot 

Lucio Tasca d’Almerita died in Palermo this week, on 25 July, aged 82.

In Sicily he was known simply as ‘Conte Lucio’, such was the reputation of the Count and the amount of respect and affection people had for him. Lucio was one of the pioneers of winemaking on the island from a technical point of view, but moreover he was able to demonstrate how effective the modernisation of Sicily could be from a cultural standpoint.

Born in Palermo on 9 January 1940, he was an athlete in his youth and even competed at the 1960 Olympics in Rome on Italy’s equestrian team. He studied classics in Lausanne and graduated in Economics in Palermo in 1965.

His European relationships and global vision helped him to propel the entire island of Sicily, not only his own company, into the future of the wine business. Lucio developed an interest in French varieties, and in 1979 he persuaded his father, Giuseppe, to cultivate Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. In doing so, he introduced Sicilian Cabernet and Chardonnay to the world in 1988 and 1989 respectively, experimenting with barrique ageing, soft pressing during vinification, and shorter pruning.

Later, Lucio became an early adopter of technology. Under his leadership as president since 1998, Tasca d’Almerita became one of the first wine estates in the world to introduce software to help fine-tune the winemaking process.

However, it would be wrong to assume that his influence was only focused on international grape varieties and modern winemaking. His conviction and desire to spread awareness about native varieties such as Nero d’Avola – known today all over the world – has opened the doors to recognition of Sicilian viticulture on a global stage.

Rosso del Conte, Tasca d’Almerita’s flagship red of Nero d’Avola and Perricone, is one of the finest and most legendary examples of Sicilian quality as well as typicity and longevity. Under Lucio, the company expanded from the family headquarters at Regaleali to envelop a total of five winemaking estates across Sicily: Regaleali in the heart of the island; Capofaro on the Aeolian island of Salina (plus the exceptional Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia hospitality venture); Tascante on the slopes of Mount Etna; Whitaker on the tiny Phoenician island of Mozia; and Sallier de La Tour in Camporeale, not far from Palermo.

In 2002, Lucio founded Assovini Sicilia, the association of entrepreneurs in Sicilian wine which he led until 2008. He was also a founding member of Italy’s Istituto Grandi Marchi, and from 2016 to 2018 was president of Associazione Grandi Cru d’Italia. ‘He was a true gentleman, a deep connoisseur of the world, of people and of wine,’ commented Carlo Ferrini, his winemaking consultant. ‘I loved to witness him entertaining and interacting with his vineyard workers, his employees and with me. He was immediately able to identify with us. A unique man, unforgettable. I will miss him forever.’

‘One of the great protagonists of Sicilian viticulture passes away,’ said Antonio Rallo, president of Consorzio Sicila DOC. ‘Lucio Tasca d’Almerita has undoubtedly been among the first to believe in the potential of the island. Visionary, precursor, innovator, he has dedicated all his commitment to the development of Sicilian wines.’

The funeral takes place today in Palermo, where his sons Giuseppe, Franca, Alberto and Alessandra will give him a final farewell.

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Canada’s wine community is mourning the sudden loss of beloved Ontario winemaker Paul Pender.

Passing away at the age of just 54, Pender died ‘unexpectedly under tragic circumstances’ on 4 February, 2022, as announced by sister wineries Tawse and Redstone.

Before becoming director of viticulture and winemaking at Tawse and Redstone, he was a carpenter. When he developed an allergy to the dust and solvents, he went back to school to study winemaking at Niagara College in 2004.

Pender’s internship placement landed him at Tawse in 2005. He stayed on, stepping into the role of head winemaker the following year.

During his tenure, he helped build Tawse to its current 30,000-case annual production and guided the estate to EcoCert organic certification. ‘It was the first thing we did when I started,’ Pender said in an interview with Decanter in 2020. His use of the plural “we” speaks to Pender’s humility. He always considered himself part of a team.

He went on to a achieve Demeter’s Biodynamic certification for Tawse. Though the winery subsequently withdrew, Pender continued to manage the vineyards according to biodynamic practices.

There was no artifice or flamboyance around Pender as a person and this translated to his wines. He was clear and focused in his non-interventionalist winemaking approach.

‘We are interested in making elegant and balanced wines that speak of place,’ Pender once told me. He was also driven by curiosity and a desire to improve. ‘Every year I learn a lot and every year I say – how do I not know that?’

When the news of his death was made public, there was an inevitable outpouring of condolences and tributes on social media.

‘Last night I lost a brother, a mentor, a partner and one of the nicest human beings I have met,’ wrote Moray Tawse, owner of Tawse and Redstone. ‘Over the last 17 years, we jointly built a vision to increase the quality and reputation of Ontario wines. Our family is crushed and will never recover from this loss.’

Magdalena Kaiser, director of public relations – marketing & tourism at the Wine Marketing Association of Ontario echoed these sentiments. ‘Paul’s wines helped shape Ontario’s wine industry and created new benchmarks for winemaking in Canada. I will cherish the many memories of watching him share his passion and beautiful wines across our country and beyond.’

Pender’s winemaking achievements are cemented in numerous accolades. Among these, he was named Winemaker of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards in 2011 and led Tawse to achieve Canadian Winery of the Year on multiple occasions.

Pender was particularly proud when the estate’s 2011 Chardonnay made the cover of Decanter in 2015 being named one of the world’s best Chardonnay outside Burgundy. He also received lofty praise for Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Gamay.

Beyond his talent and dedication as a winemaker, Pender is remembered for his character and the contribution he made to the industry. ‘Paul Pender was one of the most genuine and generous people that this industry has and may ever see. A mentor and beacon, he was always the first to offer support and lend assistance,’ said Gurvinder Bhatia, editor-in-chief of Canada’s Quench magazine.

David Paterson, winemaker at Tantalus winery in British Columbia meanwhile recalled the mentorship he received from Pender when he entered the Canadian wine industry. ‘It floored me how he always had so much time for others. As one of Canada’s best, he leaves the industry with such a huge void.’

Pender will be deeply missed by all his friends, colleagues, the team at Tawse and Redstone wineries, and above all, his family.

He leaves behind a legacy of stunning wines that will serve to honour his memory.

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The Barton family announced yesterday (19 January), ‘We have the immense sadness to inform you that our beloved Anthony Barton passed away at the age of 91 years old.’

Known as the ‘gentleman’ of Bordeaux wine and admired for his sense of humour and charisma, Anthony Barton was also widely respected for modernising family estates Léoville Barton and Langoa Barton – the respective 1855 second and third growth châteaux in the St-Julien appellation.

Barton was credited, too, with maintaining a relatively modest pricing strategy during a major period of growth for Bordeaux wine in the world.

After Barton won Decanter’s ‘Man of the Year’ award in 2007, Johnny Goedhuis, then MD of UK merchant Goedhuis & Co, said, ‘Anthony has not only made great wines…but has priced them at a level that one can afford to drink.’

Barton told Decanter at the time, ‘We’re making a very good living as it is. How many new cars can anyone buy after each vintage?’

Goedhuis, now chairman of Goedhuis & Co, was among those across the wine world paying tribute to Barton this week. ‘It was with great sadness that I heard yesterday evening about the death of Anthony Barton,’ he said today (20 January). ‘What a wonderful inspiring man who I can certainly blame, in part, for my career in this great industry of ours.’

Goedhuis added, ‘He was one of the first people I met when I was dispatched to Bordeaux in the early 70s as a callow youth. So for nearly 50 years he has been a friend, advisor and, of course, supplier of the wonderful wines he crafted at Châteaux Langoa and Léoville Barton.’

Jancis Robinson OBE MW remembered Barton’s entertaining and insightful company in a tribute this week, and added, ‘He was one of relatively few Médoc château owners to live above the shop, in his case the cellars in which both Langoa and Léoville Barton are made.’

Barton’s route to becoming a legendary figure of Bordeaux wine was somewhat circuitous.

While the family has been active in the Bordeaux wine trade since the early 18^th century, and has owned Langoa Barton and Léoville Barton since the 1820s, Anthony Barton was born at the family residence in County Kildare, Ireland, in 1930.

He moved to Bordeaux in 1951, where the family’s estates belonged to his uncle, Ronald. Finances were tight and the family previously reported that Ronald told his nephew after the 1951 crop, ‘Another harvest like this and I will have to sell’.

Over the next years, Anthony Barton worked at family merchant business Barton & Guestier, and continued as export director after it was acquired by Seagram, before founding his own company, ‘Les Vins Fins Anthony Barton’, in 1967.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that he inherited the family wine estates from his uncle, and began playing a more active role in their development. He lived on-site with his wife, Eva, from 1986 onwards.

Fresh investment and critical praise for the wines followed. The late, great Steven Spurrier chose a Léoville Barton 1989 as one of his favourite Bordeaux wines of all time.

Yet Barton will also be remembered for his warm personality.

Adam Brett-Smith, MD of UK merchant Corney & Barrow, said, ‘Quite outside of business we spoke regularly, exchanged books, films, anecdotes and his wonderful wines. I adored him and of course his family.

‘He had a lightness of touch, a self-deprecation, the most perfect sense of timing, an incomparable wit and a wicked sense of humour – all of which were deployed to mask a keen intellect, a restless fascination with the fallibilities of mankind and a love of all things beautiful. Truly he was “A veray parfit gentil knight”.’

Johnny Goedhuis added, ‘Anthony had so many qualities: hugely charming, interested in everything and everybody, an amazing host, all combined with being tremendously good fun.

‘That large dollop of Irish blood, of which he was immensely proud, made him a great raconteur and all of us who were lucky enough to know him will today be remembering some of his finest stories.

‘As I walked to the office this morning it made me think of our next visit to Bordeaux. Driving up and down, past the gates of Château Langoa Barton, I will feel extremely sad but I am also sure that I will smile, grateful that I knew Anthony and also hopefully recalling some of his more extraordinary anecdotes. I will also certainly stop to see Eva, Lilian, Mélanie and Damien.’

Anthony’s daughter, Lilian, worked with him for several decades, and her husband, Michel Sartorius, also joined the family business. Lilian has taken over the running of the family estates in recent years, and has been joined by her children, Mélanie and Damien.

In 2011, the family bought Château Mauvesin in Moulis-en-Médoc, renaming it Mauvesin Barton.

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Steven Spurrier: My top Bordeaux wines of all time

Andrea Franchetti, one of the most talented and visionary Italian producers, has died at the age of 72 in Rome. In 30 years exactly, he positioned his superTuscan Trinoro among the top Italian references, producing a wine with stylish elegance and outstanding potential for ageing.

Franchetti’s Bordeaux blends were without the over-extractions that were on-trend in the 2000s, nor the excess of fruit following phenolic maturity. He followed a precise idea to produce classic wines for the long haul, able to express as much complexity as possible from their terroir.

But despite his classical leanings, Franchetti was one of the first viticulturists to bet on Cabernet Franc under the Tuscan sun, and in 2001 he was one of the pioneers of the rediscovery of Nerello Mascalese in Etna with his estate Passopisciaro. He also produced a great Tuscan white based on Sémillon; a rare sight.

A charismatic wine producer, Franchetti was memorable for his accuracy and awareness. Take, for example, his detailed vintage reports – considered an indispensable tool for his work. ‘Tonight, poetry lost a great wine producer and the world of wine, one of its poets,’ wrote Ursula Thurner, Franchetti’s PR manager for several years.

A background

Son of an American mother and an Italian father, Franchetti was raised in Rome in an environment surrounded by artists, including his uncle, American painter Cy Twombly. In 2016 he told Italian daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera, that he was able to finance the purchase of the crumbling property of Trinoro in Val d’Orcia by selling one of his uncle’s paintings.

Franchetti grew up with experimentation and research in his blood. At the age of 18, he left home to go to Afghanistan by bicycle, then moved to New York City in the East Village in the 1960s. He went on to open restaurants in both Rome and in Le Marche, eventually returning to New York in the 1980s to focus on importing the greatest Italian wines of the time. Names such as Argiano and Marchesi di Grésy grew with his business.

In the 1990s, Franchetti launched into the world of wine production. Leaving behind metropolitan life, he set out to restore the ruins of an ancient, fortified country house in the Val d’Orcia, a no-man’s land where Tuscany meets Lazio and Umbria without any previous wine tradition. He decided to plant his own vineyards and so left for Bordeaux, where he learned the art and philosophy of making wine from the great masters; winemakers such as Peter Vinding, Peter Sisseck, Alain Vauthier and Luc Thunevin. In 1991 he planted the first vineyards with clones brought from Bordeaux and in 1997, after a few years of experimentation, he produced the first vintage of Tenuta di Trinoro. It was immediately embraced by international wine critics and subsequent vintages continued to impress.

The Sicilian venture

On a visit to Sicily in 2000, Franchetti was struck by the abandoned vineyards that climb the slopes of Mount Etna at an altitude of over 1,000m. He decided to start all over again and began to restore an old farmhouse with a cellar that would become the core of his new winery, Passopisciaro. One of the first to recognise the potential of individual terroirs composed of distinct lava flows, Franchetti introduced and promoted the concept of ‘Contradas’ following the model of the Burgundian cru.

Andrea Franchetti is survived by his daughter, Baldassarra, and his three sons, Cody, Benjamin and Giordano, who will now manage the estate.

Meeting Becky Wasserman-Hone, one could be forgiven a brief surprise that this woman with such an elfin, twinkling appearance could be a giant of the world of Burgundy—until she began to speak.

Conversation with Becky was a continual inspiration. She had a truly profound knowledge of Burgundy. On the occasion of her induction into the Decanter Hall of Fame in 2019, Aubert de Villaine remarked ‘She is someone who has a deep understanding of the “climats de la Bourgogne” and can explain them. She has witnessed the evolution of Burgundy during 50 years. She is still there, a kind of touchstone, and has understood it all.’

Explain she has – Wasserman-Hone has mentored generations of sommeliers, importers and journalists. Daniel Johnnes is known as the impresario behind La Paulée de New York, but also worked for decades as a sommelier at America’s top restaurants and as an importer. He remarked, ‘Becky Wasserman was without a doubt the grande dame of Burgundy. Born American, she was almost more Burgundian than some Burgundians.

‘Her home was always open to friends, family, students of wine and anyone who had a passion to learn. The table was always set and the welcome was always warm and generous. My passion for Burgundy was nourished during my first visit to her home in Bouilland in 1986. I have since made Burgundy the focus of my career, yet losing Becky feels a bit like losing the ballast on a ship.’

Fellow American sommelier (and winemaker) Raj Parr added that, ‘Becky was one of the most loved people I know. She changed the landscape for Burgundy worldwide. Her efforts have paid off and now Burgundy is on top of the wine world. But more than wine, Becky was a beacon of light to young growers, sommeliers and cavistes who treated everyone kindly and graciously.’

Wasserman-Hone was born in 1937 in New York City. She attended the prestigious Hunter College High School and Bryn Mawr College before moving to France with her first husband and their young sons Peter and Paul.

The couple settled in the Burgundy village of St-Romain in 1968. Following her divorce, she found work selling barrels for local cooper François Frères and later for Taransaud, both among the most highly-esteemed coopers in France.

Her personal taste, however, did not run to heavily-oaked wines, and she made a career shift in the 1970s. Beginning with the 1976 vintage, she set up as a courtier, matching up-and-coming producers with American wine importers. Today, her firm exports the work of 60 Burgundy producers.

Some, such as Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier and Domaine Michel Lafarge are household names. Many others, however, were unknown when she discovered them.

Linden Wilkie, managing director at Hong Kong retailer The Fine Wine Experience relates, ‘Becky had a tireless enthusiasm for Burgundy and for discovering new talent for whom she was a great supporter. She would remind us that some of the more famous domaines she was associated with had to start somewhere and were once not easy to sell. She encouraged us to explore, keep an open mind, and support the new talent emerging today.’

Wasserman-Hone was endowed with a surfeit of charisma and charm, but she never relied solely upon that to sell wine. Sales were accomplished by hard work.

Winemaker and sommelier Larry Stone MS relates, ‘She was a brilliant and charismatic person who exuded a love of vineyards, vignerons and wine but was also a tireless promoter of those wines she loved. She welcomed all who demonstrated an understanding of wine and who were eager to learn more and, in that capacity, helped train and mold generations of sommeliers, retailers and journalists.’

Among those who fell under her sway were New York fine wine veteran John Truax, who commented, ‘Becky and Russell travelled annually to the USA promoting small Burgundy producers. They put in more miles than rock bands, into their seventies!’

Wasserman-Hone combined her charm and dedication with innovative techniques. Her son Peter Wasserman relates one of the secrets to her success: ‘Mom always told me one important achievement is that she got together with the head of the Beaune office at [freight forwarder] Hillebrand and figured out how to consolidate a container from multiple sources. This was the single action that had the most impact on small production wine exports the world round. That was literally the magic key.’

The growers that she worked with also cherish her memory. Frédéric Mugnier remarked, ‘Becky was without a doubt my most important companion in my life as a winegrower. When I approached this profession in 1985 without knowing anything about wine, she introduced me to the people, winegrowers and clients alike, who had a fair and sincere approach to this profession.

‘It is these meetings that forged my vision of wine. Becky will be sorely missed. Burgundy is changing. I fear Becky’s demise marks the end of an era that I loved deeply.’

Dominique Lafon was a close friend and associate; he lamented, ‘The news is terrible! Burgundy has just lost its finest ambassador, although Becky was even more than that.’ Lafon’s wife, Cristina added, ‘Becky was like a mother to me and with her leaving I feel like an orphan. I have lost a mother, a confidante and a dear friend.’

Becky Wasserman-Hone is survived by her husband Russell Hone, her sons Peter and Paul Wasserman, by three step-children and five step-grandchildren.

Becky Wasserman-Hone at a glance

Born 18 January 1937, Manhattan, New York City

Parents Father, stockbroker; mother, Romanian former prima ballerina and dancer

Education Rudolf Steiner School, Hunter College High School, New York; Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania

Family Husband Russell Hone; sons, Peter and Paul Wasserman; three step-children; five step-grandchildren

Interests Cooking, reading, music

Jim Clendenen, who cofounded Au Bon Climat winery in California in the 1980s and was internationally recognised as a trailblazing producer of California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, has died at the age of 68. 

‘We are mourning the loss of Jim Clendenen,’ said Au Bon Climat on Instagram. ‘We lost a winery legend, a true icon, a visionary. There is a huge void where Jim Clendenen should be and we are in shock. His absence will be keenly felt, but his legacy will continue.’

There have already been many tributes across social media to a man who inspired others in the winemaking cellar but was also renowned for his generosity and love of entertaining guests.

‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of California’s most colourful and dynamic winemakers,’ said California Wines UK, the local branch of the California-based Wine Institute, on Instagram. ‘Farewell to the wild boy of California wine.’ 

Bob Lindquist, the celebrated winemaker who shared facilities with Clendenen for many years, told Decanter, ‘He was my mentor and great friend, and taught me how to make wine. 

‘He encouraged me to start my own winery (Qupé), the same year that he started Au Bon Climat, 1982.’

Clendenen was among a number of long-standing proponents of the sort of restraint in the cellar that has become a more mainstream and talked-about strand of California winemaking today. 

Sonal Holland MW, who was part of a 45-strong group of Masters of Wine to enjoy one of Clendenen’s famous lunches in 2018, described him on Instagram as a ‘legendary winemaker who redefined how Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays should be made’. 

In a 2017 Decanter magazine column referring to the conversation about ‘balance’ in California wines, Oz Clarke OBE wrote, ‘Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat has been talking this language since the 1980s.’

Jancis Robinson OBE MW, who previously coined Clendenen’s ‘wild boy’ nickname, said in an obituary and tribute, ‘The wine world really is much the poorer without this brave pioneer.’ 

UK wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd described Clendenen as ‘a true visionary’ and said ‘he will be greatly missed’. 

In California, Lindquist told of how he first met Clendenen, who was born in Ohio but developed a love for wine – and especially Burgundy and Champagne – during a year abroad in France while studying at the University of Santa Barbara. 

‘I first met Jim in January 1979 when I was hired to manage a wine shop in Los Olivos, CA,’ said Lindquist via email. ‘Jim was the assistant winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery. We connected right away and discovered that we were both born in January 1953 (he January 11th, me the 24th), so we were both turning 26.

‘Nine months later we attended a Kinks concert in Santa Barbara, which got me fired by the wine shop (that’s another story), and Jim helped to get me hired at Zaca Mesa as their first tour guide. We didn’t get many tourists back in those days, so most of my time was spent working with Jim in the cellar.’

Clendenen subsequently started Au Bon Climat with Adam Tolmach, as a winery focused on Burgundian grape varieties. Tolmach left at the start of the 1990s to pursue other projects; including the Ojai Vineyard that he still owns today. 

Meanwhile, in 1989, Clendenen and Lindquist joined forces along with the Miller family to ‘build a winery together at the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley’, said Lindquist. ‘We have been sharing the Clendenen Lindquist Vintners winery facility ever since.’

He added, ‘Jim was a force in this business. He travelled all over the world carrying the Santa Barbara wine banner. His loss has left a huge hole in our hearts and lives.’

In its Instagram tribute, Au Bon Climat quoted Clendenen’s daughter, Isabelle, who described her father as a ‘very generous, bright, and candid man’.

She added, ‘He made sure my brother [Knox] and I wanted for nothing. His loss affects so many, but his impact will never be lost to any of us. It means a lot to me that he was celebrated and loved by so many.’

See also:

Tributes paid to Pio Boffa, a Piedmont wine pioneer

Williams Selyem: An icon of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Recent Decanter reviews of Au Bon Climat wines

Tributes were paid across Languedoc and beyond this week following news of the death of Laurent Vaillé, founder of the celebrated Domaine de la Grange des Pères near to Aniane in a picturesque corner of southern France to the north-west of Montpellier.

‘He was the Mozart of wine,’ said Aniane’s mayor, Philippe Salasc, to France Bleu radio. 

Marcel Orford-Williams, a buyer specialising in southern France for The Wine Society in the UK, said on Twitter that Vaillé was one of Languedoc’s stars. 

Another of the region’s top wineries, Domaine Virgile Joly, described Vaillé as ‘one of the most remarkable French wine producers’. 

While Vaillé was known for preferring to stay out of the spotlight, his work in the vineyards and the cellar put him among those winemakers who helped to show Languedoc’s potential as a source of fine wines in the modern era – in a region historically better known for prioritising high volumes.

Grange des Pères traces its roots back to 1958, when Vaillé’s grandfather bought a property near to Aniane. However, Vaillé and his family replanted vines and established new vineyards in the area in 1988. 

Vaillé had studied oenology at Montpellier University, and also done work experience with Eloi Dürrbach of Domaine de Trévallon in Les Baux de Provence, Gérard Chave of Domaine Jean-Louis Chave in Hermitage and Jean-François Coche-Dury in Meursault. 

‘Eloi Dürrbach provided the initial inspiration as he started from scratch and that encouraged me to do the same,’ Vaillé told Decanter’s James Lawther in a rare interview at the winery in 2020.

Things moved quickly after the first red wine launched with the 1992 vintage, a Vins de Pays (now IGP) blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Counoise has since been added. A white wine made its debut with the 1995 vintage.

A single bottle of the 1992 vintage sold for €5,219 via online auctioneer and retailer iDealwine in December 2019.

The group said in a tribute this week that Vaillé’s success serves as inspiration to talented winegrowers in lesser-known regions and appellations.

Although Grange des Pères wines remain Vins de Pays / IGP today, the winery lies in Terrasses du Larzac appellation territory.

Sebastien Fillon, Terrasses du Larzac president, cited a Le Monde article about Vaillé on Twitter and said that the appellation’s winemakers have lost ‘a great neighbour, a pioneer, a talented winemaker who took Languedoc wines to the top. Our condolences to the Vaillé family’.

See also: 

Producer profile: Domaine de la Grange des Pères (Premium)

Tributes paid to Pio Boffa, a Piedmont wine pioneer

Languedoc wine legend Aimé Guibert dies (2016)

Tributes have been paid to Pio Boffa, one of the legendary figures of Piedmont wine, following news of his death at the age of 66. He had been battling Covid-19.

Boffa led his family winery, Pio Cesare, for several decades and was a key proponent of Piedmont wines on the international stage.

‘We are tremendously saddened by the news of the loss of Pio Boffa, who succumbed to the Covid virus at only 66,’ said Richard Billett, managing director of Maison Marques & Domaines UK, the Louis Roederer-owned importer and marketing agency that handles Pio Cesare wines.

‘Fourth generation, Pio was a visionary and entrepreneur who transformed the family winery, Pio Cesare, during a four-decade tenure at the helm of the company,’ Billett said.

‘He was also a tireless and proud standard-bearer for the wines of Piedmont, travelling the globe and forging enduring friendships with everyone that he met.

‘A wonderful host and dedicated family man, he will be greatly missed in Alba, Italy and around the world. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his wife Nicoletta, daughter Federica, nephew Cesare, and wider family, who can be reassured of all our support as they mark their 140^th anniversary and look to continue Pio’s legacy.’

Winemaker Association Vignaioli Piemontesi described Boffa as ‘a great man of Langa wine’ and a charismatic entrepreneur at the helm of his family winery, which was founded in 1881.

Boffa began working in his family’s wine business when he joined his father Giuseppe Boffa in 1973.

After eventually taking over the running of Pio Cesare, Pio Boffa helped to introduce single vineyard wines, with Barolo ‘Ornato’ arriving in 1985 and Barbaresco ‘Il Bricco’ in 1990.

The winery in Alba, which has cellars dating back to the 1700s, was also modernised at the beginning of the 21st century.

However, Boffa himself always maintained his view that new-wave, single-vineyard Barolos were not necessarily better quality than wines that delivered balance and harmony by being blended from components across different vineyard sites.

In an interview with John Stimpfig in 2017, Boffa spoke of how he straddled the traditionalist and modernist camps in Piedmont more generally.

‘I would say that I am neither a modernist nor a traditionalist,’ he told Stimpfig, Decanter’s content director at the time.

‘What’s curious to me is that when the modernists reigned, I was seen as a traditionalist, now that traditionalists have made a comeback, I’m regarded as a modernist. It’s why the best way to describe our wines is “Piedmontese classics from a modern traditionalist”,’ he said.

In 2014, Boffa bought 9.7-hectare Mosconi estate in Monforte d’Alba on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Pio Cesare has 70 hectares under vine today, and the next generation has been working at the winery for several years. Pio Boffa’s nephew, Cesare Benvenuto, joined in 2000 and his daughter, Federica, has also come onboard in recent years.

Federica Boffa, 23, will take on the running of the business with help from Cesare Benvenuto and others, including Pio Boffa’s cousin, Augusto Boffa.

Federica Boffa told Decanter that she was determined to carry on her father’s legacy and that he had taught her a lot about the business in the past 12 months. ‘I will bring all of my passion and my determination,’ she said.

Updated with comments from Federica Boffa.

See also: 

Tasting the single-vineyard wines of Pio Cesare

Interview with Pio Boffa of Pio Cesare winery

Many tributes are being paid to Steven Spurrier, who passed away on 9 March at his home, the Bride Valley English wine estate, surrounded by his family.

The Académie du Vin Library, which Spurrier cofounded, announced the news.

It said in a short tribute, ‘He will always be remembered for founding the Académie du Vin, the celebrated Judgement of Paris and in recent years, the Académie du Vin Library and, together with his wife Bella, the Bride Valley Vineyard in Dorset, England – as well as much else besides.

‘He was also a hugely loved husband, father and grandfather. He will be sorely missed, not just by his immediate family and friends, but by people right across the world of wine.’

Spurrier’s contribution to the wine world has been vast, yet he will forever be associated with the famous Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976.

California wines bested top bottlings from France and the result spread quickly across the world’s media in the pre-internet age.

As a passionate wine communicator, Spurrier also made an invaluable contribution to Decanter as a consultant editor, writer and critic. He wrote more than 300 columns for the magazine.

He also helped to found the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2004, and he was awards chairman for more than 10 years.

Many in the wine trade paid tribute on social media to a leading wine expert who was unfailingly generous with his time.

Wine writer Charles Metcalfe said on Twitter, ‘Sad to hear of the death of Steven Spurrier. He was modest, despite amazing achievements, charming, and a quiet authority on wine. The wine world has lost a true gentleman.’

Greg Sherwood MW described Spurrier as a ‘true gentleman and wine legend’. He added, ‘A very influential figure in my own personal wine journey. He will be greatly missed.’

Elizabeth Gabay MW said, ‘Can’t believe the news of the eternally young Steven Spurrier’s death. I met him in 1987 when he encouraged me to go into wine, and has been so supportive throughout the years.’

In his 2018 memoir, ‘Wine – A Way of Life’ (reissued in 2020 as ‘A Life in Wine‘), Spurrier wrote about how a Cockburn’s 1908 Port sparked a fascination that would last a lifetime.

Having joined the wine merchant business in 1960s London, he subsequently moved to France and would go on to found L’Académie du Vin in Paris in the early 1970s. This venue would play a leading role in the Judgement tasting.

In a 2018 Decanter column citing his memoir, Spurrier said, ‘I am still totally in love with it all. I have been very fortunate indeed, for wine has brought me more than I ever could have imagined.’

Steven Spurrier at Decanter

Sarah Kemp, who spent 31 years at Decanter, including as publishing director from 1996 and also later as managing director, said, ‘If Decanter has gained a reputation across the globe it is undoubtably down to the extraordinary contribution of Steven Spurrier.

‘I bumped into Steven in the early 1990s at a Wine and Spirit Benevolent Ball and asked how his new job at Harrods was going. He replied with his usual candour, “I’ve been fired”. I replied, “Great, you can come and work with us”.

‘That is how Steven became consultant editor, lead wine taster, regular columnist, ambassador and my muse and mentor.

‘The mixture of his profound knowledge and understanding of the classics and his openness in accepting that great wine could be made outside the traditional regions influenced Decanter’s editorial policy and resulted in articles reflecting the exciting developments the world over.

‘He was at the heart of Decanter, and was respected and loved by his colleagues he worked with, who are left with the most marvellous and happy memories of the Spurrier era.’

A full appreciation of Steven Spurrier’s life and work will be published in the next issue of Decanter, and on Decanter.com shortly.

More articles on Steven Spurrier

Steven Spurrier: My top ten Bordeaux wines of all time

Steven Spurrier’s farewell Decanter column: Not ‘goodbye’ just ‘au revoir’

Steven Spurrier: Wine – A Way of Life 

Steven Spurrier gets Decanter hall of fame award

Steven Spurrier’s top wine memories

Judgement of Paris wines enter US hall of fame

The pair were most renowned for their London restaurant Le Gavroche, which they opened in 1967 using Albert’s savings and money borrowed from friends. In 1982, it became the first in the UK to be awarded three Michelin stars.

Many of the UK restaurant scene’s leading figures worked for the brothers, including Gordon Ramsay, who wrote on Instagram: ‘So, so sad to hear about the passing of this legend, the man who installed gastronomy in Britain.’

The Roux family announced ‘the sad passing of Albert Roux OBE, KFO, who had been unwell for a while, at the age of 85 on 4 January 2021’.

The family statement added: ‘Albert is credited, along with his late brother Michel Roux, with starting London’s culinary revolution with the opening of Le Gavroche in 1967.’ Michel Roux died in March last year.

Albert Roux’s son Michel Roux Jr, who now runs Le Gavroche, added: ‘He was a mentor for so many people in the hospitality industry, and a real inspiration to budding chefs, including me.’

Television chef James Martin described Roux as ‘a true titan of the food scene in this country’. He added: ‘RIP and today I will open a bottle of the finest red and raise a glass … in fact the bottle to you and your brother, and say thank you for everything.’

Food writer Jay Rayner posted on Twitter: ‘Albert Roux was an extraordinary man, who left a massive mark on the food story of his adopted country. The roll-call of chefs who went through the kitchens of Le Gavroche alone is a significant slab of a part of modern UK restaurant culture.’

As well as Ramsay, Pierre Koffman, Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti all worked at Le Gavroche. The two brothers established an annual culinary competition, the Roux Scholarship, in 1984, with Andrew Fairlie and Sat Bains among its winners.

Albert and Michel Roux were born into a family of butchers in Burgundy, and trained as pastry chefs before moving to the UK. As well as Le Gavroche, they opened a string of other restaurants, published a number of food books and featured in a BBC television series, The Roux Brothers, in the 1980s.

Symington Family Estates, owner of Warre’s, Dow’s and Graham’s, announced the death of James Symington this week.

He was part of the third generation of the Symington family to make Port and was a leading figure in Portugal’s famous Douro Valley for more than 40 years, the family-owned group said in a tribute.

From overseeing the making of legendary vintages like 1966 and 1970 to expanding the reach of Port overseas – especially in the US – James Symington is credited with helping the region recover from a precarious financial position following the Second World War.

Born in 1934, Symington moved to Canada with his mother and siblings for two years during World War Two, but the family returned to Portugal in 1943.

Having been educated in Lisbon and at Ampleforth school in Yorkshire, England, Symington was unable to take up a place at the University of Oxford in 1952 due to ‘financial limitations’ amid a difficult era for Port producers.

He joined the British Army in 1954 and served as second lieutenant in the King’s African Rifles in Kenya, where he became fluent in Swahili.

However, in 1960, he married his wife, Penny, and joined the family firm, initially working as a taster and blender.

He would be responsible for Dow’s and Warre’s 1966 and 1970, two top Port vintages of the 20^th century, as well as the lauded 1970 vintage Port at Graham’s, the historic producer house acquired by the Symington family that year.

After 1973, he switched to the commercial side of the business and to finding new markets, a move that notably led to the creation of distribution firm Premium Port Wines in San Francisco, US, in 1985.

‘James, together with his cousins Michael and Ian, formed a strong partnership that steered the family business through several turbulent decades, when many of the historic family Port companies were sold or simply closed,’ Symington Family Estates said.

In 1987, Symington and his wife, Penny, bought the semi-abandoned Quinta do Vila Velha and renovated it into a 145-hectare (ha) property with 55ha of vineyards, the group said.

It added that James Symington’s friendship with other leading wine world figures, such as Miguel Torres, Piero Antinori and Robert Drouhin, was instrumental the firm becoming a founding member of Premium Familiae Vini group of prestigious, family-owned wine producers in 1992.

‘James and Penny had a son, Rupert, and two daughters, Clare and Miranda, and six grandchildren,’ said the group.

Rupert is currently CEO of Symington Family Estates, while Rupert’s son, Hugh, has been working at Premium Port Wines since 2018. ‘Clare also works in the family business and is based in the UK,’ the group said.

See also: 

The Decanter interview: Paul Symington (2020)

Top Ports that are drinking well today (2019)

Hamish Laurie, president of Australia’s Adelaide Hills Wine Region trade body, was among those leading tributes to Ochota Barrels cofounder Taras Ochota following news of his death this week.

‘One of the most colourful and well-loved wine personalities has gone well before his time,’ said Laurie in a tribute posted on Instagram.

‘Taras brought a beautiful energy and creativity that greatly influenced the wines and winemakers of our region. We have so much to thank him for.’

He added, ‘Our thoughts are with [Taras’ wife] Amber and his family at this incredibly tough time.’

Having spent several years playing bass in punk bands and following his passion for surfing, Taras Ochota graduated with an oenology degree from Adelaide University.

He gained experience of winemaking in different regions around the world, notably in California but also as a European winemaking consultant for Swedish importer Oenofros. Closer to home, Ochota also worked at for several years as assistant winemaker at Two Hands Wines in Barossa Valley.

However, he subsequently became best-known for the Ochota Barrels winery that he co-founded with wife Amber in Adelaide Hills – an idea that had first come to the couple during a surfing road trip in 2000.

Alongside being dubbed a ‘rockstar’ winemaker by some, Ochota became a leading light of Australia’s growing minimum-intervention wine movement, as Chris Losh wrote in a profile of the winery for Decanter Premium earlier this year.

‘Talkative, laconic and self-deprecating, [Taras] Ochota does not act like one of the Big Stories of Australian wine. But he is,’ Losh wrote.

Alongside a light touch in the cellar, Ochota told Losh that he only worked with organic vineyards. ‘I don’t want to eat chemicals,’ he said.

Ochota’s wines have become highly sought-after, and include a wide range of styles produced from grapes sourced across South Australia, including Barossa Valley Mourvèdre, the winery’s ‘Fugazi’ Grenache from McLaren Vale and ‘Slint’ Chardonnay from Adelaide Hills itself.

High-profile admirers of Ochota wines include the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, who visited in 2014.

Paying tribute to Ochota, Two Hands Wines proprietor Michael Twelftree said on Twitter that he would ‘raise a glass to my dear friend’. He said, ‘He was, simply put, a top bloke and I was so proud and happy to see what he and Amber had created.’

UK importer Indigo Wine said its team was devastated to learn Ochota had passed away.

‘Taras was a true force of nature, whose energy and good humour filled the room and made everyone he met feel special,’ it said on Instagram.

‘As a winemaker he created beautiful, exciting wines that challenged perceptions of Australian wine. But most of all, he was a loving husband, father, and a good friend.’

See also

Profile: Taras Ochota – Australia’s master of minimum-intervention wines

Sicilian wine has lost one of its ‘founding fathers’, said regional councillor for agriculture Edy Bandiera, following news that Diego Planeta has died aged 80.

Planeta will be remembered as a key figure in modern winemaking history in Sicily, helping to improve quality and significantly enhance the reputation of the island’s wines.

Massimiliano Giansanti, president of Italian farming confederation Confagricoltura, described Planeta’s death as ‘an unbridgeable loss, not only for the world of wine, but for all those who believe in the strength and courage of entrepreneurship’.

He said that everyone was with the Planeta family ‘at this sad moment’.

Born in Palermo on Sicily in 1940, Planeta started working on his family’s agricultural lands in 1960 after having gained a degree in oenology.

From there, he played a central role in the emergence of the Settesoli wine cooperative, eventually serving as president of the organisation from 1973 right up until 2011.

During this time, Planeta worked to rejuvenate and modernise viticulture and winemaking in Sicily, having also sought advice and help from Giacomo Tachis, another key figure in the development of Italian wine in the 20^th century.

In a story that is as much about economic transformation as winemaking skill, Settesoli today encompasses 2,000 winemakers and 6,000 hectares of vineyards.

‘Thanks to his guidance and intuition, today, in this strip of coast of Sicily, there is a unique story to tell, made up of men, vineyards and ideas,’ said Settesoli in a tribute to its former president today (22 September).

Planeta also worked to create wines at his family estate; a winery was completed in 1995 and the first wine launched was Chardonnay, highlighting Planeta’s interest in testing international grape varieties in Sicily.

From 1989, Planeta had recruited help from Italian winemaker Carlo Corino, who had experience of working in Australia and was subsequently considered instrumental in both the Planeta winery project and improvements at Settesoli.

While the Planeta family wine estate was in its infancy, Diego also served as president of the Regional Institute of Vine and Wine from 1985 to 1992.

To mark his contribution to both private enterprise and collective wealth, he received an honorary degree in agricultural science and technology from the University of Palermo in 2004.

‘An award given to the farmer, not to the businessman, the knight or the noble man,’ said Settesoli in its tribute to Planeta this week.

‘It was how he felt, how he defined himself. This showed his respect for the land, for the men who cultivated it with hard work and pride, his muddy car, his emotion at the first load of grapes arriving in the cellar, his ability to listen to the rhythm of the seasons.’

Planeta was also awarded the Cavalieri del Lavoro, or ‘Order of Merit for Labour’.

Giuseppe Bursi, president of Cantine Settesoli, said, ‘Today Cantine Settesoli has certainly lost a charismatic figure and an important chapter in its history, because Diego Planeta represents the history of this winery. His teachings and his intuition are the roots and the outline of our future.’

Planeta remains a family-owned wine group, having expanded to include several wineries across Sicily. It has also increased its research and promotion of indigenous Italian and Sicilian grape varieties, from Nero d’Avola to Carricante.

Charting its family history, the group says on its website, ‘Diego contributed as chief mover in the wine making renaissance of Sicily, transforming it into a huge experimental laboratory with illustrious advisers such as Giacomo Tachis, Carlo Corino, Giampaolo Fabris and Attilio Scienza.’

See also: 

Italian wine ‘father’ Giacomo Tachis dies (2016)

Etna: A rising force (Premium)

Alain Voge died this week aged 81, with his namesake winery posting a photo tribute on social media.

Alain Voge will be remembered as one of the leading lights of his generation in the Syrah heartland of Cornas in the Northern Rhône.

He was part of a small group that helped to build the international reputation of the wines made on this area’s steep-sloping vineyards, but he is also revered for his work to revitalise the neighbouring St-Péray appellation.

‘What Alain Voge achieved during his life as a winemaker in Cornas was truly remarkable,’ said Decanter contributing editor and Rhône expert Matt Walls.

‘He will rightly be remembered for the exceptional quality of his Cornas, but let’s not forget his St-Péray [wines].

‘To be a leading producer of one appellation is impressive, but to be at the forefront of two is rare indeed. Through dogged hard work and great care in the vineyard he built up his family estate to be one of the strongest in the Northern Rhône.’

It was Voge’s great grandfather, Henri Voge, who brought the family to the area in the early 20^th century. Viticulture was just one of several farming activities pursued at the property for the next several decades.

Alain Voge, born in 1939, started working at the estate in 1961 and took the reins alongside his mother somewhat prematurely in 1965, following the death of his father, Louis.

Voge worked closely with a merchant to develop sales of bottled wines, and also became a leading figure in protecting vineyards in the area from the creep of urbanisation.

The 1970s saw the creation of ‘Les Vieilles Vignes’, following replanting work in the family vineyards in the heart of Cornas. Matt Walls recently gave the 2017 vintage 96 points, describing it as ‘captivating and true to its terroir’.

In the 1980s, Voge continued his work to regenerate Cornas vineyard sites and also pioneered barrel fermentation of still white wines in St-Péray.

Towards the end of the decade, he and the team created ‘Les Vieilles Fontaines’ cuvée from a specific site of old Syrah vines in Cornas. It has risen to critical acclaim and is only made in top vintages, produced from vines that are today 80 years old.

In 2004, Albéric Mazoyer joined Voge as a partner and manager of the estate, having previously advised on winemaking at another prestigious Rhône producer, Michel Chapoutier. Organic and biodynamic certification has followed.

Mazoyer departed in October 2018, handing over his role to Lionel Fraisse, who had worked with him since 2012.

Decanter contributor Yohan Castaing described Voge as one of the greats in a tribute on his blog, anthocyanes. Voge was ‘proud of the new generation’ for continuing his work, he said.

Alain Voge’s contribution to this part of the northern Rhône sits alongside that of other pioneering winemakers in the area, such as Pierre-Auguste Clape, who died in 2018 aged 93 and who had begun making estate-bottled wines back in the 1950s.

See also:

St-Péray is back: These are the wines to watch (2019)

Domaine Clape wines tasted: From 1987 to 2017

Leading Californian winemaker, and pioneer of Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, Milla Handley has passed away from COVID-19 aged 68.

She was one of UC Davis’ first female graduates in fermentation science, and a trailblazer of the Anderson Valley wine scene where she was celebrated for her passion for Pinot Noir, aromatic white wines and organic farming.

‘My mother was someone who fearlessly walked her own path,’ says Handley’s daughter Lulu McClellan, now owner and president of Handley Cellars. ‘She was passionate about making wine and working for herself, and never thought of herself as unusual or brave for pursuing these things at a time when it was rare to see women in these roles.’

Handley graduated from US Davis in 1982 at a time when winemaking was a particularly male-dominated industry. She would go on to become the first woman owner and winemaker in the United States to establish a winery in her own name. 

Following UC Davis, Handley worked with Richard Arrowood at Château St. Jean, and later Jed Steele at Edmeades, before starting her own eponymous winery in the then largely undiscovered winemaking region of Anderson Valley in Mendocino County.

Independent spirit

She was attracted to the little-known Anderson Valley – considered by many as too cold for growing wine grapes – because she enjoyed the area’s ‘independent spirit’ and soon began to realise its untapped potential for making exceptional wines from Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties.

From the outset, Handley Cellars’ approach to viticulture and winemaking always reflected a love and respect for nature and in 2005 the Handley Estate Vineyard was the first California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) vineyard in Anderson Valley.

Handley Cellars cultivates 11.7ha of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer with original plantings dating back to 1986 and 1987. It also farms 2.8ha of certified-organic Pinot Noir at the RSM Estate Vineyard, which is named after Handley’s late husband of 30 years, Rex Scott McClellan.

Handley retired in June 2017 but her long-time co-winemaker Randy Schock continues to make Handley Cellars’ wines in keeping with her style of fruit-driven, carefully crafted expressions of Anderson Valley.

‘Her shoes are impossibly big to fill, and I can only hope to honour her legacy by continuing Handley Cellars’ ethos to make wines of place, to take care of our employees, to encourage diversity and well-being, and to support the community of Anderson Valley,’ says Lulu McClellan.

She is survived by two daughters, Megan Handley Warren and Milla Louisa ‘Lulu’ McClellan, her sister Julie Handley, and son-in-law Scott Peterson. 

Bordeaux wine has lost a leading light following the passing of Denis Durantou, co-owner with his family of Château L’Eglise Clinet in Pomerol.

Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Jane Anson, described Durantou as a ‘real legend of the past three decades in Bordeaux’.

Born in 1957 in the Dordogne area, Durantou studied economics at Sciences Po in Paris before studying winemaking at the University of Bordeaux.

L’Eglise Clinet was not a big name when he took on the long-held family estate in the early 1980s.

‘It came to my attention when I tasted, and was hugely impressed by, the 1985 vintage,’ said Stephen Browett, chairman of Farr Vintners, in a tribute to Durantou on the UK merchant’s website. He added that the pair became ‘firm friends’ after first meeting in the late 1980s.

Durantou and his wife, the artist Marie Reilhac, have since made L’Eglise Clinet one of the Bordeaux Right Bank’s top estates, albeit retaining a relatively understated physical presence in Pomerol. It has 4.5 hectares of vineyard.

Elsewhere, Durantou bought Château Les Cruzelles in Lalande-de-Pomerol – the first vintage being 2000 – as well Château Montlandrie in Castillon, in 2009.

The wine portfolio also includes La Petite Eglise, sourced from a specific site in Pomerol not far from L’Eglise Clinet, plus Château Saintayme, produced from rented vines in St-Emilion, and La Chenade in Lalande-de-Pomerol.

Browett said, ‘Denis was a wonderful man and he made absolutely brilliant wines, not just at L’Eglise Clinet but also in Lalande-de-Pomerol, St-Emilion and Castillon.’

He added, ‘His memory will live on in the exceptional wines that he produced and his remarkable achievement in transforming L’Eglise Clinet from a simple wine to one of the greatest and most respected wine estates of the world.’

While considered an extremely talented winemaker in the cellar, Durantou was equally respected for his attention to detail in the vineyard.

‘I believe in translating terroir as honestly as possible,’ he told Jane Anson in an interview for Decanter in 2018, explaining how his eschewal of new oak in the first decade at L’Eglise Clinet enabled him to become quickly acquainted with how different vineyards plots expressed themselves in the glass.

Anson said this week, ‘Denis Durantou was one of the few owners in Bordeaux who was also the viticulturalist and chief winemaker across his estates.

‘He was rightly fêted for the brilliant L’Eglise Clinet, but his real genius came through in the work he did in Lalande-de-Pomerol and Castillon, showcasing his skills in wines that offered some of the best values in the whole region.

‘I will miss his voice in Bordeaux, championing terroir and authentic winemaking, and I will miss the thrill of discovering what he had come up with in each vintage.’

Denis Durantou and Marie Reilhac’s three daughters are Alix, Noémie and Constance.

See also: 

Jane Anson’s interview and tasting with Denis Durantou (published May 2018)

Many across the wine world paused to remember one of its seminal figures, following news that Michael Broadbent MW had died on Tuesday 17 March.

His son, Bartholomew Broadbent, announced the news on social media. ‘Too sad but he had a great 92 years,’ said Broadbent Jr, who also works in the wine trade.

It is hard to encapsulate Michael Broadbent’s many achievements in a single article, but he was perhaps best-known as the man who re-started Christie’s wine auctions in the 1960s.

He was consequently a leading figure in the development of the international fine wine market in the second half of the 20^th century, although he once remarked that he had never considered the idea that wine might one day become an investment for some people.

Broadbent was also a prolific author and wine writer. He penned more than 400 columns for Decanter magazine alone, between 1977 and 2012, and was proud to have contributed to every monthly edition of the title in that period. His first column was on vintage Port.

He also wrote seminal books on wine, including Wine Tasting, first published in 1968 and considered one of the first structured guides on how to taste wine.

Broadbent, who previously became only the 24^th person to become a Master of Wine, in 1960, had said the book was born out of frustration at the lack of English language guides on the subject. It was updated several times and translated into at least eight languages.

Broadbent also published The Great Vintage Wine Book in 1980, bringing together thousands of tasting notes and personal experiences of tasting some of the world’s best bottles. In 2002, he published Vintage Wine, bringing together 50 years of tastings.

Beyond writing, Broadbent was known among emergent wine writers to have been very generous with his time and expertise.

He was also renowned for his skill at public speaking, and was identifiable for many years by the Dutch bicycle that he rode around London.

Amy Wislocki, Decanter print publisher and editor, said, ‘Michael was a much-loved and valued member of the Decanter family, playing a significant role – since the magazine’s early days – in building its reputation for authority and expertise.

‘His encyclopaedic knowledge of wines, his wit and his zest for life made him a joy to work with – and a joy to read.

‘He gained a loyal following over the course of his 433 columns, and the photo that accompanied his column, showing him on his bicycle, became almost a Decanter trademark.

‘This is how Michael will be remembered, affectionately, by readers around the world: the perfect English gentleman and one of the greatest ever authorities on wine, with a turn of phrase that was second to none.’

Steven Spurrier, world-renowned critic and Decanter consultant editor for many years, said, ‘Michael Broadbent was my mentor and my hero: as simple as that.’ Spurrier said he was working on a longer tribute to his friend on the Académie du Vin website.

Jancis Robinson MW said, ‘He leaves the most magnificent legacy and many of us would be much poorer wine tasters without his magisterial lead.’

An accidental beginning

Born in 1927, Broadbent had first begun training to be an architect. However, he found the process dull, and once claimed to have walked out of class.

‘I was too idle to open any books on drainage and sanitation,’ he told Decanter’s Susan Keevil in 2002.

It was Broadbent’s mother who recommended that he apply for a wine trade job.

In 1952, aged 25, he joined London merchant Tommy Layton, where he began by sweeping the floors and delivering wine across Mayfair.

From there, Broadbent never looked back. He recalled in 2010 that the first wine column that was paid to write was for Cheshire Life, in September 1957. He was paid £5.

Advice

As has often been quoted, Broadbent credited Tommy Layton as a mentor, despite referring to the merchant as ‘mad as a hatter’ in one interview.

Broadbent was head of Christie’s wine auction department until 1992, but remained a senior consultant with Christie’s for many years afterwards.

He told the auction house in an interview in 2016, ‘Tommy Layton gave me a piece of advice which I didn’t realise would be so important at the time.

‘He told me that whenever I tasted a wine, I should make a note. So on 13 September, 1952, I did just that. I started with a small red lined notebook, and now I have 150 of them, containing 90,000 notes.’

Arguably sage advice for any wine lover today.

Michael Broadbent was married for many years to Daphne Broadbent, who featured in several of his columns and who died in 2015. Their two children are Bartholomew and Emma.

Michael married Valerie Smallwood in 2019.

See also: 

Read columns by Michael Broadbent in our archive

Tributes have been paid across the world of gastronomy to Michel Roux OBE, also known as Michel Roux Snr, who died surrounded by his family in Bray, southern England. He was 78.

Roux did more than most to transform the UK culinary scene in the second half of the 20th century, notably by co-founding Le Gravroche restaurant with his brother, Albert, in 1967; now run by Albert’s son, Michel Roux Jr.

‘Michel’s star will shine forever, lighting the way for a generation of chefs to follow,’ said the Roux Scholarship, a prestigious competition for UK chefs that Roux Snr co-created in the 1980s. 

The Michelin Guide called Roux a titan who ‘inspired a whole generation of chefs’. 

Roux was born in southern Burgundy, in the commune of Charolles. He later worked as a chef at the British Embassy in Paris, before being appointed head chef to the Rothschild family aged just 22.

He would, however, spend much of his career in the UK.

While still in his 20s, Roux founded Le Gavroche restaurant with his brother, Albert, on London’s Lower Sloane Street. 

Le Gavroche became the first UK restaurant to be awarded the coveted three Michelin stars in 1982. Today, the restaurant is run by Michel Roux Jr, son of Albert and a celebrated chef in his own right. 

The Roux brothers also founded the Waterside Inn at Bray in Berkshire, which gained three Michelin stars in 1985 and is now run by Alain Roux, son of Michel Snr. 

When not in the kitchen, Roux Snr published many books and took a great interest in the wine-buying side of the business, visiting the Bordeaux en primeur tastings and also buying Burgundy wines at the annual Hospices de Beaune auction.

He also created the Roux Scholarship, again alongside his brother, in 1984.

The idea was to create a competition that would highlight talent among chefs in the UK, at a time when British fine dining was considered something of an oxymoron in some circles.

‘We are grateful to have shared our lives with this extraordinary man, and we’re so proud of all he has achieved,’ said the Roux Scholarship, now run by Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr, on its Instagram account.

It described Roux Snr as a ‘humble genius, legendary chef, popular author and charismatic teacher’. 

It added, ‘But above all, we will miss his mischievous sense of fun, his huge, bottomless heart and generosity and kindness that knew no bounds.’ 

See also:

Michel Roux interview with Jane Anson (2015)

Michel Lafarge will be remembered as much for his humility as for his winemaking skill at his eponymous winery in Volnay, although that is not to diminish either of those qualities.

‘He was the wise man [among us],’ said Thiebault Huber, president of the Burgundy winegrowers’ union, CAVB. ‘You could always ask him for advice and he never refused,’ he told Decanter.com.

Lafarge, who joined his father at the family-owned domaine in the late 1940s after World War Two, was also a trailblazer in Burgundy, being among the first small-scale producers to begin bottling his own wines for export, according to Huber.

Under his guidance, as well as through working with his son, Frédéric, Domaine Michel Lafarge has become one of the most sought-after names in Volnay in the Côte de Beaune.  

In the vineyard, Lafarge had long rejected the use of chemicals and the estate converted its 12ha of vineyards to biodynamics at around the turn of the century, gaining certification with Demeter. 

It was a move that set an example for neighbouring growers to follow, said Huber, who added that Lafarge held true to his principles of terroir and winemaking throughout his life.

Burgundy expert Clive Coates MW named Domaine Lafarge as one of his favourite producers in the region, in a feature for Decanter magazine published in 2008.

‘Michel Lafarge is one of the shrewdest winemakers in Burgundy, and a perfectionist. His son Frédéric is a worthy – I was going to say second in command, but this a joint effort.’

Of Domaine Michel Lafarge’s Clos des Chênes premier cru from Volnay, Coates said, ‘[It’s] from the best part; the lower slopes, next to the main road, of what is arguably the best red-wine vineyard in the Côte de Beaune. 

‘This is Volnay at its finest, although it needs time: fragrant, elegant, balanced, and velvety smooth, if you are prepared to wait.’

Becky Wasserman-Hone, who is credited with putting many Burgundy wines on the international stage, has known and worked with Lafarge for several decades, and has previously credited Michel with giving her invaluable insight into the region’s wines in her early years.

Frédéric Lafarge, who began working at the domaine in 1978, now co-manages the estate with his wife, Chantal. Their daughter, Clothilde, has also joined the team.

Wine merchant Georges Duboeuf had been dubbed the ‘king of Beaujolais’, and sometimes the ‘Pope’, long before news of his death at the age of 86 on 5 January 2020.

Both nicknames demonstrate the magnitude of his influence on a French wine region famous for its Gamay wines but which has sometimes been overshadowed by more renowned winemaking areas of France.

Duboeuf, born on 14 April 1933, is arguably best known for helping to put the tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau on the global stage; a celebration of the first wines from the new vintage that takes place on the third Thursday of November.

He was also a passionate advocate of Beaujolais wines in general, telling Decanter’s John Livingstone-Learmonth in 2001, ‘Our ace card is the style of wine. It’s not like anywhere else. The fruit and the suave style cannot be repeated.’

How it began

Duboeuf was born at Crèches into a family of vineyard owners in Pouilly-Fuissé in southern Burgundy.

He initially spent time working in Paris, although the lifestyle didn’t suit and he returned south to Mâcon to learn more about the wine trade.

After starting to supply local restaurants by visiting a network of growers and bottling their wines on-site, he created a growers’ association known as Ecrin Mâconnais-Beaujolais.

Then, in 1964, Duboeuf founded his own merchant business focused on Beaujolais wines, which has stood the test of time and is today run by his son, Franck.

Beaujolais Nouveau

Duboeuf refused to take credit for creating the Nouveau tradition, in an interview with wine writer Anthony Rose for Decanter in 2007.

It was the Beaujolais wine union UIVB that took advantage of new rules in 1951 to set 15 November as the release date for the new vintage.

And Duboeuf recalled that UIVB director Gérard Canard had the idea to turn long-standing local celebrations of the new vintage into a sort of ‘Bastille day for wine’ – a reference to France’s national day on 14 July.

However, Duboeuf subsequently swung behind the move and certainly did more than most to bring Nouveau parties to wine lovers outside France.

Beyond Nouveau 

Duboeuf was also a strong proponent for the quality and diversity of Beaujolais wines.

‘Why were we so successful? Maybe thanks to a flair for marketing, or the ability to communicate a passion for the product,’ he said of his merchant business in 2007.

‘Beaujolais is about capturing the quintessence of Gamay, of the terroir and always the stamp of the vigneron. There’s no good négociant without a good vigneron.’

Dominique Piron, president of the Inter Beaujolais trade body, paid tribute to Georges Duboeuf’s life and said his name would be forever written into Beaujolais history.

‘Thank you Monsieur Georges for everything you brought to this region, you were the honour of Beaujolais,’ he said.

From the archive:

Read the results of our Cru Beaujolais 2015 panel tasting

Georges Duboeuf in his own words (interview from 2007)

There is a fairy-tale-like quality about the way Burt Williams and Ed Selyem turned their winemaking hobby into one of California’s most sought-after wine labels, and helped to kick-start a love affair with Pinot Noir in Sonoma County, especially in Russian River Valley.

Many tributes have been paid to Williams in recent days, following news of his death from Parkinson’s disease late last week. He was 79.

‘Burt Williams influenced not only a generation of winemakers, but also how the world viewed Sonoma County as a world class Pinot Noir producer,’ said Bob Cabral, who worked with Williams and was the winemaker at Williams Selyem for around 16 years following its change of ownership in 1998.

‘[He was] extremely knowledgeable and disciplined at coaxing the best attributes from each vineyard site,’ said Cabral, who is now director of winemaking at Three Sticks Wines, as well as owning his eponymous wine firm, among other projects.

The early years

Williams, a newspaper typesetter and proofreader born in San Francisco in 1940 and who attended Sebastopol High School in Sonoma County, taught himself to make wine by reading books and was particularly interested in so-called ‘old world’ techniques from areas such as Burgundy, said Williams Selyem winery in a statement on his life.

He initially started producing wines for fun with Selyem, his friend and a professional wine buyer, near to Forestville.

They got more serious in 1981 when they started making commercial Pinot Noir wines, but still spent several years working out of a garage and used stainless steel dairy tanks to ferment grapes.

Williams kept his ‘day’ jobs until 1992, long after the project that became known as Williams Selyem had achieved notoriety.

Wine Legend

While Russian River Valley vineyards were a strong focus, Williams Selyem’s Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir 1988, from Sonoma Coast, was recently inducted into Decanter’s hall of fame as a ‘wine legend’.

Expert Stephen Brook said in the accompanying article, ‘Williams Selyem was not the first serious producer of Californian Pinot Noir, but by the late 1980s it was probably the most highly acclaimed.

‘The debut Summa bottling from Williams Selyem was 1988 and before long it became both the most expensive Pinot Noir from California and one of the most scarce. By the 1991 vintage, the release price was $100; nonetheless it sold out within three days.’

Williams Selyem sold

Williams Selyem was sold in 1998 to John and Kathe Dyson, following a specification that the buyer must be on the winery’s mailing list and involved in wine.

‘Kathe and I were really very lucky to be chosen by Burt and Ed,’ said Dyson, who still owns the business today. ‘Kathe had joined the mailing list in the early 1990s and I already owned a winery in New York and a vineyard in California.’

After selling up, Williams subsequently bought Morning Dew Ranch in Anderson Valley further north; another area of California that has garnered a strong reputation for Pinot Noir since the 1980s.

Williams planted around five hectares of Pinot Noir at the estate, to the north of Philo, although he still visited his old winery, according to the new owners.

Napa Valley’s Castello di Amorosa bought the Morning Dew Ranch Vineyard in 2015.

‘A profound impact’

Jeff Mangahas, Williams Selyem’s current vice-president of winemaking, said, ‘Burt had a profound impact on my way of thinking of winemaking and it was some of his early wines that fuelled my interest in the Russian River Valley. It is truly an honour to be the steward for Williams Selyem wines today and continue to make wines in the spirit of Burt.’

Bob Cabral added, ‘Burt personally influenced my thoughts on how Pinot Noir can inspire a winemaker to be patient, thoughtful and most importantly humble. I was very fortunate to work closely with Burt while I was at Williams Selyem and will always cherish that time. He will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.’

Williams is survived by his wife, Rebecca, two daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Read more: Why Williams Selyem Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir 1988 is a wine legend 

He was was known for his great wine Lupicaia, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based SuperTuscan.

Gian Annibale was from a noble family, stretching back to The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and the Swabians to Italy and whom, since 1271, have held farmlands and vineyards in the country.

After inheriting the estate, he decided to steer Castello del Terriccio in a new direction, creating a true viticultural research laboratory and state of the art fine wine production.’Pucci Rossi’, as he was known to his friends, was passionate about vineyards.

‘He loved to experiment with new vineyards all over his property, managing the clones and the plantings, predicting the final outcome,’ said Carlo Ferrini, long-time consultant winemaker to the estate.

He was also a passionate equestrian whose time was often occupied by international horse events, until he was injured in a riding accident, which left him without the use of his legs.

He continued to manage the rest of the estate, and to do so drove a jeep across his land, to oversee the agricultural work in the fields and vineyards.

Beyond cultivating rich biodiversity all across the estate, his sole objective since 1993 was to produce an outstanding wine.

Lapo Mazzei, who also passed away just a few months ago, was responsible for bringing Carlo Ferrini to Gian Annibale. The Lupicaia project was born: a great Cabernet Sauvignon aspiring to none other than Château Latour.

Sometimes blended with Merlot when exceptional, or with Petit Verdot when mature, Lupicaia has always demonstrated well-harmonized power and elegance, giving the wine a special, restrained longevity which will stand in time as a memento of the charm and great personality of Pucci Rossi.

Born in 1927, Jean Gautreau was an accomplished athlete, then Bordeaux négociant before discovering Château Sociando-Mallet in the village of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, ten kilometers north of Pauillac in the Haut-Médoc appellation, in 1969 when looking for a wine estate to buy on behalf of a Belgian client.

Choosing to buy the then 5-hectare estate for himself, Gautreau began making wine while embarking on full estate renovations that saw the building of a barrel cellar, an increase in vineyard holdings year after year and meticulous matching of grape varieties to individual plots.

Speaking about Jean Gautreau, Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent Jane Anson said: ‘He might have been 92, but it still feels almost impossible to believe that he won’t be heading up Sociando-Mallet, uncompromising, straight talking, rightly confident in the brilliance of his wine.

‘In May this year he celebrated 50 years at the estate that will always be associated with him, but he actually had several lives, from being a talented tennis player who made it to the semi-finals of Roland Garos when he was 18, to his years as a courtier and négociant in Bordeaux.

‘He was born in the Médoc, but didn’t come from a winemaking family, and it was through sheer determination that he succeeded in building up Sociando piece by piece, bringing out the potential of its location on one of the best gravel outcrops in the Médoc.

‘He had tunnel vision when it came to his wine and we all benefitted from it’.

Today the estate is comprised of 83 hectares producing nearly 450,000 bottles a year of Château Sociando-Mallet and the second wine, Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet.

Gautreau is succeeded by his daughter, and only child, Sylvie who now manages the estate and has done since being handed control on the eve of Jean’s 90th birthday, and grandson Arthur.

Charming, extraordinary and revolutionary are just some of the words that have been used to describe winemaker Jean-Bernard Delmas, who died in Bordeaux this week aged 83.

Delmas spent more than 40 years as manager and technical director of Château Haut-Brion between 1961 and 2003.

He also oversaw the other wines of estate owner Domaine Clarence Dillon, included La Mission Haut-Brion following the purchase of this estate in 1983.

Delmas succeeded his father, Georges Delmas, as manager and winemaker at first growth Haut-Brion and has since been succeeded himself by his own son, Jean-Philippe Delmas, who is today deputy managing director of Domaine Clarence Dillon.

It was initially thought Jean-Bernard would retire after leaving Haut-Brion in 2003, but he went on to manage Château Montrose following the Bouygues brothers’ purchase of the St-Estèphe estate in 2006. He retired in 2011.

‘My family has never known Chateau Haut-Brion without the presence of this great man and extraordinary winemaker,’ said Prince Robert of Luxembourg, CEO & chairman of Domaine Clarence Dillon. Everyone at the estate offered their ‘heartfelt condolences’ to the Delmas family, he said.

‘His charm and humour marked all who were fortunate enough to meet him. His boundless curiosity and innovative spirit raised the estates and our wines to new heights.’

Jane Anson, Decanter’s chief Bordeaux expert, said, ‘He was always extremely generous in sharing his knowledge with me. Last time I saw him we were both excited at the new high-tech systems in place at Montrose for tracking harvesting progression. He never seemed to lose his enthusiasm. He was part of Bordeaux history, and a thoroughly lovely man.’

Hervé Berland, Château Montrose CEO and who joined the second growth estate in 2012 following Delmas’ retirement, said, ‘Jean-Bernard was a great companion, a great friend, a godfather to Montrose and we will miss him very much.

‘He was responsible for exceptional vintages like 2009 and 2010, as he was for so many exceptional vintages at La Mission Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion.

‘He was both a scientist and a bon vivant, and many of my best memories of him are of sharing meals together. His eyes would always light up at a good plate of lamproie à la bordelaise.’

A ‘moderniser’ in Bordeaux

Born in 1935, Bordeaux changed enormously during Delmas’ lifetime and he was considered instrumental in introducing new methods.

David Peppercorn MW wrote in Decanter in 2003 that Delmas was a ‘revolutionary’, notably for his early adoption of stainless steel tanks in the cellar.

But such urges were tempered by a deep understanding of the heritage, he said.

‘He has indeed been a moderniser in the best sense, always respecting the terroir of Haut-Brion and La Mission while using all the tools now available to produce modern wines that are also true to all the best traditions of Bordeaux’s greatest wines,’ wrote Peppercorn.

‘This is a man with an enquiring mind, always looking for new challenges. The Dillon family have been fortunate to have had such a gifted steward.’

Peppercorn highlighted Haut-Brion 1975, in particular, as testament to Delmas’ ability to produce wines of ‘balance and elegance, without sacrificing power’.

Delmas also undertook a rigorous replanting programme in the Haut-Brion vineyards, which began in the 1970s and involved scrupulous testing on different clones and other variations of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot derived via massal selection of old vines at the estate.

‘Mentor and friend’

Prince Robert said, ‘Jean was a mentor and a friend to so many of us at Domaine Clarence Dillon, not least of whom his son Jean-Philippe, who worked alongside his father for 10 years, before following him in his footsteps.

‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and particularly to his sons, Jean-Philippe, Frederic and their families. We thank you all for your kind and consoling messages, which we will of course share with the Delmas family.’

The funeral will be held on Wednesday 9 October at 10:30am in the Church of St Martin de Pessac.

Together with his cousin Michael, and later with cousin James and brothers Peter and Amyas, Ian Symington was instrumental in rebuilding the family’s international Port sales in the two decades following the Second World War.

Born in Porto in 1929, he was educated in Porto and England, seeing military service in the Seaforth Highlanders before returning to the family Port company in 1949, joining his father John, and uncles Maurice and Ron.

Symington Family Estates – now owner of Graham’s, Dow’s, Cockburn’s and Warre’s – said the Port trade was ‘in a parlous state’ following the war, but Ian had helped to rebuild sales and open up new markets.

‘Travelling tirelessly, Ian and his cousins brought Port back to the attention of consumers in the main markets,’ the company said.

‘Their work was rewarded when, in the 1960s, sales began to climb steadily around the world. Together they built a thriving and successful Port company.’

The company said Ian was respected ‘for his meticulous preparation, determination and negotiating skills’ in a near-50-year career, adding that he and wife Cynthia were renowned for their ‘generous hospitality’ entertaining customers and journalists, both in Porto and in the Douro.

A lover of the Douro Valley, Ian rebuilt an abandoned farmhouse near the remote Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira when nearing retirement, and was named president of drinks industry charity the Wine & Spirit Benevolent Society in 1983.

Ian and Cynthia Symington married in 1954, and had two daughters and one son, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Son Johnny joined the business in 1985, and granddaughter Vicky now works for the company.

See also: Interview: Paul Symington, CEO Symington Family Estates

Auction house Christie’s said, ‘It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of our longstanding and much admired colleague David Elswood.’

His career at Christie’s, spanning nearly 35 years, ran alongside a period of significant expansion for the global fine wine market.

Elswood was a major contributor to this growth and Christie’s described him as ‘pivotal in developing the international profile of Christie’s Wine Department over the last three decades’.

Ex-colleagues and those in the wider wine trade and media will also remember a man who was unfailingly generous with his time.

Elswood joined the Christie’s wine department in 1985 and became a director and auctioneer for the company in 1989.

He would go on to hold several roles, including deputy head of the department, head of European sales, head of the London wine department and international head of fine wine and principal auctioneer.

In 2017, he became a senior international consultant with the group.

From 2008, Elswood led the group’s expansion in Hong Kong alongside the rise in demand for fine wine in Asia. He also oversaw the annual Hospices de Beaune auctions, which Christie’s has organised since 2005.

There were several, notable one-off auctions, including the three sales of Sir Alex Ferguson’s wines in 2014; an event that Elswood helped to make a reality. He also handled the auction of wines from the UK government’s cellar.

Respect for Elswood among top wineries was shown by him receiving the rare double distinction of being appointed both as a Commandeur du Bontemps de Médoc at the 2003 ‘Fête de la Fleur’, held at Château Mouton Rothschild, and as a Chevalier du Tastevin at a Clos de Vougeot ceremony in Burgundy in the same year.

Elswood worked with Decanter on several occasions.

He led the annual, Christie’s-hosted auctions of Decanter World Wine Awards wines for the WaterAid charity. He also co-ran a Decanter-sponsored auction for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation in 2016.

Christie’s said, ‘He was a superb auctioneer, a caring colleague, inspiring leader, a great friend and a beloved member of the fine wine and auction community. He will be missed enormously by those who knew him and worked with him.’

Jordan was the man who established Domaine Chandon Australia, and worked for many years as a judge in the Decanter World Wine Awards, initially judging Australian wines and then world sparkling wines. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma at Easter and died on August 27.

Members of the wine trade shared their tributes to Jordan on social media. Decanter‘s Jane Anson called him ‘one of the most inspiring speakers on wine’. Jancis Robinson praised his ‘talent, expertise and influence’.

Jordan worked with Brian Croser in the early days of Oenotec, the influential Australian winemaking consultancy. Together they established the wine science course at Riverina College – today’s Charles Sturt University – and later Jordan was the man who chose the site, directed the planting of vineyards and building of the winery for Domaine Chandon Australia.

He also set the style of the wine and was influential in sparkling wine production throughout Australia. He was also involved with LVMH globally, notably in the establishment of Domaine Chandon operations in China and India.

Jordan judged wine in many Australian and international wine competitions and was a mentor to many people, not only winemakers but people from all areas of the industry and trade.

He was also a contributor to wine industry organisations, serving on the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia and Yarra Valley Winemakers’ Association.

Jordan was a consummate wine technician and taster: opinionated, articulate, thorough and precise, and his views were listened to the world over.

He was honoured earlier this year with life membership of the Australian Wine Industry by Australian Grape & Wine, in recognition of his significant contribution to the Australian wine sector. He was also made a Fellow of the Australian Society for Viticulture and Oenology.

Wine Australia created the Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award, an annual prize for the most outstanding Wine Australia PhD scholarship applicant, providing up to AUD $40,000 annually to support study.

Marquis Lapo Mazzei died aged 94 at his Fonterutoli estate near to Siena, according to Italian media.

Born into one of Tuscany’s oldest winemaking families in 1925, he is credited with helping to bring both the Mazzei family wine business and Chianti Classico more generally into the modern era.

Before doing so, he helped the Allies to liberate Italy in the Second World War.

He remained a key figure in Florentine society throughout his life and tributes were this week led by the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, who offered his personal condolences to the Mazzei family.

‘With [the death of] Lapo Mazzei we lose a great Florentine who gave so much to Florence and to our country, participating in the Liberation of Italy,’ said Nardella.

Alongside his sense of public duty and role as head of Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze bank, Nardella praised Lapo Mazzei’s contribution to the history of Italian wine.

Italy’s appellation authority, Federdoc, also joined Nardella in expressing its condolences to the Mazzei family this week.

Mazzei was president of the Chianti Classico Consorzio for 20 years from 1974.

During this period, the Consorzio began what would become known as the ‘Chianti Classico Collection’ tasting for domestic and international press. The denomination also achieved DOCG status in 1984.

Long before that, Lapo Mazzei had begun overseeing the family winemaking business while still studying for a degree in agriculture.

The Mazzei family has produced wine at Castello di Fonterutoli for 24 generations, since Madonna Smeralda Mazzei married Piero di Agnolo da Fonterutoli in 1435.

Her grandfather, Ser Lapo Mazzei, wrote one of the oldest-surviving references to Chianti wine, dating to 1398.

But it was Lapo Mazzei in the 20^th Century who led the investments that would enable the family to take advantage of new international markets for wine – and help bring the Chianti Classico name to more wine lovers outside of Italy.

See our 2019 guide to Chianti Classico new releases – by Michaela Morris

Brounstein and her late husband Al, who died in 2006, founded Diamond Creek in 1967, achieving a series of firsts over the coming years, including the first all-Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in California, and the first US$100-a-bottle wine from the state.

‘Boots’ – she was given the nickname as a baby – died after a short illness earlier this week after helping to run Diamond Creek for more than half a century.

‘Mom was the heart of Diamond Creek,’ said Phil Ross, her son. ‘What she and Al did as pioneers, helping to bring the French idea of terroir to the Napa Valley, was extraordinary, perhaps only exceeded by the great work she did over the past decade since Al’s passing to maintain Diamond Creek’s renowned place in the wine world.’

Adelle met Al, a pharmaceutical wholesaler and wine enthusiast, on a blind date in the 1960s, and the couple acquired their 70-acre estate on Diamond Mountain, south of Calistoga, in 1967, the same year they married.

They planted three vineyards – Red Rock Terrace, Gravelly Meadow and Volcanic Hill – on diverse soils with Bordeaux varieties, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, using cuttings smuggled by Al from Bordeaux, via Mexico.

The small, 20-acre estate was later expanded with the creation of Lake vineyard in the early 1970s, with the 1978 Lake vintage the first wine from California to fetch US$100 a bottle.

However, Diamond Creek was said to have taken 15 years to turn a profit, with early critics questioning its pioneering ‘boutique winery’ philosophy – production limited to roughly 2,000 cases a year – and the concept of bottling single-vineyard wines.

As well as continuing to have a hand in the day-to-day running of Diamond Creek, ‘Boots’ raised millions of dollars for research into Parkinson’s Disease, which Al had suffered for more than 20 years when he died at the age of 86.

Napa Valley Vintners called ‘Boots’ a ‘dedicated and generous NVV member and an inspiring advocate for the entire Napa Valley.’

A date for a memorial service in the Napa Valley to celebrate Boots’ life is to be announced.

Additional reporting by Jane Anson in Bordeaux.

The French wine world was today mourning the loss of André Lurton, a key figure in the modern history of Bordeaux winemaking.

Among his achievements, Lurton played a central role in the creation of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, which was born in 1987 following several years of lobbying and bureaucratic wrangling.

Born in 1924 in the middle of harvest, and to a winemaking family, Lurton significantly expanded the family business after first inheriting Château Bonnet in Grezillac in 1953.

First, though, came World War Two, during which Lurton worked in the French Resistance and subsequently joined the French army in order to help with the fighting in Alsace in particular.

It was partly because of this experience that Lurton was known later for his collection of 1940s army vehicles.

He joined his father, François Lurton, in the vineyards after the war, aged 21.

After inheriting Bonnet in 1953, things didn’t go to plan initially. Frost seriously damaged the estate’s 50 hectares of vineyard in 1956 and Lurton grew crops for cattle feed in order to fund a major replanting programme.

Success eventually followed at Bonnet and this enabled Lurton to expand into what was then Graves, buying Château La Louvière in 1965. Two years later, he started renting vines at Château Couhins and subsequently bought the vineyards to create Château Couhins-Lurton in 1970.

Vignobles André Lurton today has 600ha of vines across much of southern Bordeaux.

Along the way, Lurton became mayor of Grézillac, was director of the CIVB for 20 years from 1966 to 1986 and president of the winemaking syndicate of Pessac and Léognan from 1980 to 1987, at which point it became AOC Pessac-Léognan.

Decanter’s Jane Anson wrote recently that the creation of the Pessac-Léognan appellation may not have come about at all ‘if it hadn’t been for the stubborn persistency of André Lurton’.

She said of Lurton this week, ‘He might have slowed down over the past few years, but few men have done as much to shape Bordeaux as André Lurton.

‘It was his lobbying that led to the creation of the Pessac-Léognan vintage in 1987, after a steady campaign of lobbying begun following his purchase of La Louvière.

‘He also managed the difficult feat of building up a successful, sizeable and consistently good quality AOC Bordeaux wine in the form of Château Bonnet, which today covers 300ha of vines.

‘He was also extremely good company, and will be missed’.

Several of Lurton’s seven children, notably Christine, François and Jacques, have built their own successful careers in wine.

Read Jane Anson’s article on ‘Pessac-Léognan 30 years on’

Shafer was part of the early influx who saw the winemaking potential of Napa Valley in the 1970s.

‘The world of wine always inspired Dad and he loved nothing more than to work with the Shafer team to improve quality, enhance everything we do, and to discuss future projects,’ said Doug Shafer, son and president of Shafer Vineyards, in a statement.

‘He also loved Napa Valley, worked to make it a better place for everyone, and we’re receiving amazing messages from a huge number of people whose lives he touched with his generous spirit.’

It was after a career in publishing in Chicago that Shafer decided to move his family to Napa in 1973, buying a vineyard in Stag’s Leap.

‘My motivation was to be in business for myself, and to be in on the ground floor of what I perceived would be a growing phenomenon. Plus I wanted to work outdoors,’ said Shafer of his drastic move, in a Decanter interview in 2004. 

The vineyard had last been planted in the 1920s and Shafer spent the 1970s replanting Cabernet Sauvignon vines.

His first wine was the 1978 Shafer Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, released in 1981.

In 1985, Shafer organised neighbouring winemakers, including Nathan Fay, Warren Winiarski, Dick Steltzner, and Joseph Phelps, to petition for Stag’s Leap District to be recognised as an American Viticultural Area. It became Napa Valley’s third AVA.

Shafer is survived by daughter Libby Shafer of St. Helena, sons Doug Shafer of St. Helena, and Brad Shafer of San Francisco, 13 grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

One of Italy's greatest - and more controversial - fine wine producers, Gianfranco Soldera, has died at the age of 82.

Soldera, owner of Case Basse winery, died on the morning of 16 February 2019, following a heart attack while driving near to his vineyards in Montalcino, according to Italian media reports.

While he will be remembered as one of Italy’s most outspoken winemakers, his wines also attained high acclaim and bottles of Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva have become some of the most sought after in the secondary market by collectors all over the world.

From an early stage, Soldera was also a strong believer in organic principles and refused to use chemical fertilisers in the vineyard. He preferred natural yeast in the winery, developing techniques that might find common ground with today’s ‘natural wine’ movement.

Early life

Soldera was born in Treviso in 1937 and arrived in Tuscany in the 1970s in a period that saw a new wave of non-indigenous producers, such as Banfi, Gaja and Molinari, enter the region.

He originally worked in Milan as an insurance broker, and continued this career alongside winemaking until 2003.

Case Basse

He founded Case Basse in Tavernelle, a small village south-west of Montalcino and which lies more than 300 metres above sea level. The first Case Basse vines were planted in 1972 and 1973.

In this part of Montalcino the growing season is longer than in other villages of the denomination due to the extreme diurnal temperature variations.

Soldera farmed nine hectares of vines, on a 23 hectare estate, next to his wife’s botanical garden, which the pair believed helped to create a complex ecosystem in which the vines could thrive.

Soldera was also known for his meticulous work in the vineyard; he consistently removed unnecessary growth from the start of the season through to harvest. This involved trimming shoots, leaves and bunches during the entire growing season.

In the winery, he believed in extremely low intervention, although oak barrels were always carefully monitored by Massimo Vincenzini, a microbiologist from the University of Florence.

Sabotage in the winery

In 2012, around 62,600 litres of Soldera’s Brunello di Montalcino vintages from 2007 to 2012 was intentionally destroyed. A former employee, Andrea Di Gisi, was subsequently jailed for sabotage.

Following the attack, the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino offered to supply wine for Soldera to sell, but the winemaker refused, arguing that this would not be fair to consumers. He resigned from the Consorzio and continued to make 100% Sangiovese wine as Tuscany IGP.

Soldera was known for having his own ideas, such as his insistence on resting bottles standing upright rather than lying down. He reputedly only went to restaurants with his own glasses and he was believed to have only drunk his own wines and those of just two or three other producers.

However, he produced some of the most elegant wines from Montalcino that will live beyond his years.

Editing by Chris Mercer. 

Tributes have been paid to Ron Miller, son-in-law to Walt Disney and co-founder of Silverado Vineyards in Napa Valley, who has died aged 85.

Ron Miller, who was also president of the board of directors at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and had previously been Disney CEO, died in Napa, California, announced the team at Silverado Vineyards.

Miller and his wife, Diane Disney Miller, founded Silverado Vineyards in 1981, together with Disney Miller’s mother, Lillian Disney.

They built up the winery during a transformational period for California and its standing in the wine world.

‘Since its first vintage, Silverado has won a fine reputation for consistent and full-bodied Cabernets from Stags Leap District,’ wrote Decanter contributing editor Stephen Brook last year.

Miller is survived by his seven children, plus 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. His wife, Diane, died in 2013.

The Walt Disney connection

Miller was a 21-year-old American football player for the University of Southern California when he met 20-year-old Diane Disney on a blind date. They married in Santa Barbara on 9 May, 1954.

After a period in the army and playing football professionally for Los Angeles Rams, he was recruited by his father-in-law to work at Walt Disney studios.

Miller is credited with helping to lead the expansion of the business following Walt Disney’s death in 1966.

As CEO of the Walt Disney Co between between 1978 and 1984, he drove the creation of Disney home video, Touchstone Pictures and the Disney Channel, as well as a move into computer animation.

‘Everyone at The Walt Disney Company is deeply saddened by the passing of Ron Miller,’ said Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Co.

‘Few people had Ron’s understanding of our history, or a deeper appreciation and respect for our company, and he shared it generously with anyone who wanted to know more. I was fortunate to have known him, and even luckier to have called him a friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.’

In 2009, he helped to establish the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco.

Silverado Vineyards said that the museum has set up a memorial fund to receive donations in tribute to Miller’s life.

Both Ron Miller and his wife were known for their philanthropy, notably in the areas of classical music and ballet.

Beyond film and wine, Miller also enjoyed skiing, fishing, hunting and golf.

See also: 

Travel guide: Riding Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail

The patriarch of Barolo, Beppe Colla, has died aged 88, in the year he would have celebrated his 70th harvest.

The area of Barolo DOCG as we know it today is the result of his hard work. In 1960 he joined forces with Renato Ratti and Gildo Cavallotto (among others) on the commission to plot the outer boundaries of the Barolo wine terroir, preparing the DOC.

‘We tried to work on typicity to explain where vineyards have been included in the incoming appellation and where they have been not,’ he said in an interview in 2016.

‘Typically is a notion linked with appellation, of course, but also with the vineyards, the grape variety and the vintage. We can encode the density, the exposure, the altitude, but the typicity is also linked with common sense, and this is not sold by tons.’

Beppe Colla began to make wine after graduating in 1949 from the Scuola Enologica in Alba. After running Casa Vinicola Bonardi, he bought the winery of Cavalier Prunotto in 1956, producing outstanding vintages of Barolo Prunotto up to 1990.

He was also one of the first producers to introduce crus to Barolo in 1960, bottling his wines as Bussia. ‘I can honestly say,’ he told Alessandro Masnaghetti in an interview in 2016, ‘that I came to understand wine when I visited Burgundy in the early ’60s.’

He was one of the first to understand the importance of over-extraction with Nebbiolo grapes, something that can still be a problem today. Many Italians remember his challenges as president of the consortium Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco during the methanol scandal, especially as he had always worked for quality wines.

In the ’90s he began a collaboration with Tuscan producer Piero Antinori, to whom he then he sold the winery. A few years later he founded his family winery Poderi Colla with his brother Tino and nephew Pietro. He was also one of the founders of the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and of the Wines of Alba, associating itself with the cuisine of Langhe.

His funeral was on 17 January in the church of Cristo Re in Alba.

Leading figures and institutions across the wine world have paid tribute to the warmth and genius of Gerard Basset, a 'great gentleman of wine’ who simultaneously held both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, and who has died this week.

Gerard Basset OBE MW MS died on 16 January with his family by his side, following a battle with cancer of the oesophagus that was first diagnosed in 2017. He was 61 years old, and would have been 62 on 7 March.

He will be remembered as one of the wine world’s leading lights, not least for having been the only person to improbably hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles – many struggle to gain even one of those accolades – alongside an MBA in wine business and an MSc.

Basset also won the title of ‘world’s best sommelier’ in 2010 and was given an OBE in the UK in 2011.

Those achievements, while undoubtedly impressive, were underpinned by Basset’s work in mentoring many young sommeliers who have gone on to be ranked among the world’s finest in their own right.

‘Words cannot express how saddened we are to hear of the passing of our former president and friend, Gerard Basset,’ said the Court of Master Sommeliers.

‘He has been a mentor and inspiration to so many, a shining example of courtesy, humility and professionalism that we all should aspire to.’

Basset was a regular judge and expert taster for Decanter, and was appointed co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2017, the year in which he also gained an MSc from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.

He was also a vice-chair at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, and had previously won the publication’s Man of the Year title, in 2013.

John Stimpfig, Decanter’s content director, said, ‘The news of Gerard Basset MW MS OBE’s death is a hard and heavy blow to all who knew this great gentleman of wine. He was a true wine legend who gave so much to so many, both personally and professionally.’

Alongside all of this, Basset found time to be a founding partner of Hotel du Vin. He also opened wine hotel TerraVina with his wife, Nina, in the New Forest in southern England.

That business re-launched as ‘Spot in the Woods’ last year, as part of efforts to adapt the operation to fit around Basset’s illness.

Nina Basset said, ‘Whilst we are devastated to have to say goodbye to Gerard for the last time, we draw strength from the kind messages that we have already received from the many people whose lives he touched.

‘He fought a brave battle against cancer and we are comforted that he died at home surrounded by his family and that he is now at peace. Both Romané [our son] and I are profoundly grateful for the support we have received from our friends across the world, including the many in the wine and hospitality industries and to know that Gerard was so loved by all those who knew him.’

Basset was born and raised in France. He originally trained as a chef. However, after moving to the UK in the 1980s, he began working front-of-house and exchanged the kitchen for the sommelier role.

The story goes that he only came to the UK for a football match in Liverpool, but ended up sticking around and building his career in the country’s hospitality trade.

Speaking to Decanter’s Brian St-Pierre in 2013, Basset said, ‘You have to give back as much as you have taken, after all.

‘I totally believe in education, for my team and my proteges of course, but also continually for myself.’

His family said that there would be a small, private funeral and, later in the spring, a memorial service that will be held in London. In the meantime, messages of condolence can be sent to inmemoriam@culturalcomms.co.uk.

A crowdfunding account has been set up to fund the publishing of Basset’s memoirs,  Tasting Victory – The Life & Wines of the World’s Favourite Sommelier – you can donate here.