Rolf Bichsel - Best of Bordeaux

the canes where the machines cannot reach, and sorting has always been per-

formed by the wives, and the men are happy that way. ‘Petites façons' (‘small

work'), was what they called the work of female hands, namely breaking up the

soils between the vines with a pickaxe, whilst the men performed the ‘big work'

consisting of clattering proudly through the vines with a team of oxen and whis-

tling to the girls slaving away in the dirt below. Tribute should also be paid to all

of the female figures past and present who have accompanied their husbands

in the vineyard. They also play a leading role during the harvest, at the sorting

table, in the o

ffi

ce (who else ensures that orders are ful

fi

lled, samples are sent,

visitors are welcomed, coffee is brewed and thousands of other ‘minor details'

are taken care of?) and even at the head of the company or in the cellar: the Fac-

ulty of Oenology in Bordeaux now has more female students than male, which

is as it should be.

What makes Bordeaux so unique is the fact that production on an almost in-

dustrial scale began here in very early times. This made the division of labour

and specialisation essential, demanded a large amount of technical know-how,

and soon required its own oenological faculty: techniques such as sulphuring

barrels, injecting copper sulphate, modern pruning and organic lactic acid deg-

radation were discovered, studied or further developed in Bordeaux, in recent

years by researchers and in earlier eras by experienced directors of well-known

estates and a host of nameless vineyard workers and cellar masters – the collec-

tive memory of Bordeaux winemaking covers centuries. Estates are and were

expansive – by the 18th century Léoville already had 200 hectares of vines, and

the six Premiers Crus on the left bank together produce a million bottles a year.

If an estate owner proudly explains to an awed visitor the tricks he has used

to get the latest vintage to the wine press but then cannot find the light switch

on the tour, and praises the beauty of his neighbour's vineyards whilst visiting

the terraces, there is no need for concern, as he is being watched at a distance

by the backstage crew, all competent, knowledgeable and just happy that the

Star oenologist Michel Rolland

48

HistoryDivision of labour

owner lets them follow their instincts. What would Lafite be without its director

Charles Chevallier, Yquem without Pierre Lurton or winemaker Sandrine Gar-

baye, Pichon Baron without Jean-René Matignon, Cantenac Brown without José

Sansfin to name but a few, and what would all of these figures be without the

hardworking bees and drones buzzing away behind them? The owners who can

be found in the cellar of their Grand Cru even when the press is no longer there

(I am thinking in particular of Lucien Guillemet at Boyd Cantenac) are excep-

tions to the rule and of no detriment to quality – in fact, quite the opposite. In

the best cases, the owner and director develop a form of symbiosis as at Pontet

Canet for example, where the dynamic and enterprising Alfred Tesseron and

the dour tinkerer Jean Michel Comme have formed an almost ideal business

marriage which has now inspired a wine whose like the estate (and the world)

has never before seen.

And consultant oenologists? Without them nothing would happen, and the

most important are not always the most famous. It is impossible to avoid the Pe-

ynaud legend, not so much because of his research work as because of his ability

to describe wine in words used by no one before him. The greatest, most price-

less merit of a Michel Rolland is the fact that he has enticed and encouraged

winemakers to head into their vineyards and really taste their grapes in order

to better understand their substance and potential. Although tales of Stéphane

Derenoncourt may have been exaggerated and occasionally become the stuff

of legends, it is thanks to him (among others) that Saint-Emilion now has 200

good wines rather than just 20. However, the nuts and bolts of winemaking is

also carried out by many others, the Dubourdieus, Boissenots, Pasquets, Nav-

arres, Olliviers and the rest, men and women who want nothing more than to

do good work in the background, whether as researchers, analysts, laboratory

technicians or consultants striving to create the perfect blend.

There can be no theatrical success without critics or an audience. What is

the value of critics? Without them there would be absolutely no activity in the

English-speaking world. Parker and co. remain the weather gods of Bordeaux. In

Europe their importance and in

fl

uence (positive and negative!) is rather mod-

est, although some dream of following in Parker's footsteps. This is as it should

be – good critics should have an opinion, which you may or may not share. The

important members of a theatre-going audience are not those who go to a per-

formance because they want to be seen, but rather those who go because they

are interested in the play and form an opinion with the help of critics (rather

than one single critic). Anyone who reads between the lines and deduces that

you can only be a Bordeaux connoisseur by being whizzed seven times around

oenological university in a chauffeur-driven limousine with a minibar has to-

tally missed the point. Let's not leave Bordeaux to the speculators and captains

of industry. Anyone who would have us believe that Bordeaux belongs in a

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