The Cuvée Alexandre is named for the creator of Grand Marnier,
Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle. The vines used for this blend average
between 50 and 60 years old, with some of the Cabernet vines dating
back an entire century. Vigorous pruning and cluster thinning mean
that these vines produce concentrated, complex wines. Since Rolland
hails from Pomerol, where some of the world's finest Merlot-based
wines are produced, Merlot has become his specialty.
ST. SUPÉRY 1996 RED MERITAGE ($40)
Owned by third-generation French wine pro-ducer Robert Skalli (who
also owns Fortant de France), St. Supéry is a
Napa Valley showplace
winery. Struck by the similarities between Napa and his
Mediterranean home, Skalli began planting in Napa's Pope Valley in
1982. When he acquired an estate in Rutherford, the heart of
California's Cabernet country, Skalli built a new winery, naming it
St. Supéry after Edward St. Supéry, a 19th-century French winemaker
who owned the land that is Rutherford Estate in Napa. The first
crush at the new facility was during the harvest of 1988. Skalli
has continued to expand his interests in Napa, having purchased the
172-acre Hardester Ranch in 1999.
Bordeaux varietals are the specialty at St. Supéry, and this fits
Michel Rolland to a T. St. Supéry's bright and nicely structured
Meri-tage, made entirely of estate-grown grapes, is a blend of 87
percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 9 percent Cabernet Franc, and 4 percent
Merlot. It has tangy acid, lovely berry fruit, and a long
finish.
CHATEAU SMITH HAUT LAFITTE 1997 PESSAC-LÉOGNAN ($58)
The recent history of Smith Haut Lafitte shows what a difference a
consultant of
Michel Rolland's caliber can make. This estate had
been limping along when it was bought in 1990 by Daniel and
Florence Cathiard, a couple who were formerly on the French
National Ski Team with Jean-Claude Killy. After leaving their
respective jobs, they put major funds into improving the property
and its vineyards, and then brought in Rolland to help put a
turnaround on the wines.