Philippe Rolet, A Winemaker Straddling the Andes

My guest this episode is Philippe Rolet, a winemaker who began his career in Chablis but who for more than 30 years has been one of the most influential winemakers in South America. His is General Manager of Los Vascos in Chile and Bodegas CARO in Mendoza's Uco Valley. The story began in the mid-1980s, when French company Domaines de Baron de Rothschild Lafite (better known simply as DBR) decided to make wine in Chile. DBR partnered with a local winery called Los Vascos and in 1988 became the principal shareholder of the group that also includes minority partner Viña Santa Rita, on its own one of Chile’s largest producers. Today, the partnership produces half a million cases of wine, nearly all of which is exported.

The group is notable for pioneering green certifications and is today is more than 50-percent organic, with many of the vineyards transitioning to biodynamic agriculture.

Philippe Rolet works closely with Saskia Rothschild, the current director of the parent company DBR; he credits her with much of the company’s recent innovation. In the late 1990s, DBR crossed the Andes to create another partnership in Argentina. In Mendoza's Uco Valley, Bodegas CARO brought DBR together with the Nicolas Catena Family, and Philippe Rolet is general manager there as well.

In our wide-ranging converesation, Philippe explores wine and place. We talk about Los Vascos' flagship blend Le Dix introduced in 1996; It is based on Cabernet Sauvignon with about 10 percent Carmenère, but also includes as much as eight percent Syrah each year. As you will hear the winery produces many other blends including a stunning rosé made from Rhône varieties. Philippe also talks about the property's newest project called "Cañeten," a wine produced in a cooler part of Colchagua, closer to the coast than Le Dix.

Philippe Rolet is here, glass in hand, and you can also find him at the Los Vascos website, https://www.lafite.com/domaines/los-vascos/read/

And, you can learn more about Bodegas CARO here: https://www.palmbay.com/wines/bodegas-caro/caro-3/