Falstaff Magazin International 01/2021

guest column /

guest column / JEAN-BAPTISTE LÉCAILLON CREATING THE MAGIC Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon is the inspired cellar master of Champagne Louis Roederer and the man behind Cristal – one of the most thrilling prestige cuvées ever created. He also is a visionary. He constantly questions the status quo and his decades of research and groundwork have positioned Champagne Louis Roederer as the leading house to shape the region‘s future. WORDS JEAN-BAPTISTE LÉCAILLON Champagne is famous for its bubbles. All over the world, Champagne is synonymous with friendship, success, celebration and love. It brings joy and lightness in our lives. It is an opportunity and honour for me to craft Champagne and we must thank all our predecessors for their hard work over centuries, too often in extremely difficult conditions. What a model of resilience Champagne is! Today our duty is to remember and explain to the new generation of producers and consumers that Champagne is first of all a fine wine. As such, it is the result of skilled craftsmanship allied to quality raw materials. IN PURSUIT OF TASTE Because a great Champagne finds its unique taste, identity, and ageing potential in the grapes it is made from, it is important to understand that the pursuit of taste starts in the vineyards and requires passionate, aesthetic and sometimes very difficult work. There, the combination of slope, altitude, exposure, soil, grape variety, climate – if done with passion, skill and long-term perspective – will give birth to unique taste. As does the clever choice of exceptional soils; the never-ending process of identification and domestication of the most interesting massal selections of old local Vitis vinifera types; the permanent THE PURSUIT OF TASTE REQUIRES PASSIONATE, AESTHETIC AND SOMETIMES VERY DIFFICULT WORK. JEAN-BAPTISTE LÉCAILLON CELLAR MASTER Lécaillon’s work reaches far beyond the cellars of Champagne Louis Roederer: he joined the house in 1989, has made sparkling wines for Roederer in California and Australia and has been in charge of viticulture and winemaking in Reims, France, since 1999. His progressive approach to viticulture and winemaking is charting a new course for Champagne. attention to detail in farming; sometimes the courage to question the most common rules under the scrutiny of innovation. This will create the magic by producing the most effortlessly balanced and flavoured grapes. In this new (old) stewardship of the land, the 21st century Champagne winemaker must use all their scientific knowledge, experience and craftsmanship to capture and reveal the most subtle perfumes of different sites. It is the purity of fruit, the ultimate finesse of the taste, that will make our Champagne even more unique. DUTY & AMBITION At Louis Roederer, a family-owned house for seven generations with large vineyard holdings, we believe it is our duty, our role, to make the most delicious and unique Champagnes. It is our way to pay tribute to Champagne’s history and contribute to the future of this amazing terroir. By converting our vineyards to organic farming, reintroducing some biodynamic practices; developing our unique collection of old massal vinifera selections; adapting our winemaking to the needs of the grapes (and not following a recipe), we want to make our Champagnes more unique, intense, expressive and true to our place. This ambition requires not only the total commitment of the owner family but a fantastic empowerment of the team that is, every day, in easy and in difficult vintages, making it happen! louis-roederer.com < Photo: Michael Boudot 36 falstaff winter 2021