I had the pleasure of interviewing Jean-Louis Carbonnier, the
Director of the Americas for one of the most esteemed Bordeaux châteaux, Château Palmer and the
owner of the communications firm Carbonnier Communications.
This is the first part of a two part conversation that you won’t
want to miss. You may learn more about how Bordeaux really works from this conversation than from any book you can
read, I know I did. In this installment, we talk about:
- The differences and dynamics between French winemaking regions, especially Bordeaux and Champagne, since Jean-Louis has worked in both
- Jean-Louis’s perceptions of how business gets done in Bordeaux
- His thoughts on global climate change in Bordeaux
- How the critics, especially certain American ones, have had a hand in shaping styles in Bordeaux
- The all important French concept of terroir and why it lays at the heart of French winemaking
Stay
tuned for next week’s episode when we discuss the
1855 Classification, it’s
relevance today, and the nuts of bolt of how to make a wine as outstanding as
Château Palmer.
Thanks for listening and please let me know what you think or if you have any questions by commenting below, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
I really enjoyed this Podcast episode! Thanks to you both for this interview. Regarding the issue of terroir in Old World vs. New World wines, I wonder if part of the issue is simply that New World wines are just that: new. The vineyards are young compared to most of the old world vineyards and even the most experienced growers can't possibly have the intimate knowledge of the land that's been passed on through generations in many Old World vineyards. Certainly that's not the only reason, and there are exceptions to the generalization, but do you think that might have something to do with the fact that terroir isn't as present in most New World wines as it is in quality Old World wines?
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