Dany and Michel Rolland on the look out for investments in Napa Valley

By Carol Emmas

Published: 13 September, 2013

Investing in California's Napa Valley is next on the list for Bordeaux oenologists and consultants Dany and Michel Rolland, owners of the Rolland Collection.

David Lesage of the Rolland Collection told harpers.co.uk at this week's Beautiful South tasting at London's Olympia, that the Rollands were looking at investing in the area but he didn't indicate when a move might happen. However, he said the team would be "looking to concentrate on Merlot when it did".

The Rolland Collection is a range of wines from five appellations across the right bank in Bordeaux and also includes a range from Spain and South Africa and eight wines from Argentina which it was showing at the Beautiful South event under the Mariflor, Val de Flores and San Pedro de Yacochuya and Yacochuya labels. The wines are available through Bancroft Wines.

The San Pedro de Yacochuya Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 and Yacochuya Malbec 2006 come, claims Lesage from grapes grown in the second highest vineyard in the world. The wines sit at around 16% + abv because of the close proximity to the sun given the vineyard's height, he added.

Earlier this year the Rolland family signed a deal to release a majority stake of its Pomerol vineyards to the Hong Kong financial and real-estate company Goldin Group run by Pan Sutong, which owns Sloan Estate in Napa Valley, where Michel Rolland is the consultant. Rolland remains consultant for his former Pomerol vineyards.

Michel Rolland works on the Rolland Collection alongside oenologist wife Dany and featured in Jonathan Nossiter's 2004 documentary, Mondovino.

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