Well now that you have mentioned Rolland, any wine you drink today will be automatically awful.
Yes and no. Hiring Rolland as a consultant does not necessarily mean that he is going to ruin your wine. His firm does whatever is asked of it, and apparently one of strengths is in the vineyards. For example, Chateau Corbin, one of my favorite Saint Emilions, they work exclusively in the vineyard, and the wines are certainly fairly traditional as Annabel Bardinet knows exactly what she wants to do with the wine.
+1
I think the impact really started kicking in with the 1998, which I actually liked young
And then became really pronounced in the solar vintages, 2000 and 2003.
Yes it does. Always. In every case. No matter what. As soon as he crosses the threshold. Come on, Mark; get with the program!
You put 2000 with 2003? They aren’t even close.
My brother pulled out a bottle of 2010 La Vielle Cure at a family gathering for my mom’s 91st birthday last Sunday. After two sips, I immediately suspected Michel Rolland’s influence, so I looked it up and indeed, he had a hand in the wine making. These Rolland wines have an easily identifiable veneer of oaky smoothness, with a flavor profile that is “delicious” and pleasing but have no varietal character or sense of terroir at all. I can see how people like them, but they are just so uninteresting. Not sure why Leve loves this style so much – I would think he’d get bored of drinking the same wine over and over again.
What other Château in Bordeaux is Rolland Inflicted
Bordeaux vineyards under Rolland influence[edit]
Rolland holds decisive roles (such as owner, cellar master, oenologist, consultant) in a number of chateaux in Bordeaux. These include:
Angélus, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Armens, St-Emilion Grand Cru
From Wikipedia. Note that level influence varies,
Ausone, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Beauregard, Pomerol
Bellefont-Belcier, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Bellevue Mondotte, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Bibian, Haut-Médoc
Blason de l’Evangile, Pomerol
le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol
Bonalgue, Pomerol
Branas Grand Poujeaux, Moulis
Brillette, Moulis
de Camensac, Haut-Médoc
Cap de Faugères, Côtes de Castillon
Cap Léon Veyrin, Listrac-Médoc
Certan de May de Certan, Pomerol
Chapelle d’Ausone, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Clarke, Listrac-Médoc
la Clémence, Pomerol
Clément-Pichon, Haut-Médoc
Clinet, Pomerol
Clos des Jacobins, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Clos du Clocher, Pomerol
Clos l’Eglise, Pomerol
Clos les Lunelles, Côtes de Castillon
Clos Saint-Martin, St-Emilion Grand Cru
la Commanderie de Mazeyres, Pomerol
Corbin, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Côte de Baleau, St-Emilion Grand Cru
la Couspaude, St-Emilion Grand Cru
le Crock, St-Estèphe
Croix de Labrie, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Destieux, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Destieux, St-Emilion Grand Cru
la Dominique, St-Emilion Grand Cru
l’Evangile, Pomerol
Faugères, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Faugères Cuvée Péby, St-Emilion Grand Cru
la Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol
la Fleur de Gay, Pomerol
Fombrauge, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Fontenil, Fronsac
Franc-Mayne, St-Emilion Grand Cru
la Garde, Pessac-Léognan
le Gay, Pomerol
Giscours, Margaux
Grand Mayne, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Grand Ormeau, Lalande de Pomerol
Grand-Pontet, St-Emilion Grand Cru
les Grandes Murailles, St-Emilion Grand Cru
les Grands Chênes, Médoc
la Gravière, Lalande de Pomerol
Jean de Gué, Lalande de Pomerol
Julien, Haut-Médoc
Kirwan, Margaux
Larmande, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Larrivet-Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
Lascombes, Margaux
Latour-Martillac, Pessac-Léognan
Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien
Loudenne, Médoc
Magrez-Fombrauge, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Malartic-Lagravière, Pessac-Léognan
Malescot-Saint-Exupéry, Margaux
Monbousquet, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan
Pavie, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Péby Faugères, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Petit Village, Pomerol
Phélan-Ségur, St-Estèphe
le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol
Pontet-Canet, Pauillac
Ripeau, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Rochebelle, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Rouget, Pomerol
la Sérénité, Pessac-Léognan
Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan
la Tour-Carnet, Haut-Médoc
Troplong-Mondot, St-Emilion Grand Cru
de Valandraud, St-Emilion Grand Cru
la Violette, Pomerol
Virginie de Valandraud, St-Emilion Grand Cru
Love how it took Mark less than 4 minutes to whip that out! You and Alfert probably have that memorized! 
