#425 Six Questions with... Pascal Roblet-Monnot

Pascal Roblet makes his wines in the hamlet of Bligny-les-Beaune, after taking over his family's domaine in the early 1990s.  He transformed it into one of the leading producers of Volnay, converting the vineyards to biodynamic viticulture and adopting a hands off policy in the cellar, letting the grapes make the wine.

But what does the man like drinking and who would he like around his dinner table?  I asked him six questions...



What is your first memory of drinking wine?
It is not really my first memory, but certainly the biggest memory.  It was at Christmas and my grandfather opened a bottle of Volnay, vintage 1921.  I was a small teenager and I felt a big emotion tasting this wine...

What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for Burgundy in the next couple of decades?
To keep an artisan vineyard, with their qualities and faults.  a lot of people think that we mud have a modelisation of our process. I think this is absurd because Burgundy wines are complex and different and should taste like Burgundy, not a simple wine (made) from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, even if the process is perfect.

If you had to make wines in a different country, which would it be and why?
(Somewhere in) the southern hemisphere of course, because I still have a lot of things to learn there.

Aside from your own wines, what do you like drinking?
You said drinking and not tasting... I drink Loire wines (Clos Rougeard, Edmond Vatan, Didier Dagueneau, Muscadet of Jo Landron) Alsace (Ostertag, Kreidenweiss), Cotes du Rhone (Maxime Graillot, Stephan, Rayas, Beaucastl, Gangloff, Dard et Ribaud, Gramenon...) Jura of Pierre Overnoy and from Burgundy, Dauvissat, Ravenau, Roulot, Antoine Jobard, Pierre-Yves Colin, Mugnier, Roumier, Rousseau, Cathiard, Bizot....its not an exhaustive list!

Describe yourself in three words.
Passionné, exigeant, sensuel

Name three people, real or fictional, living or dead, that would be guests at your dream dinner party and what would you be drinking?
Sacha Guitry, Serge Gainsbourg, Winston Churchill.  Brut Initial (Selosse), 2007 Chablis "les Clos" from Raveneau, 2006 Meursault "Tessons" from Roulot, 1996 Silex from Didier Dagueneau, 2001 Batard Montrachet Domaine Leflaive, Morgon "Cote de Py" Foillard, 2002 Chambolle Musigny "Les Fuées" Mugnier, 1999 Volnay Taillepieds du Domaine Roblet, 1993 Chambertin Rousseau, 1990 Clos Rougeard "Le Bourg" Charly et Nady Fourcault - all wines to be served in MAGNUM or bigger...

With thanks to Domaine Direct