The Partnership
Our deal was always going to be about getting the right partnership and we have done just that! Eric Prissette will retain a 15% interest in Villa Symposia and we will work together to produce wines suitable for both the Irish and U.K. markets. The wines presently produced at Villa Symposia are absolutely top class, premium priced wines, and demonstrate fully the true potential of this emerging area of France where, given the right soil, the right aspects and the right hands, can rival anything produced by their illustrious neighbours in the Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf du Papes appellations. In my opinion these wines are among the best that I have ever tasted from this region and I have tasted many!
The Winemaker
Eric's winemaker at Rol Valentin, Stéphane Derenoncourt oversees the wine production at Villa Symposia as he does at many of the top Bordeaux Châteaux such as Château Pavie Macquin, Château La Bienfaisance ('Sanctus'), Clos de l'Oratoire, Château Bellevue, Château Le Pin Beausoleil, Alonso del Yerro "Maria", and his very own property Domaine de l'A, in Castillon.
Stéphane arrived in Bordeaux in the early 80's as a humble grape picker working the harvests. He quickly worked his way up the scale to become today one of the top consultant oenologists in Bordeaux whose advice and opinions are sought by many of the top growers in the region.
"I work on psychotherapy, on how to cure the vine using homeopathy, which is something fairly close to biodynamic principles. I also work on the ecosystem, I am trying to find out what type of trees or bushes I could plant to attract the insects that are beneficial to vine growing. The final goal is to reach a balance that would allow the vine to regulate itself, with a minimum of human intervention."
Stéphane's most prized and eagerly sought after wine is La Mondotte, from Saint Emilion, rated 98 by Parker and also the famous 'Sanctus' of Chateau Bienfaisance which was commissioned by the Chilean Aurelio Montes (of Montes Alpha) and Patrick Baseden (of Bienfaisance) and which has become one of the major cult wines of today.
Stéphane works with Eric Prissette to produce the Grand Cru wines of Château Rol Valentin and will continue to work with Villa Symposia especially with the design of the 'new wines' for the Irish market.
The Wines
The wines are produced from old vines with very low yields and have a wonderful complexity with layers of concentrated fruit richness. Can best be described as a cross between Saint Emilion and Chateauneuf, not surprising given that the barrels used are the one-year-old barriques taken from Château Rol Valentin where the Grand Cru Saint Emilion wines have been maturing.
Villa Symposia currently produces four different wines, three red and one white:
- Le Plaisir - Côteaux du Languedoc Blanc - 70% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc - wholesales at EUR 7 per bottle ex cellar.
- L'Equilibre - Côteaux du Languedoc Rouge - 50% Carignan, 45% Syrah, 5% Grenache - Wholesales at EUR 8 per bottle ex cellar
- Le Merlot - Vins de Pays d'Oc - 100% Merlot - wholesales at EUR 6 per bottle ex cellar
- L'Origine - Côteaux du Languedoc Rouge - 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache - wholesales at EUR 20 per bottle ex cellar (1500 bottles only produced).
Adding excise duties, VAT, freight and margin these wines would retail at between EUR 13 and EUR 35 per bottle in Ireland.
We have arranged to acquire some of the existing Villa Symposia stocks (most of the vintage has been pre-sold to French and Swiss markets) and will have these in Dublin within the next few weeks so people will have the opportunity to evaluate the wines as they are presently produced.
