Michel Rolland, known as Napa’s “Master Blender” and widely considered to be one of the world’s greatest winemakers, has died. He was 78.
Rolland, who suffered a heart attack, was incredibly influential in Napa Valley’s rise to global prominence. A driving force behind Napa Valley’s cult Cabernet movement, he consulted for many of the region’s most prestigious estates, including Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Bryant Family and Dalle Valle. His career spanned more than 50 years, during which he consulted with more than 150 wineries in more than 20 countries.
“Michel changed the world of wine forever,” said Aaron Pott, a Napa wine consultant and one of Rolland’s many mentees. “In California, he worked for the 20 best (wineries) and shaped how we make and grow wine.”
Born in Bordeaux, France, Rolland was raised around wine, growing up at his family’s estates: Pomerol, Saint-Émilion and Lalande de Pomerol. In the early 1970s, he took over a wine analysis lab with his wife, Dany, whom he met at the University of Bordeaux, where they both studied viticulture and winemaking. The couple also owns several estates in the region.
In the 1980s, Rolland became one of the world’s first “flying winemakers,” a term used to describe sought-after enologists who consult for wineries across the globe. His winemaking was instrumental in the dominance of big, ripe Cabernets in the 1990s and 2000s; he had a reputation for helping wineries nab high scores from top critics, such as Robert Parker.
Rolland’s first winemaking venture outside of France was in California, with Sonoma County’s historic Simi Winery in Alexander Valley in the mid-1980s. He then moved over to Napa, sometimes working with more than 20 wineries at a time.
“Making the core blend is not the hard part. It’s the final 5% where Michel excels in perfecting the wine,” Quintessa winemaker Rebeka Wineburg told the Chronicle in 2023. “He has a palate that understands how wines fit together” to create “a precise expression of the whole estate property.”
“I’m losing a mentor, I’m losing a friend, I’m losing family,” said Hoefliger, who exchanged text messages with Rolland shortly before his death. Hoefliger said that while Rolland was “extremely good at winemaking,” he will most remember his “kindness” and “jovial personality.”
“He was a bon vivant to the extreme, always mixing work and play,” Pott said. “He was a monument to me.”
In recent years, Rolland partnered with South African winemaker Travis Braithwaite to craft a first-of-its-kind blend. Named Pangaea, in reference to the supercontinent of early geologic time when almost all of Earth’s landmasses were one, it’s a $500 blend of all five Bordeaux varieties from five countries: Napa, France, Spain, South Africa and Argentina.
Rolland is survived by his wife, Dany, and daughters, Stephanie and Marie.
Hoefliger recalled one of Rolland’s remarks during dinner in Napa a few weeks ago. “He said, ‘Jean, when you get old, everything hurts. But when I sit at the table and somebody pours me eight glasses to taste and blend, nothing hurts. It’s pure pleasure, so why would I stop?’”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional remarks from Napa winemakers.
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