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<\/p>\nJean Claude Berrouet \u2013 best known for his 44 years as director of Petrus in Pomerol \u2013 has been consulting at Chateau Lafon Rochet since the 2012 vintage, but the chateau made no announcement until now.<\/p>\n
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For Berrouet, who is so closely associated with the Right Bank, to work at a Left Bank classified growth may seem surprising, Basil Tesseron, co-owner of Chateau Lafon Rochet, told Decanter.com.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018But 50% of our soils are made up of clays similar to those in Pomerol,’ he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Tesseron praised Berrouet \u2013 who started work at Lafon Rochet with the 2012 vintage \u2013 as a \u2018living encyclopedia\u2019 and for his understanding of precise blending.<\/p>\n \u2018We tasted the wines from vat and from barrel far more often [with Berrouet], before deciding on the final blend, and blending as a result is more precise; we no longer calculate in terms of 2% to 5% of one cuvee or one grape, but more in terms of 0.1% or 0.3%.\u2019<\/p>\n The chateau, a Saint Estephe fourth growth, has increased percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon in recent years; Berrouet said that is largely due to climatic changes over the last 20 years<\/p>\n \u2018Cabernet Sauvignon handles dry and hot weather conditions better than Merlot,\u2019 he said. \u2018The trend has been towards warmer and dryer weather, even though there are exceptions \u2013 like 2013 so far.\u2019<\/p>\n Berrouet told Decanter.com that he is \u2018very motivated\u2019 to work for a Left Bank ch\u00e2teau and explained that \u2018working parcel by parcel, understanding the microclimates within the vineyard as well as the percentage of grapes used\u2019 will be factors for him.<\/p>\n Berrouet, along with his son Jean-Francois, also has consultancies in Israel, Argentina, China and California, where he consults on Merlot production at Twomey Cellars.<\/p>\n