Mondavi Hires High-Profile Consultant Michel Rolland

California's Robert Mondavi Winery is employing the services of globetrotting wine consultant Michel Rolland to beef up its Merlot program.

Tim Mondavi, vice chairman and winemaker for the Napa Valley winery, said Rolland, who owns Château Le Bon-Pasteur in Bordeaux, has been hired specifically to work on improving the winery's Merlot.

"I've long been impressed by Michel's work," said Tim Mondavi. The two became acquainted through Rolland's work in Tuscany at Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. When Mondavi purchased a stake in Ornellaia last year, Mondavi said he began to discuss winemaking techniques with Rolland, which led to the current agreement.

Mondavi said that he had not been totally happy with his Merlot and that he is particularly interested in having Rolland work with the winery's grapes from the Carneros district. There are some vineyards in Carneros where Merlot may outshine Pinot Noir, he noted.

In Tuscany, Ornellaia owner Lodovico Antinori had enlisted Rolland to fine-tune his already popular pure Merlot, Masseto. Rolland's technique of picking late to assure maximum ripeness worked extremely well with Masseto; Antinori had been treating his Merlot like Cabernet Sauvignon, and Masseto was slightly austere in style in the past. Today, Masseto is one of the top wines of every vintage in Tuscany, full-bodied and rich, with a fleshy texture and ripe tannins.

Rolland is no stranger to California. He has worked as a consultant there for nearly a decade at wineries such as Araujo Wine Estate, Harlan Estate and Merryvale in Napa Valley, and Simi Winery in Alexander Valley. Rolland -- who consults everywhere from Chile to South Africa to Canada -- has also recently launched his own label from Argentina and been hired by Long Island's Gristina Winery/Galluccio Estate Vineyard.