Wednesday, December 19, 2012

''The Flying Winemaker' and Michael Rolland Team up for CAMPO ELISEO




I have written much in the past about Francois Lurton and his ability to roam the globe in
search of the perfect plot of land to create vineyards that, in time, have unbelievable results.
It is much like one looking for oil.
Francois Lurton has that ability in his DNA to create wines in areas that have had some, but, not much recognized success.
To reach his goal on one project, Francois Lurton teamed-up with Michael Rolland, a noted international oenologist and wine consultant. In a sense, they are rivals that have the same goal in mind.
That goal is to find land and create a vineyard that will yield grapes that will produce wines that will be written about for years to come.
The team of Francois Lurton and Michael Rolland found a plot of land in the Toro region of northwest Spain, which satisfied their curiosity.
Michael Rolland explained that he wanted to make wine with Francois. 
Spain and the Toro region was a perfect location for this project. 
Michael said that I had had some prior experience in the area and Francois and I wanted to make wine in a hot region, so, Toro, near the Duero river  was a perfect answer.
The region received its DO (Denomination of Origin) in 1987.
The project started in 2000.
Together, they decided to plant the Tinto de Toro grape, a variant of Templanillo.  Their goal was to produce a truly 100% Tinto de Toro at Campo Eliseo.
Michael Rolland said that he had visited the Toro region twenty years ago and the wines he sampled were really dreadful. Even with awful wines, what Michael saw was true ‘potential’ in the region. With Francois help, they had an opportunity to create fantastic wines.
The  land (vineyard) was close to the Duero river, which was perfect for drainage. In addition,  the terroir and warm weather conditions helped mold their decision to create complex wines.
The team of Francois Lurton and Michael Rolland produced their first vintage of Campo Eliseo in 2003. The last released vintage was 2009.
The two recently were in our country to show off their wines from Campo Eliseo. They want us to see what progress they have made since the original plantings in 2000.
In essence, the tasting of their wines is a culmination of twelve years of work.
They are showing the vintage progression form the original vintage to the present release. In layman’s terms, they are giving us the privilege to taste the wines of Campo Eliseo in what is called a ‘Vertical Tasting’.
The results were quite spectacular.
The consistency of the wines showed us the obvious characteristics of the Tinto de Toro grape and how this pair turned their plot in Toro into a quality, world-class product.
All vintages showed oak, dark fruit and spice.
My favorite vintage was the 2004, followed by the 2006.
Presently the 2009 is available for purchase with random stores selling past vintages.
The team of Francois Lurton and Michael Rolland have achieved true success with the wines of Campo Eliseo.
Campo Eliseo is readily available at your favorite wine shop.
As a side note: If you can not find Campo Eliseo at your favorite wine shop, look for other wines from Francois Lurton. He currently has vineyards in Chile, Argentina, France and Portugal.
That is why they call him ‘The Flying Winemaker’.



2 comments:

Bernie G. said...

Your stories about Francois Lurton are always great. He is a serious winemaker who will go into history as one of the World's Best. If he teamed up with Michael Rolland, then the result must be wonderful.
I will order this wine online. Thank you again...

Betty L. said...

This looks like the making of a very historical wine.

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