An Interview with Arnaud Weyrich, VP of Production & Winemaker, Roederer Estate
By Lisa Gmur, CSW
TANK TALK
Mendocino may not have the “status” of Napa or even Sonoma, but it does have have some very prestigious names in its zip code. One of them is the prestigious Roederer Estate. Nestled into rolling hills of Anderson Valley and surrounded by vineyards sits this sparkling wine house known best as the California outpost of a French family you may have heard of; Louis Roederer.
Like its famous parent, its family-owned and its farmers and winemakers are at its heart. It’s also earned its reputation as one of California’s premier sparkling wine producers. Not surprisingly, you can taste its French heritage in every glass.
We talked with winemaker and VP of Production, Arnaud Weyrich, about everything from his start as in an intern at Roederer Estate back in 1993 (it was a start-up back then) to life in Mendocino versus growing up in France. We also talked about wine and food and his love of the outdoors.
Pictured Left: Arnaud Weyrich
THE INTERVIEW
Arnaud Weyrich
I began my wine career as an intern at Roederer Estate after graduating in 1993 from the Montpellier school, “Ecole Supérieure d’Oenologie” with a Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology.
The internship was a great experience, and I returned to the company in 2000.
Today I'm Winemaker and Vice President of Production for Roederer Estate.
Arnaud Weyrich
I was born and raised in Alsace, which is white-wine country. Growing up there I developed a love of being outdoors, although here I am at my computer.
The Mark Wine Group
Well, the beautiful outdoors is right outside just like it is for me. So we have that. And there is wine all around you. Were your parents in the wine business?
Arnaud Weyrich
They were not in the wine business. My father was an engineer, and my mother was a homemaker. She helped my grandparents manage property part-time.
Arnaud Weyrich
I wanted to do a job that involved the outdoors. Farming, growing grapes, making wine seemed to cover that option.
Arnaud Weyrich
There wasn’t one specific moment when I turned "legal.” There was lots of exposure to wine early on. There was always wine on my parents’ table, and they drank good wine.
I was first exposed to Champagne at the age of 5 or 6. My parents had been entertaining and there were leftover glasses on a table, which of course I had to taste.
The Mark Wine Group
Oh yes. The proverbial party leftovers. I love that evocation! How about a memory of a specific wine that really made you go “aha!”?
Arnaud Weyrich
I do remember one wine very vividly. It was Champagne Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses. I was on a date with my wife, Floriane, at a very good restaurant, 2-star Michelin.
Maybe it wasn't the perfect bottle, but it was the perfect person, the perfect time, the perfect place. The wine felt extraordinary.
The Mark Wine Group
You are a true romantic as well. Your wife is a very lucky woman. How did you meet?
Arnaud Weyrich
It was college, a small college. I had good friends, a tightknit group. There were 26 of us, and we all majored in wine. We visited wineries, tasted wine. I remember it as being fun.
The Mark Wine Group
After college you headed to California. What do you remember about that first experience at Roederer?
Arnaud Weyrich
I have a lot of memories of that time, but there is one that sticks with me. One of the first projects I was given was to scout the vineyard and do sampling to confirm we didn't have phylloxera, but I had to confirm that we did. Here I was a harvest intern, not even seven days on the job, and now the bearer of bad news.
The winery was founded in 1982, and this was 1993, so it was a young winery, and it was a major problem. Jean-Claude Rouzaud was very involved, as this was a major investment for him and a major problem to fix.
I was an intern and working with the CEO and owner, talking about options. Talking with him and the vineyard team. Being in the mix was exciting. I was very proud to be involved in that.
The Mark Wine Group
That’s quite the first assignment. Now you are the lucky one! What was different when you returned in 2000?
Arnaud Weyrich
When I was there in 1993, the company was practically a start-up. Now, in 2000, we were established, the winery had proven itself. The turning point came in 1996 or 1997, when sales picked up, critical acclaim was coming in, and we were making excellent wine.
Reserve Wine Program
The expression of the house style comes from specific choices in the winemaking process and Roederer Estate has carried on the legacy of its French heritage. As Arnaud carefully ranks the wines from each harvest, some of the finest lots are selected for further aging in French oak casks.
While kept in these large wood tanks, the wine develops in complexity — a combination of gentle oak extraction and very slow oxygenation. The oak tannins build the body while the micro-oxygenation gives a sense of richness.
Each Roederer Estate cuvée is comprised of several lots of wine from one “base” vintage, blending in an additional 12% of select vintages from the oak casks. As such, these wines are multi-vintage blends, guaranteeing house style and consistency.
For L’Ermitage, their vintage cuvée, reserve wines from casks are used at proportions less than 5% to maintain vintage designation. Cask-aged wines are also used to prepare the dosage, the final balancing act that follows disgorgement.
Pictured Right: Roederer Estate Brut Sparkling Wine
Continued
The Mark Wine Group
When you followed your heart back to France after your internship, did you ever think you would return?
Arnaud Weyrich
Yes, I did. My internship was extended twice and ended in August 1995. In October 1995, I started working for a very large retail company. For my summer vacation in 1996, I came back to California and while I was there, I did a scouting job for Roederer. They paid my airfare and hotel, but I worked for free other than that. I still felt involved in what was going on, even though I wasn't an employee.
Roederer Estate was a very interesting place because it was small enough so that you could be involved, but large enough that it was never boring. I didn't know I was going to return, but that was my benchmark. Suddenly I had the option to do that, so I did.
Arnaud Weyrich
Yes. I was working in retail. The company was huge, more than 145,000 employees, not really what I wanted to do. It was interesting, but too big, you get lost. After five years, I was ready to leave and come back to California. The weather and the right job were a winning combination.
The Mark Wine Group
Let’s talk about the job. What’s the most important thing you would like us to know about Roederer Estate?
Arnaud Weyrich
We care. We care about our farming and vineyards, our workers, the wine we put out. We are careful, thoughtful, and this arises from the company’s family mentality. It's a family business.
Arnaud Weyrich
The diversity of everything I have to accomplish in a day. From people to wine to equipment to vineyards. Every day I speak 3 languages. I use my brain, my feet, my hands.
The Mark Wine Group
Using the brain is a very appealing factor in a job. What do you find most interesting about your job?
Arnaud Weyrich
Blending the wines, putting the wines together. It’s an interesting mix of chemistry and art. You need to have the base of chemistry to give you direction, but the final decisions are not based on science, but on taste. It’s not something you can measure. It's not based on numbers or what's on paper.
I am still amazed at how something comes together that's not expected. I think that's unique, very artistic. It's discovery.
The Mark Wine Group
The art of wine. Science and creativity. Do you have a favorite grape varietal you like to drink? That you like to work with?
Arnaud Weyrich
Pinot is what I work with and what I like. I also like Chenin Blanc, but don’t work with it.
The Mark Wine Group
I found standing in the vineyard with you and learning all about what makes Anderson Valley so unique was very interesting. I am guessing you spend a lot of time there. What makes your time there so important and significant to your winemaking?
Arnaud Weyrich
It all started in the vineyard in 1993 — my studies and degree. I’m convinced and aware that everything starts in the vineyard, all the correct decisions, plantings. The first two years of my internship were very vineyard driven and that's when I learned how important it was. I walked 250 miles in the vineyard during my internship.
The Mark Wine Group
Wow! That’s a lot of vineyard walking. Having been there, I totally get it. It felt very grounded but also spiritual and serene. The sense of place was so strong.
There are so many things that differentiate Roederer Estate from other domestic Sparkling wines. Can you speak to these things a little?
Arnaud Weyrich
First, we are both French-owned, and family-owned, as well as all estate grown.
We apply the philosophy of Champagne Louis Roederer in our winemaking. Our reserve program really sets us apart, just like we do in France, Roederer Estate wines have aged wine in every bottle. We use oak in a transparent way. It's there but not overwhelming.
The Mark Wine Group
A philosophy baked in centuries of tradition. And of course, the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. But there are differences, right? How does making wine in California differ from France?
Arnaud Weyrich
The soil is very different. There’s no lime stone in Anderson Valley. The latitude makes it warmer than Champagne, by comparison. France is working to pick the grapes at the right time, which varies.
In California, if we don't pick early enough, they become overripe because we have the pressure of a warmer climate. We have to be reactive.
The Mark Wine Group
The ever-changing California climate. Any specific experiences that have shaped your winemaking?
Arnaud Weyrich
Making wine on the North Coast of California, I've seen hot, wet, smoky vintages and normal vintages as well.
Every one of those vintages brings more knowledge to your block of experience.
Until you are facing the challenge, you don't know how you are going to deal with it, but you do it.
Roederer Estate
Estate Brut, Anderson Valley
Estate Brut Rosé, Anderson Valley
Estate “L’Ermitage”, Anderson Valley
Roederer Estate Reserve Wine Program
Continued
The Mark Wine Group
A good metaphor for life. I like that. Speaking of life, would love for you to tell us about the Mendocino lifestyle.
Arnaud Weyrich
Living on the edge of the world.
It’s super diverse. The landscape. I still don't know everything about the area. You can hike all day without seeing anyone else.
You come across very interesting people: highly educated coming here to retire, old rednecks, hippies and everyone in between. There are many layers here, and it seems to me to be a microcosm of San Francisco.
There is nothing snobby about Anderson Valley. It’s a small community, so people know one another.
The Mark Wine Group
Sounds like my kids of place. I kind of got that feeling when we were there last year. To be honest, I could drink Roederer Estate every day. I think I mentioned my license plate is Bubbly1.
I am guessing there is always a bottle (or three) chilling in your fridge. What is your favorite food or foods to eat with sparkling wine?
Arnaud Weyrich
I always say the best thing to drink wine with, is friends! I drink sparkling with appetizers, canapes, rillettes, as an aperitif. A main dish would be dover sole with butter. Cheese and sparkling wine work really well. Aged cheeses work the best, nutty, buttery, salty. Pizza and pasta are great with sparkling. Even potato chips.
The Mark Wine Group
Oh yeah! Truffle potato chips and Roederer Estate every day of the week. Where will we find you when you are not working?
Arnaud Weyrich
I like skiing, so I like to go to the mountains. I'm from Alsace. I’ll choose mountains over a boat any day. I love Lake Tahoe, but I love anywhere there are mountains.
I like riding motorcycles, building and fixing things, taking care of the garden, planting vegetables, taking care of the trees and other plantings.
The Mark Wine Group
Love that kind of date! Did your kids grow up drinking wine like the kids in France do?
Arnaud Weyrich
There is usually a bottle of wine on the table.
It’s OK to take a sip. The children are not being encouraged to drink alcohol, but to taste the flavor and learn its place at the table. It is a drop on your tongue or a taste from your finger in the bottle.
In our family, we are encouraged to learn about wine.
The Mark Wine Group
That’s exactly how we have done it too. In fact, when our twins were first born, Mark brought a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal to the hospital for us to celebrate and he touched a drop to their lips.
Thankfully they don’t remember as it would be all downhill from there. <<laughs>>
Do you have a favorite cuisine?
Arnaud Weyrich
That’s a tough question to ask a French guy.
I have embraced all sorts of cuisines. I love fresh food. There is so much in California. I love fresh fish, crab. I love French food, but a lot of it is meat-based.
We eat a lot more fish and vegetables than we used to, and there is so much here that is fresh.
Arnaud Weyrich
My wife is from Normandy. When we get very fresh fish she will pan-sear it in butter and sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. That’s it. We have this with sparkling wine. It has to be local fish.
Nicole Carter, President of Roederer Collection USA and Arnaud Weyrich
More than just chemistry and science there is tradition and artistry in every glass.