Leroy’s reputation spreading via the grapevine
Written by Writer on Thursday, November 6th, 2008
A STUDY OF BRANDS / Leroy’s reputation spreading via the grapevine
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The French region of Burgundy, one of the world’s best-known winemaking areas, is home to French winery Leroy, which was established 140 years ago.
Lalou Bize-Leroy, the fourth-generation president of Leroy S.A., is credited with having grown the family business into a world-class brand by concentrating on organic farming. Born in 1933, Leroy is well known as a wine taster–she first tasted wine when just 3 years old. A Sorbonne graduate, Leroy started working at the company at the age of 22, succeeding her father as president.
In this 18th installment in a series on the world’s high-end brands, Yomiuri Shimbun correspondent Satoshi Koreeda interviewed Leroy in Burgundy.
The Yomiuri Shimbun: What is the most difficult part of your work as regards maintaining the quality of your wines as a high-end brand?
Lalou Bize-Leroy: We just have to keep doing the same things–there’s no end to our endeavors. As temperatures and humidity vary each year, the grapes differ annually. We have to reset the hands of the clock year after year. Indeed, I often ask myself if I’m doing the right things. Even a one-day difference in the harvest time can make a difference to the flavor of a wine.
What makes Leroy different from other wineries?
Since 1988, we’ve been using an organic farming technique known as the biodynamic method. We use no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers at all and completely follow the rules of nature. We don’t trim vines and branches so the grapevines are free from any stress, and we look after our vineyards thoroughly and tenderly. For example, we typically spend two or three hours working one hectare, whereas many other companies only spend one hour working an area the same size. We also spray herb tea, extracted from other plants, onto our grapevines.
Was there a particular reason for adopting the biodynamic method?
I began to have doubts about the traditional way of cultivating grapevines. Viniculture had advanced greatly, but I felt traditional methods were placing a burden on the soil and plants, so I started studying new methods.
Wines are made from grapes. When we have good grapes, we can make tasty wines. This means that it’s the grapes, not people, that make wine. Therefore, the most important part of the whole process is the cultivation of grapevines, though vinification and winemaking also are important.
What are the characteristics of Leroy wines?
The name–Leroy–is not particularly important. What does matter, however, is the vineyard from which the grapes originated. Wines taste different depending on where grapes come from. The “parents” of a wine are the soil and plants. Leroy’s duty is merely to preserve these parents.
We conduct no marketing activities at all–we’ve no interest in them. Money can’t make wine. We like meeting people who can’t afford to buy a lot of wine but who love the product a lot.
What do you think of the present state of the wine market?
You probably know that even wines from the same winery tend to be different. As I mentioned earlier, what’s important is where they’re from–the estate. I’m sure the market now has fewer unsavory wines, and I’m pleased when people enjoy particular wines made from specific grapes cultivated on particular estates.
What is your assessment of the Japanese market?
In Japan, many young people are interested in wine and are enthusiastic about learning more. In this sense, I like the Japanese market. I want to say “merci” to the Japanese people for opening their minds to our wines.
Can you pass on any tips on how to enjoy wine?
As wines are capable of arousing emotions, they’re akin to musical concerts, and whether a person likes a particular wine is a purely subjective matter. In Japan, you have a very nice word for tasting sake–kikizake. I think we need to listen to wine with our hearts.
Romanee-Conti ties pay dividends
Francois Leroy started working as a wine middleman at Auxey Duresses, a small village in Burgundy, eastern France, in 1868. The great-grandfather of Lalou Bize-Leroy, the current president of Leroy S.A., Francois purchased barrels of quality wines and aged them before selling them on under the Leroy label. Francois’ son, Joseph, succeeded him and expanded the family business by capitalizing on the growing reputation of its products.
In 1942, Henri Leroy, Lalou’s father, invested in Romanee-Conti to help bail out the then financially troubled winery, which produced one of the world’s most sought-after wines. He bought half of Romanee-Conti’s vineyards.
When Lalou Bize-Leroy became president of the Leroy brand in 1955, agricultural chemicals, such as pesticide, were widely used in Burgundy as part of the mass production process. As wines deserving of the Leroy label were on the decline, Lalou enlarged Leroy’s own vineyards, and concentrated on chemical-free viniculture.
Takashimaya Co. has had a stake in Leroy since 1988. The leading department store chain operator is staging a Leroy Autumn 2008 fair until Tuesday.
Leroy owns about 22.5 hectares of vineyards and owns nine of the about 30 best estates in Burgundy classified by the region as “grand cru,” including Romanee-Saint-Vivant and Chambertin.
Leroy only produces between 30,000 and 40,000 bottles of wine a year, and this relative rarity gives them added value in the marketplace. The family say that being particular about its wines has paid off, as Leroy wines are regarded by wine lovers as one of the world’s best, on a par with Romanee-Conti wines.
(Nov. 7, 2008)
