Toda una vida dedicada al champagne y siempre relacionado con la Maison Roederer, Jean Baptiste Lécaillon está considerado uno de los mejores enólogos del mundo en lo que a elaborar vinos espumosos se refiere.
But who is Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, what is his background and where did his interest in the world of wine, and champagne, in particular, stem from?
I grew up in France’s Champagne region, amidst families from the champagne world. Although my own family was more from the beer or spirit making industry, my early origins are in the Champagne region.
Did you ever consider any other career when you were younger, or did you always want to be a winemaker?
Beer, malt, hops and distillation were my references until my family sold the family business to the Belgian Stella Artois company when I was young. I then turned my interest to the world of champagne, with which I was, of course, familiar from living in Reims. More bubbles! I already knew that my work would involve Nature, the seasons and flavours... in fact, my Instagram signature is #InPursuitofTaste.
What is your training, and did anyone influence or play an important role in your decision to study oenology and work in champagne?
As well as my Champagne friends, particularly the Krug family, to whom my parents were also very close, the biggest and most important influence has been Burgundy: the trigger was a visit, at the age of 14, to the Dujac estate organised by Henri Krug and during which Jacques Seysses had us try his marvellous Clos de la Roche. I returned home fascinated by the concept of terroir and the refined perfumes of these wines and decided I would make wine.
If we have our facts right, your relationship with Roederer began in California, where you spent a year (1989-1990) as an assistant winemaker. You then moved to Tasmania in Australia, where you remained for just over 3 years (1990-1993) becoming general manager, before moving to Louis Roederer in France at the start of 1994. In France, you have held various positions (assistant director, director of vineyards and wine, cellar master) before finally moving into your current role, that of assistant general manager. How would you describe your career over the last 28 years at Roederer?
I have been working for Louis Roederer for over 32 years, with one of the greatest families in Champagne who has the rare and unique distinction of owning the finest terroirs in Champagne. It was a deliberate decision on my part: to trust in the great terroirs worked using state-of-the-art methods to craft the finest champagnes. The foundations were solid, the family trusted me and little by little we
