WINE VISION 2014: INTERVIEW WITH Jean-Guillaume Prats
‘Great Napa Valley wines will rival Bordeaux First Growths’: Moët-Hennessy Estates & Wine CEO
Speaking with BeverageDaily.com in this exclusive video shot at Wine Vision 2014 in London earlier this week, Prats said: “I do believe some of the great Napa Valley wines will be the equivalent of some of the Bordeaux First Growths in years to come.
“Not only in terms of price, because this is already achieved, but in terms of perceptions, in terms of quality – but in terms of being looked after and thought after by wine collectors around the world.
“So Napa, undoubtedly, for me, is soon to become the equivalent of the great Medoc [the Bordeaux AOC in Southwestern France].”
Australia’s return to boutique wine
In Australia, Prats discusses a return to “more boutique wines, tailor made, made with soul and attention, and also going towards cooler climates.”
“We see Tasmania has some potential, the upper part of the state of Victoria…and certainly Western Australia, where Margaret River and Cape Mentelle [a winery owned by Moët-Hennessy] are located – a cooler climate, wines that are more refined, more balanced,” he said.
“Probably more in the style of a rich Bordeaux than more of the rich, powerful exotic wines that were produced 30-40 years ago,” he added.
The Moët-Hennessy Estates and Wine boss also discussed market conditions and promise in New Zealand – where he “bets on Pinot Noir from a cooler climate” – and Argentina.
