Burgundy mourns DRC’s Henry-Frédéric Roch
HENRY-FRÉDÉRIC ROCH, CODIRECTOR at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) and founder of Domaine Prieuré-Roch, passed away on 17 November at the age of 56.
his counterpart at DRC, co-director Aubert de Villaine, paid tribute to his friend and colleague, after 26 years of working together at the renowned burgundy estate.
‘he was on my side for all the important decisions we had to take. Our collaboration was excellent,’ de Villaine told Decanter. ‘he was very appreciated at the domaine and by all his peers in burgundy for his kindness, human approach and generosity’. De Villaine added that Roch had ‘a strong idea of the duties of our families regarding the domaine’.
he was born in 1962 to Pauline Roch-leroy, the elder sister of lalou bize-leroy, who held the position of co-director at DRC until 1991. Roch became co-director of the estate in 1992, aged 30, not long after the death of his brother in a car accident.
Prior to his career at the helm of DRC, Roch founded his own estate in 1988 named Domaine Prieuré-Roch. The estate’s vineyards are located in the commune of Prémeaux-Prissey, which is classified under the Nuits-StGeorges AP.
Roch was also the owner of plots in the famous Chambertin-Clos de bèze and Clos de Vougeot appellations, but according to de Villaine, the vineyard that he ‘cherished the most’ was Clos des Corvées, a 1er cru monopole of Nuits-St-Georges.
besides wine, De Villaine outlined Roch’s other interests and his contributions to the burgundy region, which included opening a restaurant with ‘an original concept’: le bist’Roch in Nuits-St-Georges and running an organic farm in the hautes-Côtes de Nuits.