VINE EXPECTATIONS
Former national shooter-turned-winemaker, Mathilde Chapoutier takes aim at modern millennials, food-friendly wines, and more. By June Lee
Mathilde Chapoutier from M. Chapoutier
The holdings of M. Chapoutier is so vast it would take a book or more to cover all of its activities. Much ink has been spilled on the formidable Michel Chapoutier, who took over the domaine in 1990 by buying out his siblingsʼ share of the business. Michel, then 26, went on to achieve far greater success for the business than the family had before. His moniker these days? King of the Rhone, and The Man with the Most Parker 100-points in the World.
His daughter Mathilde – who is coincidentally 26 turning 27 this year – is in Singapore to do a whirlwind publicity tour. The petite and reserved brunette is rapidly catching up to her destiny as the eight generation of the family to lead the firm. Her mother Corinne and brother Maxime are also variously involved in the company.
An adventurous streak
Though she grew up in Ardeche among the vineyards, always helping out with pruning, harvesting and tasting, Mathilde initially had no intention of joining the company. She was a prodigious shooter, starting out at age 10 at the gun shooting range and spending years pursuing medals for the French national team. Her independent streak led her to pursue her degree and learn Mandarin in Beijing, which is where her father cannily nudged her in the door – he offered her the role as the brand’s China/asia ambassador. It suited her perfectly as she could run things autonomously, away from parental supervision.
Surprised that she enjoyed her stint, she joined the company full-time in 2015 as business development director, in charge of the group’s subsidiaries and overseeing expansion. “We have been buying a beautiful organic vineyard in Ribera Del Duero (Dominio Del Soto), a very nice property in Provence (Château des Ferrages) and also an old family house in Beaujolais (Maison Trenel). We’re looking at converting these estates to organic/biodynamics and making sure they produce the best wines possible. It’s always a fantastic adventure to work on new terroirs, new grapes, for me and for all our teams,” she explains. Combining these different responsibilities, she also assumed the role of sales director in 2017. “I’m the first woman to head the family business, but Maison Chapoutier employs almost as many women as men. In the top management, it’s mainly women. That happened pretty naturally and no one seems to complain so it must be working efficiently,” she grins.
Across their 344 hectares cultivated organically, of which 315 are biodynamic, the wines are allowed to faithfully represent the terroir, even if that means the flavours vary from year to year. “We believe a good wine is made in the vineyard, not the cellar,” Mathilde explains. In
terms of house style, they pay attention to the time of picking, to ensure the right level of ripeness, which is typically complemented by using a lower ratio of new oak. Another tack is looking at less obvious grapes, such as her personal favourites Marsanne and Grenache. In terms of wine, she sees that young drinkers are drinking less but demanding more quality, with an emphasis on enjoying wine with food - a bistronomic approach.
“My typical day would consist of arriving early at the office, going through all the emails from my teams and then meeting with both the production and sales team to ensure all goes smoothly. I’m between the head office and the winery while also welcoming clients to our home of Tain l’hermitage,” she rattles off.
Does she ever feel overwhelmed sometimes, with a team of 90+ staff under her? Mathilde pauses to consider before confidently shooting back, “I was born to pressure. I just deal with it.”