Philip Lardot

Ulrich Stein’s newly acquired collaborator and successor-designate was born in Finland and has lived most of his life in Amsterdam, whence wine lured him to the Mosel. He has done stages at some prestigious estates outside that region (notably in France with the Baudrys of Chinon, but also Down Under) and worked two harvests for Clemens Busch, which, as Stein remarked with a twinkle in his eye, represented a test whose rigor would wash up any less-than-totally-committed would-be vintner. By the time Lardot became a regular customer of Stein’s, the younger man had already acquired contracts to lease some very small parcels of vines, and Stein was so impressed by his youthful new friend’s combination of acumen, articulacy (in five languages, I gather), affability and above all indefatigable ambition to succeed in maximally manual steep-slope Mosel viticulture that he made a remarkable offer. Lardot could utilize Stein’s cellar and equipment for making his own wines, and would become a full-time employee of the Stein estate. The two would collaborate on certain Stein cuvées, profits on the sale of which they would split 50/50. And each year, Stein would reward Lardot with an increasing share of equity in the estate until at some future date Lardot would become its sole owner.

Lardot doesn’t just share Stein’s interest in exploring the lower bounds of sulfur and the effects of extended élevage; rather, these will be common themes for all Lardot wines. And he promises plenty of other experimentation, too. Given that wines made his way don’t pass muster with the relevant authorities, the Lardot wines will officially be Landwein rather than Qualitätswein, which unfortunately precludes their being labeled for place of origin. So the Rieslings among them (there will be Pinot Noir and even a Pinot Gris as well) will each acquire fantasy names, but ones chosen to have some significance and make covert reference to their vineyards of origin. I’ll catch up with more recent Lardot efforts in a subsequent report.