Uncorked: Paul Roberts MS

Paul Roberts, was the first Texan sommelier to earn the prestigious Master Sommelier title in 2002. Having honed his skills at Café Annie, one of the top restaurants in the States, Roberts’ career took off when he was tasked with overseeing wines at the Thomas Keller Restaurant group including the iconic Napa restaurant, French Laundry. In 2013, Roberts joined Napa’s famous Colgin Cellars as its COO after working for Bond Estates as its estate director. The wine guru talks to dbHK about a 1968 Rioja ‘Gran Riserva’ that led him into wine, an 1870 Lafite and the irresistible charm of Pringles.

What vintage are you?

1972. 1972. A tough vintage. Yet there are some beautiful wines: La Tâche and Jaboulet’s Hermitage ‘La Chapelle’.

What bottle sparked your love of wine?

A 1968 Rioja gran riserva from Lopez de Heredia. It was the blind wine served in my first wine class at the University of Texas student union.

Where are you happiest?

On my tractor! Napa Valley is a bounty of grapes and amazing farms. We drink – and eat – really well around here!

What’s your greatest vice?

Pringles from the mini-bar of hotels. Yet it is usually with some great Champagne.

Best advice you ever got?

Don’t worry about the money….just worry about your passion. Twenty plus years later, that is the best advice I ever received. It led me to pursue my dream of being in the wine business, and I have had the fortune to see many different facets of it.

Your cellar’s underwater, which bottle would you dive in and save?

First I will have to have a beer…and then I am going in for the wines that my wife and I served at our wedding.

What’s the best and worst thing about the wine business?

Eating and drinking…..and eating and drinking. Flip side of the same coin. Things that we love to do…can also be too much.

What’s on your wine bucket list?

I have had the great fortune to drink many remarkable wines. One wine that I would like to have again is the 1870 Château Lafite-Rothschild from the Glamis Castle cellar that Michael Broadbent discovered. I had this wine with my original mentor – the great American collector Lenoir Josey – in 2001. It was truly one of the most profound wines that I have experienced.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

The table would include great statesmen from many eras. Churchill, Lincoln, Caesar. It would be wonderful to get their take on global politics and what they would envision the future holds. We are all interconnected in the modern era, and some insight from great historical leaders, along with some steaks from the grill and great bottles, would make for a fun evening.

Personal satisfaction (Parker points – out of 100).

At the end of the day, the company and the cuisine can make or break the enjoyment of a wine. I have had wines that were not highly reviewed, yet with the right cuisine they shined. I fondly remember some inexpensive Provençal Rosé with a roast chicken that was one of the most satisfying experiences that I have ever enjoyed.

Which wine would you like to be served at your funeral?

We would start with Margaritas, as I am a boy from Texas and we love our Tequila. From there a huge toast, to a life hopefully well lived, with Krug Collection as I won the Krug Cup, for passing all sections on the first attempt when I was doing the Master Sommelier exam. Champagne Krug will always have a special place in my heart.