“The main goal of wine is to create emotion.”
-Bastien Collard, Champagne Pol Roger
Bastien Collard is Secretary General and Export Manager at the Champagne house of Pol Roger, which was founded by his great-great grandfather, Pol Roger. He is the first of the sixth generation to have joined the family business. Bastien has a background in law with degrees in Business Management Market and Regulation Law. He was an attorney in mergers and acquisitions for Pernod-Ricard, then later held the same position for the company’s Cognac subsidiary, before returning to the family business.
In addition to the video, here is more from Bastien Collard.
Karen MacNeil: What was the toughest part of taking on such an important role at the House of Pol Roger?
Bastien Collard: Unsurprisingly, the technical skills around winemaking and tasting. As a member of the family, Pol Roger ran in my veins long before I joined the House. However, until then I had not worked in a wine-related technical environment. I started my career as a business lawyer in Paris, before joining the head office of a major wine and spirits group. So, my knowledge was more related to the economics of champagne than to winemaking.
KM: Did you have a mentor? Tell us about her/him.
BC: I worked with two lawyers in particular who made a huge impression on me with their brilliant minds, keen eye for detail and great managerial skills. Nevertheless, I did not have a mentor as such, and I regret that. In fact, that is the advice I give to students at my old school when I meet them: find someone good, intelligent, experienced and well-integrated into the professional environment you are joining. People who tick all these boxes are not that common in the professional world. If you do come across them, you have to follow in their footsteps and learn, learn and learn some more! These people are invaluable and the bonds they create can last a lifetime.
KM: You have 2 small children at home. Will your children be the 7thgeneration of Pol Roger?
BC: Marcus is two years and a half and Alistair 6 months. So, they are still far too young and we are waiting to see how their character and skills develop. In my opinion, transmission is above all a skillful balance between encouragement to join the family activity and self-determination. Things happen much more by suggestion than by obligation. It works much better that way. My grandfather used this method when I was looking for a summer placement abroad at the age of 21. He suggested that I join our importer in the United States. It was my first work experience with Pol Roger. The little seed made its way into my mind, and I joined the family business almost 15 years later, having proved to myself that I could succeed elsewhere on my own.
KM: What piece of wisdom have you held onto from the elders in your family?
BC: The main lesson is to know how to stand your ground when the going gets tough, but never to give in on the essentials. The history of Pol Roger is punctuated by some very serious trials: phylloxera at the end of the 19th century, the collapse of our cellars in 1900, Maurice Pol-Roger’s term as mayor during the German occupation in 1914, and the economic crises of the 1990s and 2008. All these ordeals teach us that salvation comes through courage and steadfast commitment.
KM: Other than your own wine, what is one wine you couldn’t live without for the rest of your life?
BC: I love the wines of the northern Côte du Rhône, particularly the Côte-Rotie, with a soft spot for Guigal’s Château d’Ampuis.
KM: You have many of the same passions as your family. Your grandmother loved fly-fishing, as do you. And Pol Roger himself was the son of a lawyer. What other passions do you think you inherited from your family?
BC: Fly fishing was practiced by my grandfather, who inherited this passion from his own grandfather, Maurice Pol-Roger, son of Pol Roger. Odette Pol-Roger was also an excellent fly fisher. It is also true that, like Pol Roger who was a notary, I am a lawyer by training. We both wanted to move away from the aridity of legal texts towards the emotions of champagne wines. I learned from my family a taste for things that are simple but perfectly executed, particularly in gastronomy. I really like the idea of sticking to the essentials, while striving for excellence. It is the same philosophy that lies at the heart of our corporate culture. There is nothing more beautiful than a simple dish done brilliantly.
KM: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
BC: Without hesitation: my marriage and my two beautiful children.
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