La Paulée at Brunello Cucinelli’s Castello di Solomeo, in the “village of Cashmere and Harmony”

Founded in 2000 by famed sommelier Daniel Johnnes, the mission of La Paulée, in keeping with the original and joyful spirit of celebrating wine and its culture - in La Paulée de Meursault, the oldest and most important end-of-harvest festival in Burgundy, from which it originated, and which, today, in its modern, traveling version, makes it the “biggest bacchanal on the face of the Earth” for the authoritative “Financial Times” or more simply, as “Wine Enthusiast” calls it, “the most prestigious wine event in the world”, while “any Burgundy aficionado who does not jump at the chance to participate in this event - simply - is crazy because it is unforgettable”, are the words of critic Robert Parker of “The Wine Advocate” - is to bring together the best wines from the greatest wineries to give wine lovers of the world experiences capable of transporting them to the icon-territories of France and Italy.
So much so that, alongside La Paulée in Burgundy, in New York and San Francisco, and the “twin festivals” of “La Fête du Champagne” and “La Tablée” with the wines of the Rhone Valley (staged in the Big Apple, on November 19-23), as well as “Pressoir”, exclusive wine experiences, also in New York, La Paulée announced, in these days, the launch of “Convivio del Vino,” a new event that will celebrate Italian wine and its culture in New York, on May 3, 2025, organized together with renowned sommelier and journalist Jeff Porter (who is also the signature from Italy of “Wine Enthusiast”, ed.).
In the meantime, the prestigious producers of La Paulée - whose term derives from “poêle” (frying pan), in which food was directly served at end-of-harvest festivals, a symbol, in France, of utmost conviviality - have chosen to meet, these days, in Italy (but not for the first time, ed.) in a place-symbol of “Italian savoir-faire”: Castello di Solomeo, in Solomeo, the heart of the family and entrepreneurial life of Brunello Cucinelli, one of Italy’s most enlightened and influential entrepreneurs, an advocate of “Humanistic Capitalism” and “Human Sustainability”, who has revived it as the “village of Cashmere and Harmony”. And where the fashion designer, among the most influential figures in world fashion, produces wine - 9,000 bottles, which are born in the 5 hectares of vineyard-garden, out of 100 hectares in total, and which are for sale only online, with Fine+Rare, the world reference for collectors of fine wines - in his Umbria, a land of great wines, but also of St. Francis, who has always been a source of his inspiration. And as in a real “Symposium” (where, among the special guests, there is also WineNews), at Castello di Solomeo, with the “master of the house” Brunello Cucinelli, who told how “here we live in balance with creation and grow wheat, oil and wine according to nature, in order to restore dignity to the land and to the work of man, because the work of artisans is the most important thing and should be justly remunerated, an aspect that will be increasingly fundamental for businesses, in fashion as in wine”, adding, that ”the proceeds from the sale of wines, which will always be 9,000 bottles not more, is used to finance culture and book projects” (in particular, the birth of a large library in Solomeo, but not only), with La Paulée founder Daniel Johnnes and personalities from the world of wine such as Burgundy “guru” Jacky Rigaux, who urged “the utmost respect for the land and the vocation of the terroirs to achieve the highest quality, and to cope with climate change that still allows us to make better and better wines that are the highest expression of their terroirs”, tasted, and took the goblet as a cue to talk about the future. Goblets that featured an exclusive vertical tasting of Castello di Solomeo 2018, 2019 and 2020, led by Michele Baiocco, Pietro Grelloni and winemaker Riccardo Cotarella, alongside icons such as Domaine Marquis d'Angerville with Guillaume d’Angerville and Maison Louis Jadot with Pierre-Henry Gagey, from Champagne Salon & Champagne Delamotte with Cristian Rimoldi to Champagne Krug with Olivier Krug, from Château Lafite Rothschild/Château L’Évangile with Saskia de Rothschild to Château Cheval Blanc/Château d’Yquem with Pierre Lurton.
The event then got underway, in the Cucinelli Theater, hosting a discussion introduced by Andrea Pontremoli, CEO of Dallara and president of Asphi Foundation, an organization that deals with digital technologies for disability, who spoke about the role of technological innovation in conveying the value of craftsmanship in the future. “Vine Master Pruners” Marco Simonit, creator, with Pierpaolo Sirch, of the Pruning Method with which they take care of the vineyards of the world’s most prestigious companies, explained how the link between technology, environment and economic sustainability is at the basis of a “new Humanism” as it happens among the vineyards of Castello di Solomeo. But also at Lafite, viticulture is an ecosystem in which “we stay true to our roots by adapting to climate change to bring our company into the 21st century” and pass this on to the future, as argued and reiterated by Saskia de Rothschild, at the helm of the legendary Bordeaux Domaines Barons de Rothschild. And for a brand to be able to represent quality, innovation and respect for tradition, experiential marketing is key, as Olivier Krug, director of the iconic Champagne Maison, Krug, illustrated. Respect and custodianship that also mean the preservation of a cultural heritage represented by vineyards in Italy as in France, with “Les Climats de Bourgogne”, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as said Guillaume d’Angerville, among the greatest French vignerons with the historic Domaine Marquis d’Angerville.
This was followed by a tasting of the highest level with fine wines “ex cellar”, and haute cuisine by chefs Michel Troisgros and César Troisgros, of the world-famous three-Michelin-starred Maison Troisgros restaurant in Ouches, with Michel Troisgros recounting how he learned from his father “to cook naturally, following taste, simplicity, refinement, and beauty”, while his mother, Olimpia Forte, was of Italian descent, and who explained how, “today, cooking should be inspired more in philosophy by that of his grandmother, focusing on the ingredients, rather than too much reworking as chef-stars do”. And with exceptional names from the world of wine critics such as Monica Larner, signature for Italy of “Robert Parker Wine Advocate”, Robert Camuto, contributor editor “Wine Spectator”, and Antonio Galloni, founder “Vinous”; and guests from the world of wine and fashion, but also from the world of hôtellerie, collecting, publishing, communication, web, advertising, cinema, technological innovation, finance, philanthropy, and even “crowned heads”, such as Peter R. Ryder, ceo Indochina Capital, Vietnam's first and leading investment fund, owner of the Mandarin Oriental Bai Nom and 20 other hotels in the Wink Hotels chain, and Olaf Guerrand-Hermes, descendant of Thierry Hermès, founder of the prestigious Hermès brand; from Nicholas Thompson, ceo of the historic American magazine “The Atlantic,” to Dick Costolo, former Twitter ceo; from Mark Dowley, founder and ceo Art & Science Partners, Inc, a consulting firm that helps brands improve their message and competitive power in the marketplace, to Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah of the Royal Family of Kuwait, among the 50 most influential women in the Arab world for her contributions in defense of women's rights, and Saad & Zeena Kurdi of the Royal Family of Jordan; from Andrea Sirtori, a precious metals expert specializing in bullion and investment coins, to Archie Ravishankar, founder and ceo Cogni, a digital banking platform providing accessible financial services; from Kyle J. Krause, the U.S. businessman, founder and ceo Krause Group, owner of Solar Transport, Parma Calcio and wineries such as Vietti and Enrico Serafino, to Sir John Hegarty, co-founder of the Bartle Bogle Hegarty (Bbh) agency, which revolutionized the advertising landscape (1990s Levis commercials) and The Soho Garage London; from Jay McInerney, U.S. writer and screenwriter (his film “Gia - A Woman Beyond All Limits,” starring Angelina Jolie), to Lodovico Rocca, chairman of the holding company Techint Engineering & Construction; from Berthold Obauer of the Hotel-Restaurant Obauer in Werfen, Salzburg, a luxury icon with Michelin-starred restaurant, to David Pemsel, chairman of the British Fashion Council (Bfc); from Eric Portanger, ceo Wine Management Sicav, a fine wine investment company, to Robert Mayberry, ceo Mayberry, a consulting services company in various industries; from Jugoslav Petrovic, a leading figure in nanotechnology and materials science, to William Comfort, a legendary figure in the venture capital industry, chief operating officer Citigroup; from Alexander Shultz, chairman BoD C-Quadrat Investment Group of Vienna, to Alexander Batchvarov, managing director and head of research on international structured finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch; from John Paton, founder and chairman Fine+Rare, to Don St. Pierre, vice president Fine+Rare.
Returning to “Convivio del Vino”, a note explains, it will see the La Paulée team bring its wine expertise to Italy, with input from Jeff Porter and his deep knowledge of Italian wine, featuring great wineries of the Belpaese: from Emidio Pepe to Comm. G.B. Burlotto, from Graci to Arianna Occhipinti, from Foradori to Le Macchiole, from Petrolo to Istine, from Le Ragnaie to Castello di Solomeo. “We are known as Francophiles, but that does not diminish our passion for Italian wine, food, and culture”, says Johnnes. “To strengthen our focus on Italy, we asked our friend Jeff Porter, who lives in Turin, Italy, to bring the great Italian family wineries to the United States for a grand celebration. Which will chronicle, Porter adds, “Italy's ‘devoted’ vignerons, from historic families to a new generation of producers, all united by a common purpose: to do their best for their land, their community and Italian wine. Our goal is to share the stories and wines of these great wineries with wine lovers in the United States that only Daniel and his team can reach”. A celebration that will take place in early May 2025, in the No. 1 wine market, with events around New York City, “dinners and seminars with participating wineries, legendary producers who are heirs to important family wineries, and up-and-coming, enthusiastic producers”, preceding a “Grand Tasting”, with the walk-around tasting formula, and a gala dinner, featuring the wineries' labels, signed by top chefs and with the best sommeliers in the United States (on May 3, in the City Winery). And where La Paulée will celebrate its first 25 years, toasting with Italian wine.