Meet Clement Robert MS, Annabel’s Excessive-Flying Wine Chief
For finance it’s Wall Road, for performing it’s Hollywood, and for high fashion it’s Paris. However for these dreaming of turning into one of many world’s high sommeliers, London is the head, with Mayfair at its epicentre.
With its wine retailers (resembling Corney & Barrow, Berry Brothers & Rudd and Justerini & Brooks), public sale homes (together with Sotheby’s and Christie’s), main fine-wine trade Liv-Ex, quite a few top-level eating places and personal members’ golf equipment, London is the world’s capital of advantageous wine. Each advantageous wine made globally may be sourced, and infrequently consumed on premise, someplace within the metropolis.
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Mayfair’s sq. mile is residence to the world’s most prestigious personal members’ golf equipment, a usually British invention that has now been exported to many different vacation spot cities aiming to emulate the status and luxurious of Mayfair’s high institutions. These embody The Arts Club (which now has a glitzy second residence in Dubai), 5 Hertford Street, the wine-themed Oswald’s, Mark’s Club, George, Harry’s Bar, newcomers Maison Estelle and Club 22, and—arguably on the high of the tree —Annabel’s.
Thirty-seven-year-old Clement Robert MS—the ‘MS’ stands for Grasp Sommelier—runs the Wine Programme not just for Annabel’s, but in addition for the Birley Membership Group which incorporates Mark’s Membership, George, and Harry’s Bar. It’s no shock, subsequently, that Clement is answerable for the most important sommelier group in Europe and is probably the one greatest purchaser of advantageous wine on this planet. Clement Robert MS is undoubtedly The King of the Somms.
With energy comes duty. In Mayfair’s fiercely aggressive panorama, Clement needs to be on high of his sport to make sure that the Birley Golf equipment stay the main participant, juggling the differing pursuits of many stakeholders: fine-wine producers and retailers who’re determined to be listed; membership members who need the perfect of the perfect on a regular basis, any time; a big group {of professional} sommeliers who work underneath huge strain; and, most significantly, the boldness of his bosses, Richard and Patricia Caring, who’ve a fame for being exacting taskmasters. It’s not a job for the faint-hearted. After which there are the rivals who would love nothing greater than to see Clement fail.
“We all the time have to steer from the entrance in a fast-changing atmosphere,” he says. “There are extra personal golf equipment in Mayfair than ever earlier than and the competitors is immense. Previously 5 years, Annabel’s has quadrupled in measurement. We now have seen the opening of Oswald’s, Maison Estelle and Membership 22 who’re pushing everybody to evolve and enhance—which I view as a optimistic factor, as we will all be taught from one another and lift our requirements. Personal members’ golf equipment have positioned Mayfair as a singular place, arguably probably the most subtle and splendid place to be wherever on this planet.”
Emanating from Forges Les Eaux, a small city in Normandy, Clement inherited his mother and father’ love for advantageous wine and gastronomy (“I wished to turn into a Sommelier from the age of 14,” he says). After attending catering faculty in Le Touquet in Northern France, he moved to Angers to review for a sommelier diploma, working part-time in a Michelin-star restaurant. He then determined to comply with a well-trodden path for French sommeliers by coaching underneath the late, nice Gérard Basset OBE MW MS at his Resort du Vin Group, first in Brighton after which in Cambridge and Winchester. A two-year stint as assistant head sommelier at Summer season Lodge Resort in Dorset adopted. In 2011, he turned Wine Director at newly-opened fine-dining London restaurant Medlar, earlier than taking a job as Group Beverage Director on the 28-50 & Texture Group, stepping in to interchange one other former Basset protégé, Xavier Rousset MS.
David O’Connor, Clement’s former boss at advantageous eating Medlar, talks glowingly of Clement’s influence on his enterprise: “It was enormous,” he says. “Clement turned a £10,000 finances wine listing for my new restaurant right into a world-class wine program that’s nonetheless famend right now as top-of-the-line within the UK. What units Clement aside from his friends is how effectively he copes with adversity, by no means taking issues too personally. He’s now one in every of, if not the, most revered sommeliers within the trade. His legacy continues to be very a lot felt at Medlar.”
Clement’s first “wow” wine expertise got here throughout his sommelier apprenticeship in France when he tasted the 1983 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: “It was only a fantastically aged Bordeaux, and it made me perceive that wine is extra unimaginable as a beverage than I believed was doable—it gave me feelings and a sense of nice artistry,” he says. His mentor, Gérard Basset, was his greatest inspiration within the wine world. “He was an instance of humility, success by way of preparation and arduous work, and one of many nicest human beings. His passing [from cancer in January 2019] was the most important loss the wine world has encountered.”
Along with Basset, Clement was lucky sufficient to be mentored by three of Basset’s biggest college students, Dimitri Mesnard MS and Yohann Jousselin MS (who he labored for at Resort du Vin) and Eric Zwiebel MS (throughout his time at Summer season Lodge in Dorset). Though naturally shy, anxious and self-effacing, underneath the tutelage of those mentors Clement realized to undertaking outward confidence and a way of all the time being in management. A sommelier is all the time one small step away from catastrophe: a buyer who believes an costly bottle is corked; breaking a prized bottle or case; ordering high-priced wines for the listing that don’t promote; coping with drunk or impolite clientele in probably the most diplomatic means doable whereas sustaining a perma-grin.
Clement received Finest Younger Sommelier within the World in 2010 and UK Sommelier of the 12 months in 2013. He additionally discovered time to cross the immensely tough Grasp Sommelier exams—solely 269 folks have ever handed globally—turning into an MS in 2015. He is among the judges for Decanter Journal’s Decanter World Wine Awards, in addition to the Worldwide Wine & Spirit Competitors (IWSC), and he consults for The Retreat Resort on the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
In response to Chris Campbell, CEO of the Rothschild Assortment—which brings collectively the chateaux wines from Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Domaines Baron Rothschild Lafite and Baron Edmond de Rothschild—“Clement deploys a fragile steadiness in his function: on the one hand, he extols gravitas and is erudite, whereas exhibiting an esoteric information of producers and vintages. And, then again, he instils a transparent, exact and extremely profitable industrial technique—that mixture is uncommon, and it’s delivered with allure and magnificence.” Maybe it was no shock, then, that Richard Caring got here knocking. Caring employed Clement to turn into Group Wine Purchaser in January 2019 and, subsequently, Head of Beverage and Wine Purchaser for the Birley Golf equipment in 2021. Arguably the highest job that any sommelier might hope to realize on this planet of wine was now within the arms of Clement Robert MS.
“After I joined the Birley Group, my first mission was to implement a real Sommelier tradition at Annabel’s and to dynamise the wine programme,” Clement says. “We opened [Italian fine-dining restaurant] Matteo’s shortly thereafter with the purpose of making a wine-focused restaurant inside Annabel’s; we then got here up with probably the most adorned Finest Italian Wine Listing within the World, with a number of the largest recognized collections of Sassicaia, Masseto and Conterno’s Monfortino.” Clement is answerable for twenty-two sommeliers at Annabel’s, which he says is the most important sommelier group in Europe. “It’s no exaggeration to say that our wine programme is among the most talked about within the world trade, and our house owners have, in flip, benefited from a substantial enhance in wine revenues from the Membership.”
Clement’s subsequent innovation was to create The Birley Wine Membership in 2020. Members should purchase wines from the Membership to be delivered on to their properties, whether or not for rapid consumption or for his or her wine collections. It contains allocations from lots of the most sought-after advantageous wine producers. Clement additionally created a Wine Dinner Programme that goals not solely to be world-class, but in addition enjoyable: “Our Wine Dinner Programme embodies our imaginative and prescient,” he says.” We’re working our dinners with minimal interruptions—two concise speeches—and the winemaker is touching each single desk through the night in a casual means. We even have a band performing through the night, and supply limitless top-up of any wines served. Because of this, we have now a lot of loyal members who attend each occasion, of which greater than 40 % are ladies, which is uncommon for a Mayfair wine occasion.”
One other new undertaking was the opening of Mayfair restaurant Bacchanalia, an £85 million endeavor by Caprice Holdings—additionally owned by the Caring household—the place Clement has constructed one other excellent assortment of spectacular Italian advantageous wines. Clement can be engaged on the re-opening of personal members’ membership George, the place he’s specializing in constructing a group of natural, bio-dynamic and sustainably-made wines: “A lot of the ‘basic’ historic estates at the moment are making wines this fashion, and we’ll showcase collections from these iconic producers, together with Cristal from Louis Roederer, Domaine Leflaive, Château Pontet-Canet, Montevertine and lots of others,” he says.
What’s subsequent, then? “We’re planning worldwide growth—and with that comes new ambitions and objectives,” he says. “In the end, I would like the Birley Golf equipment to be recognized for having the perfect, most dynamic and prestigious advantageous wine and uncommon spirits program wherever on this planet.” Morgan de Premorel, UK director for the esteemed cognac model Louis XIII, actually believes Clement can succeed: “Clement is a person of nice skills, combining sturdy experience, a strong worldwide community and sheer audacity whereas cultivating humility and ease; a consummate skilled who’s shaking up the trade.”
Clement’s function is all encompassing: “Basically, every little thing that touches wines for the Birley Golf equipment and Caprice Holdings Group—the sommelier groups, wine lists, wine dinners, producer and model collaborations, together with for spirits,” as he places it. Helping him is Erik Simonics, Group Head Sommelier of the Birley Golf equipment; Claudia Agliano, his assistant purchaser; and Baptiste Cusimano, who takes care of all issues logistical.
Clement was on the forefront of The Golden Vines Awards—which I based with my colleague Sasha Lushnikov in 2021. Over a liquid lunch in the summertime of 2020, Sasha and I pitched the thought of making the primary “Oscars of High quality Wine to Clement”, with the intention of giving recognition to the best fine-wine estates globally—as judged by a whole bunch of trade professionals—in a glamorous atmosphere with world-class meals and leisure. Clement was enthused and instantly introduced it to Richard Caring’s consideration.
As Clement explains, “Richard beloved the entire thought and agreed to host the primary ‘Oscars of High quality Wine’— The Golden Vines—on seventh October 2021 within the Backyard of Annabel’s, the place we raised £1.2 million for the Gérard Basset Basis to assist variety and inclusivity within the wine world. We served probably the most mind-blowing choice of advantageous wines through the dinner: Dom Pérignon P2 2003, Egon Muller’s Kabinett Alte Reben 2015, Le Montrachet 2017 from Domaine Baron Thénard, Domaine de la Romanée Conti’s Grands Echézeaux 2005 and Château d’Yquem 1988 in Magnum, in addition to a limited-edition Macallan single malt. Kylie Minogue and The Kingdom Choir have been the principle acts. It was really a spectacular occasion, and helped showcase Annabel’s as a number one fine-wine vacation spot.”
Having been instrumental within the creation of The Golden Vines, Clement continues to assist the charitable trigger related to the occasion. He is among the 5 judges on the panel for the Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Variety Scholarship, every price £55,000, which gives for a scholar from a various background to review for the Grasp of Wine or Grasp Sommelier qualification, together with a superb 12-month internship at a number of the biggest wine estates within the northern and southern hemispheres. “It’s essential that extra is finished to encourage folks from minority backgrounds into the trade, particularly youthful folks,” he says. “The Golden Vines, by way of its assist for the Gérard Basset Basis, is the worldwide chief on this area, and I’m extraordinarily proud to be part of it.”
Given there are so few MS’s on this planet, it’s somewhat outstanding that Clement discovered one to marry. His spouse, Kathrine Larsen-Robert MS, is now finding out to turn into the world’s first MW (Grasp of Wine) who additionally holds an MS. With their 13-year-old son, and an all-consuming job, his free-time is proscribed.
Clement is the quintessential fashionable sommelier: extraordinarily educated, hard-working, problem-solving, desperate to please, well-mannered and aggressive. He desires to be the perfect, and is assured that if he isn’t already, he quickly will probably be.
Clement Robert’s Desert Island Decisions
E-book: Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber
Luxurious Merchandise: His marriage ceremony ring
Movie: Jurassic Park
Band/Musician: Muse
Exercise: “Nothing, that’s the entire level of being there.”
High of Bucket Listing: Jungle journey to the Amazon forest
Craziest Second Working as a Sommelier
Being chased by a Kangaroo who was beating its chest (an indication of imminent assault) in King Valley, Australia
Finest Three High quality Wines Tasted
Domaine Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru 1970, Krug Classic 2004, Château Mouton Rothschild 1945
Demise Row Request
Any nice classic of Domaine de la Romanée Conti Le Montrachet
Lewis Chester DipWSET is a London-based wine collector, member of the Académie du Champagne and Chevaliers du Tastevin, co-founder of Liquid Icons and, together with Sasha Lushnikov, co-founder of the Golden Vines® Awards. He’s additionally Honorary President and Head of Fundraising on the Gérard Basset Basis, which funds variety & inclusivity schooling programmes globally within the wine, spirits & hospitality sectors.
The Golden Vines® 2023 will happen in Paris between 13-15 October 2023, recognizing the world’s finest fine-wine estates as voted by a whole bunch of fine-wine professionals. Please register your curiosity for tickets on the website. Robb Report is the Official Media Companion of the Golden Vines® and sponsor of the Golden Vines® World’s Finest High quality-Wine Producer Award.
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