From Shipwrecks to Rocheyron: Château Rocheyron 2020 – 2022
Late in 1997 the container ship MSC Carla, fully laden, set sail from Le Havre on the northern French coast, bound for Boston. Originally built in Sweden in 1972, the vessel had a huge capacity, one which had been augmented during a period in dry dock in South Korea in 1984 when the body of the ship had been lengthened. The vessel set out into the English Channel, and then into the Atlantic, its deck stacked from end to end with containers.
Sadly for those involved, Poseidon, Ampritite, Ceto, Aegaeon and all those Gods who preside over the sea and its storms chose not to look kindly on the MSC Carla as it ploughed its way towards the USA. Caught in a fierce winds and battered by freak waves close to the Azores, the vessel was ripped in two.
Literally ripped in two.
The forward section of the ship, separated from the stern, quickly took on water and sank, taking its cargo down to the sea floor, 3,000 metres below. Miraculously for all 22 on board, the aft section remaining afloat, the crew saved by tightly sealed bulkhead doors; they were subsequently rescued, and the half-ship which remained afloat was towed to port.
The fallout from this shipping disaster was considerable, particularly in light of the previous lengthening work which some claimed was responsible; perhaps unsurprisingly years of legal battles followed. Meanwhile environmentalists were more concerned about the cargo, particular when it was revealed – days after the accident – that what had gone to the sea bed included a container of medical devices fuelled by radioactive Caesium-137. Should this now be considered a nuclear accident?
I suspect by now the question you have in our mind is a different one though; what exactly does the fate of the MSC Carla have to do with Château Rocheyron in St Emilion, and its proprietor Peter Sisseck? Of course, for the answer to that, you will have to read a little more about Peter and his story.
Peter Sisseck
Peter Sisseck was born in Copenhagen in 1962, the latest addition to a family story within which wine was already closely interwoven. His uncle is Peter Vinding-Diers, a name which may be familiar to you, especially if you took a look at last week’s Weekend Wine report on the 2020 white Graves from Château Rahoul. It was at Rahoul that Peter – the uncle, not the nephew – undertook some of his groundbreaking work demonstrating the importance of yeast in driving flavour in wine.
