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Distinction

Wine Spectator vergibt Distinguished Service Award

Frankreich

Prince Robert of Luxembourg honoured for his contribution to the wine industry

PARIS. Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Chairman and CEO of the family-owned Domaine Clarence Dillon, has been honoured as the recipient of the prestigious Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the international wine industry. On 19 October, Prince Robert of Luxembourg was one of the keynote speakers at the New York Wine Experience, held at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Since 1982, The Wine Spectator has presented this award to outstanding individuals in the wine world whose achievements highlight wine as a source of enjoyment, inspiration and cultural significance. "I am deeply touched and honoured to receive this award from Marvin Shanken and his exceptional team at The Wine Spectator! I represent the 4th generation at the helm of our family business and it is especially moving to be the second generation of my family to receive this award, as my mother, Joan de Mouchy, received this award here in New York almost exactly twenty years ago.I dedicate this award to all our teams in the Domaine Clarence Dillon Group who have made this award possible as we have grown from a single winery in 1983 to a group of companies all excelling in their respective fields of catering, hospitality, retail, wholesale .... and of course, outstanding wines! We must never rest on our laurels and must be up to the task with every customer, every vintage and every meal! I would like to thank my immediate family for putting up with a passionate wine connoisseur.... and my extended family for entrusting me with the fantastic task of managing and developing our extraordinary company. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to wine lovers around the world...., as my decades of service have been fuelled by a desire to always bring you the best, as we share a common passion for the magical, ethereal reaction we experience when enjoying exceptional wines. Thank you!" said Prince Robert of Luxembourg

Decades of passion and innovation

The award recognises Prince Robert's more than 30 years of passion and commitment to the development of the family group Domaine Clarence Dillon, which was founded by his great-grandfather Clarence Dillon with the acquisition of Château Haut-Brion in 1935. Prince Robert became involved in the family business at a young age and experienced important milestones such as the acquisition of Château La Mission Haut-Brion at the age of just 15.

Like his grandfather and great-grandfather, Robert of Luxembourg is a passionate art lover. After studying sculpture and a brief career as a screenwriter, Prince Robert put his Hollywood ambitions on hold to join the family business. In the summer of 1997, he took on a full-time position in the management of Domaine Clarence Dillon, before being appointed Managing Director in 2002 and finally Chairman of the Board and CEO in 2008.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg has always been committed to excellence, combining his appetite for innovation with respect for tradition.

In 2005, Prince Robert founded Clarence Dillon Wines, an independent wine merchant (Bordeaux négociant). At the same time, he launched Clarendelle, the first "super-premium" wine family from Bordeaux. More recently, in early 2024, Prince Robert of Luxembourg introduced Klara, the exciting new family of organic wines from the south of France. Under his leadership, Domaine Clarence Dillon continued to expand, acquiring three magnificent vineyards in Saint-Émilion, which were merged into one to create Quintus, an exceptional right bank estate.

His ambition led to the opening in November 2015 of Le Clarence, a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris that has been included three times in the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. The restaurant is located in a magnificent private mansion near the Champs-Élysées. On the ground floor is the entrance to La Cave du Château, a wine shop that offers a carefully curated selection of the best wines and spirits from France's terroirs, which are also available in its online shop(www.lcdc.wine). In 2021, Prince Robert inaugurates a new visitor centre and wine shop at Château Haut-Brion in Pessac (Bordeaux), before opening a fourth shop for La Cave du Château in the heart of Bordeaux in 2024. Since 2023, Clarendelle and the group's wines have been an official partner of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and are served as exclusive red and white wines at the Oscars®.

A long tradition of patronage and philanthropy

Domaine Clarence Dillon has long been involved in patronage activities that promote the cultural influence of French heritage and the arts, as well as philanthropic initiatives. In 2009, Prince Robert encouraged his family to take a pioneering role in the creation of La Cité du Vin, the world's first comprehensive cultural centre dedicated to the international culture and art of wine. This vision became a reality in June 2016 with the opening of La Cité du Vin. Under the leadership of Prince Robert, the Dillon family foundation became one of the four founding members of the Cité. From the very beginning, Robert of Luxembourg was a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Cultural Committee. In addition, Prince Robert played an important role as a founding member of the American Friends of La Cité du Vin.

On an international level, Domaine Clarence Dillon supports young talents every year through the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation and also supports projects in the fields of health (Sidaction), human rights (Human Rights Watch) and the environment (One Drop, The Nature Conservancy). The family business also continues the tradition of patronage of its founder by recently supporting parts of the restoration of the Grand Palais in Paris. In recognition of this support, the VIP entrance to the Rotunda of the Grand Palais, which faces the Pont Alexandre III, has been renamed the Clarence Dillon Rotunda.

Prince Robert is also an active board member of two US-based family foundations established by his great-grandfather and grandfather, which have been able to support valuable international projects for generations. In 2021, Prince Robert, his wife Princess Julie and their son Frederik established The PolG Foundation

, a non-profit foundation (501C3) in the United States dedicated to accelerating research for effective treatments and finding a cure for PolG mitochondrial diseases. Frederik was diagnosed with this rare genetic disease as a young man and wanted to use his great challenges to help others like him. The foundation works with top scientists around the world to ensure they can achieve their goals and fulfil their mission. polgfoundation.

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In October 2018, Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Domaine Clarence Dillon joined Primum Familiae Vini (PFV), an international association of the world's finest winemaking families, completing the 12-member group. The PFV recognises the exceptional achievements of family businesses in renowned wine regions and stands for excellence in winemaking and the continuity of long family traditions - values that Domaine Clarence Dillon greatly appreciates. Robert de Luxembourg is expected to take over the presidency of this organisation from summer 2025.

Under the direction of architect Annabelle Selldorf and in collaboration with the local architecture firm A3A, a major construction and renovation project is currently underway at Château Haut-Brion. This discreet 'rammed earth' structure is designed to draw visual attention back to the original château and is also the first completely carbon-neutral facility among the First Growth estates in Bordeaux. The walls of the new facilities will be made of blocks moulded from the alluvial soils of Haut-Brion. The premises will not only house new winemaking equipment, but also the Château Haut-Brion Library - a unique collection of artefacts, antique wine tools, a growing collection of menus, letters, documents and one of the world's best and largest collections of antiquarian books on wine and gastronomy. Like the growing art collection, this rare and exceptional library, assembled under the direction of Prince Robert, is the result of an extensive international search for these priceless treasures, all inspired by Chateau Haut-Brion 's 2000-year winemaking tradition. The new facilities will be open to the public from 2026.

Annabelle Selldorf's recent projects include the Frick Collection in New York, the National Gallery in London and parts of the LUMA Foundation in Arles, France.After starting his career in London to learn about the world's most important wine market, Prince Robert, Princess Julie and their family moved to Switzerland in 2004, where they raised and educated their three children and where they still live today surrounded by a beautiful wine landscape The presentation of the Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award to Prince Robert of Luxembourg underlines his unwavering commitment to quality and innovation in the wine industry, but also his ongoing philanthropic, social and cultural engagement at Domaine Clarence Dillon and beyond.

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