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Prince Robert of Luxembourg receives the 2024 Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award
Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Chairman and CEO of the family business Domaine Clarence Dillon, had the honor of receiving the prestigious Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the international wine industry. On October 19th, Prince Robert of Luxembourg was one of the keynote speakers at the New York Wine Experience, held at the New York Marriott Marquis. His speech held special significance as he received the Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award after more than 30 years of involvement with Domaine Clarence Dillon.Since 1982, Wine Spectator has been honoring exceptional leaders in the wine world with this award, recognizing those whose achievements have elevated wine as a source of pleasure, inspiration, and cultural importance
“I am deeply moved and honored to receive this prestigious distinction from Marvin Shanken and his exceptional teams at The Wine Spectator! As the fourth generation leading our family wine business, it is especially emotional to be the second generation of my family to receive this honor, particularly since my mother, Joan de Mouchy, received this distinction here in New York almost exactly twenty years ago.I dedicate this award to all our teams within what has become the Domaine Clarence Dillon group, without whom this recognition would not have been possible, as we have grown from a single vineyard in 1983 to a group of companies each excelling in their respective fields of gastronomy, hospitality, retail, trading… and of course, exceptional wines!
We can never rest on our laurels and must rise to the occasion for every client, every vintage, and every meal! I pay tribute to my immediate family for their patience with a wine enthusiast… and to my extended family for entrusting me with the fantastic task of managing and developing our exceptional business. Lastly, I want to express my immense gratitude to wine lovers around the world… for my decades of service have been inspired by the desire to always offer you the best, as we share our common passion for that magical and ethereal sensation we experience when savoring exceptional wines. Thank you!”
Decades of passion and innovation
This award celebrates more than 30 years of passion and dedication from Prince Robert to the development of the family-owned Domaine Clarence Dillon group, founded by his great-grandfather, Clarence Dillon, with the acquisition of Château Haut-Brion in 1935. From a very young age, Prince Robert was immersed in the family business, witnessing key milestones such as the acquisition of Château La Mission Haut-Brion at just 15 years old.
Like his grandfather and great-grandfather, Robert of Luxembourg is a passionate art lover. After studying sculpture and briefly working as a screenwriter, he set aside his Hollywood ambitions to join the family business. He became actively involved in the management of Domaine Clarence Dillon, taking a full-time position in the summer of 1997, before being appointed Managing Director in 2002, and then Chairman and CEO in 2008
Prince Robert of Luxembourg has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence,
combining his appetite for innovation with a respect for tradition.
In 2005, he created Clarence Dillon Wines, an independent fine wine merchant. At the same time, he launched Clarendelle, the first ‘super-premium’ family of wines from Bordeaux. More recently, in early 2024, Prince Robert of Luxembourg launched Klara, a new family of organic wines from southern France. Under his leadership, Domaine Clarence Dillon expanded with the acquisition of three magnificent vineyards in Saint-Émilion, merged to create Quintus, an exceptional estate on the right bank.
His ambition also led to the opening of the Parisian restaurant Le Clarence in November 2015, which has been awarded two Michelin stars and ranked three times on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant is nestled in a stunning mansion near the Champs-Élysées. On the ground floor is the entrance to La Cave du Château, a fine wine shop offering a meticulously curated selection of the best wines and spirits from French terroirs, also available online. In 2021, Prince Robert inaugurated a new visitor center and wine shop at Château Haut-Brion in Pessac (Bordeaux), before opening a fourth boutique for La Cave du Château in the heart of Bordeaux in 2024. Since 2023, Clarendelle and the group’s wines have been official partners of the Academy Awards, serving as the exclusive red and white wines at the Oscars® ceremony.
A long tradition of patronage and philanthropy
In 2009, Prince Robert encouraged his family to take a pioneering role in the creation of the Cité du Vin, the world’s first cultural center entirely dedicated to the international culture and art of wine, which opened its doors in June 2016. Under his leadership, the Dillon family foundation became one of the four founding members of the Cité. From the beginning, Robert of Luxembourg has served on the board of directors and was appointed Chairman of the Cultural Committee.
He also played a key role as a Founding Member of the American Friends of La Cité du Vin.Internationally, Domaine Clarence Dillon annually supports young talents through the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation, as well as causes related to health (Sidaction), human rights (Human Rights Watch), the environment (One Drop, The Nature Conservancy), and more.The family company also continues its founder’s cherished tradition of patronage, most recently participating in the restoration of the Grand Palais in Paris. In recognition of this support, the VIP entrance of the Grand Palais rotunda, facing the Pont Alexandre III, was renamed the Rotonde Clarence Dillon
A long tradition of patronage Domaine Clarence Dillon has long been engaged in patronage activities, promoting the cultural influence of French heritage and the arts, as well as philanthropic initiatives.
Prince Robert is also an active member of the board of two family foundations based in the United States, established by his great-grandfather and grandfather, which have supported notable international causes over the generations. In 2021, Prince Robert, his wife Princess Julie, and their son Frederik created the PolG Foundation, an American charitable organization dedicated to accelerating research for effective treatments and finding a cure for mitochondrial diseases linked to the PolG gene. This rare genetic disease was diagnosed in Frederik during his teenage years, and he is striving to turn his battle into a positive force to help others like him. The foundation collaborates with leading scientists from around the world to ensure they can achieve their goals and fulfill their mission.
Building a sustainable future
In October 2018, Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Domaine Clarence Dillon joined Primum Familiae Vini (PFV), an international association of the world’s greatest family wine producers, thus completing its group of 12 members. PFV celebrates the exceptional contributions of family estates in renowned wine regions and represents excellence in winemaking and the continuity of family traditions—values cherished by Domaine Clarence Dillon. Robert of Luxembourg is expected to assume the presidency of this organization in the summer of 2025.A major construction and renovation project is currently underway at Château Haut-Brion, led by architect Annabelle Selldorf in collaboration with local architects A3A.
This discreet “rammed earth” structure is designed to refocus visual attention on the original Château while becoming the first entirely carbon-neutral facility among Bordeaux’s First Growths. The new installations will feature walls made from molded blocks using the alluvial soils of Haut-Brion. Inside, the space will house not only new winemaking facilities but also the Château Haut-Brion Library, a unique collection of artifacts, ancient winemaking tools, a growing collection of menus, letters, documents, and one of the largest and most prestigious collections of ancient books on wine and gastronomy in the world. Like the growing art collection, this rare and exceptional library, assembled under the direction of Prince Robert, is the result of an extensive international quest to gather these priceless treasures, all inspired by the 2,000-year winemaking heritage of Château Haut-Brion. These new facilities will be open to the public starting in 2026.
Some of Annabelle Selldorf’s recent achievements include the Frick Collection in New York, the National Gallery in London, and a part of the LUMA Foundation in Arles, France.
After starting his career in London to understand the world’s largest fine 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, surrounded by beautiful vineyard landscapes
The Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award presented to Prince Robert of Luxembourg highlights his unwavering commitment to quality and innovation in the wine industry, as well as his ongoing philanthropic, social, and cultural engagement within Domaine Clarence Dillon and beyond
