(Wine-Searcher) - Prince Robert of Luxembourg took over the family wine business after traveling the world, and enjoying a stint as a screenwriter. He discusses Haut-Brion, philosophy, and why Quintus costs more than the wine it replaced.

You studied philosophy, but then dropped out. Why?

I attended Georgetown University [Washington DC] for a year and a half. But I told the professor that, given everything he was teaching, would it not be more interesting to go and discover the world. He could not really contradict me. So I bought a second-hand car and drove to South America and then traveled around the word. I did not attain the academic heights that I could have, but I certainly developed other forms of smarts, including street smarts, and I was able to discover and understand different cultures from around the world, which I continue to do.

How does wine promote philosophical discussion?

I am sure that there is a chemical aspect that aids with philosophical discussion. Certainly by creating an extraordinary environment of exchange and relaxation. And obviously the whole notion of exchange and the symposium was born in ancient Greece around fine wine. Unfortunately in those days it didn't include food. Or women, for that matter.

You and then-soon-to-be wife [Julie Ongaro] wrote a screenplay [1992] about Don Juan that Steven Spielberg considered, but it never was made a movie. What if he had said yes? Would your life be different today?

Absolutely. That was the beginning of our screenwriting career, which was relatively short because I ended it when I came here. He [Spielberg] was interested in optioning the screenplay. We actually sold the option to Columbia Pictures and worked with some other production companies, including Jon Peters Entertainment and another company called Original Film to develop it.

Was it exciting?

It was extraordinary. Imagine being in your early 20s and suddenly being flown out first class to Los Angeles, and having a stretch limousine pick you up, and being signed by creative artists and then having meetings with the top lawyers and the top producers.

What happened to the screenplay?

It is probably sitting on someone's shelf. And I have not looked at it again either [laughs].

You worked on several other screenplays too.

At least four, although none were used. We would have extraordinary work sessions for two weeks at a time. We would go back to Europe and sit in my mother's little house in Provence and beaver away, trying to plug out screenplays. It was a lot of fun.

If Haut-Brion were a person, who would it be and why?

I don’t think I can choose a historical figure, but I think the traits would be restrained, elegant, complex, and someone who takes a while to come to understand, as it is not a simple personality, but it is one of those extraordinary wines they say "still waters run deep". As you age with Haut-Brion and as you rediscover the wine, you become more sensitive to the complexities and to the different layers within the wine.

Can you sum up the vintage 2014 in five words?

Atypical. Balanced. Concentration. Freshness. Complete.