Tersina Shieh
勃艮第與俄勒岡或許有著天壤之別,多虧讓-尼古拉斯·梅奧這位勃艮第的凱慕思酒莊莊主兼俄勒岡的杰伊酒莊合伙人,才讓我們有機會對大西洋兩岸的黑皮諾作了對比。
Burgundy and Oregon maybe a world apart but thanks to Jean-Nicolas Méo, owner of Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Burgundy and partner of Nicolas-Jay in Oregon, we were able to compare the Pinot Noirs from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during his recent visit in town.
讓-尼古拉斯·梅奧家族所擁有的凱慕思酒莊位于沃恩·羅曼尼產(chǎn)區(qū)內(nèi)。1989年,讓·尼古拉斯在勃艮第完成釀酒的學(xué)習(xí)后,子承父業(yè)并開始在美國工作。在父親讓·梅奧和備受業(yè)界推崇的亨利·賈葉(Henri Jayer)的指導(dǎo)下,讓-尼古拉斯嘗試了多樣的釀酒技術(shù),并最終形成了自己的風(fēng)格。相比整串發(fā)酵,他更喜歡去梗后再發(fā)酵,盡管在他經(jīng)手的發(fā)酵中,可能也包括10%的果梗。葡萄在15 oC左右的低溫下浸皮幾天,接著在30 oC以下的水泥罐或不銹鋼罐中發(fā)酵,然后溫浸幾天,最后再進行壓榨以提取更多物質(zhì)。根據(jù)葡萄的果皮結(jié)構(gòu),每款葡萄酒的陳釀方式不同。如今,該酒莊生產(chǎn)25款葡萄酒,包括勃艮第產(chǎn)區(qū)內(nèi)的特級園和一級園。
我們一共品鑒了4款皮諾葡萄酒,所有2016年份的葡萄酒都來自于夜丘的不同村莊。與勃艮第獨特的風(fēng)土一樣,這些葡萄酒也展現(xiàn)了不一樣的個性。我喜歡Fixin細(xì)膩的香氣和天鵝絨般的酒體,這是一個只有80公頃的鮮為人知的小產(chǎn)區(qū)。相比之下,它的鄰居馬沙內(nèi)則是個廣為人知的新型大產(chǎn)區(qū),出產(chǎn)的葡萄酒有明亮的紅色水果特征。我最喜歡的葡萄酒來自沃恩·羅曼尼產(chǎn)區(qū),有多層次的香氣并且非常新鮮。這兩個地塊的葡萄園緊挨著該家族的住所處,坐落在海拔較高的地方。相比之下,莫雷·圣·丹尼村的葡萄酒則酒體強勁,帶有黑色水果氣息和堅實的單寧。這就是勃艮第為什么如此獨特的原因—每一個產(chǎn)區(qū)之間無論挨得多近,都有它們自己對于黑皮諾的詮釋。
讓-尼古拉斯30年前在美國認(rèn)識了音樂制作人杰伊·博伯格。他們對于生活、葡萄酒、音樂,尤其是來自俄勒岡的黑皮諾有著相同的熱情。最終,這兩人在2013年創(chuàng)立了杰伊酒莊。讓-尼古拉斯很高興可以將自己在勃艮第學(xué)到的東西帶到一個氣候,并且土壤完全不一樣的新產(chǎn)區(qū)。與勃艮第不同,俄勒岡春季潮濕,夏季干燥。這里的土壤、克隆品種,甚至是工作態(tài)度也完全不一樣。勃艮第人更加憑直覺做事,而俄勒岡人則更靠技術(shù)。讓-尼古拉斯謙虛地承認(rèn),自己還需要向美國的同事們學(xué)習(xí)。
目前,尼古拉斯·杰伊只生產(chǎn)黑皮諾。來自俄勒岡州威拉米特河谷產(chǎn)區(qū)的3個葡萄園里的葡萄被用來釀造三款單一園葡萄酒,而兩款混釀葡萄酒則用來自整個山谷的葡萄來釀造。與勃艮第相比,俄勒岡的葡萄酒成熟度更高,有更多水果風(fēng)味,但產(chǎn)自不同地塊的葡萄酒仍有差別。2017年份的葡萄酒來自有機、旱作法種植的尼斯葡萄園,口感豐富、單寧柔順。而同是2017年份,來自涼爽的、使用生物動力法種植的蒙塔奇葡萄園的酒款,口感則更加集中,更令人興奮并且更有結(jié)構(gòu)感。Own-Rooted Pinot Noir 2017是由至少30年樹齡的非嫁接葡萄釀制而成。這款葡萄酒帶有咸味,讓人很期待它接下來會如何發(fā)展。讓-尼古拉斯還向我們展示了2015、2016、2017這三個年份的Willamette Valley Pinot Noir,讓我們比較不同年份葡萄酒的狀態(tài)和變化。
我們唯一品鑒的一款白葡萄酒是來自凱慕思莊園的HautesC?tes de Nuits Clos Saint-Philibert 2016,這是一款宜人的葡萄酒,用讓·尼古拉斯的話來說,就是介乎于夏布利和默爾索之間。它具有夏布利葡萄酒的新鮮和礦物質(zhì)感,同時也有默爾索葡萄酒成熟的核果香氣和豐富性。夜丘是一個紅葡萄酒產(chǎn)區(qū),但這個特別的葡萄園位于1200英尺海拔之處,是多石土壤。讓-尼古拉斯解釋道:在這個葡萄園生長的黑皮諾缺乏豐富性,產(chǎn)量也較小,但其風(fēng)土條件卻非常適合種植出色的霞多麗。
這兩個酒莊相隔數(shù)千公里,采收期幾乎是在同一個時候,經(jīng)營起來并不容易。讓-尼古拉斯說,他很幸運,因為自己可以信賴在當(dāng)?shù)氐尼劸茙熖乩孜鳌た系聽?。他每年都會去俄勒?次,而且都是在采收期間。勃艮第的采收期短暫并且時間緊湊,而俄勒岡的采收期則會持續(xù)一段比較長的時間,因此他還可以趕上俄勒岡采收期的尾聲。
The family owned Domaine Méo-Camuzet is in Vosne-Romanée. In 1989, Jean-Nicolas joined his father after studying winemaking in Burgundy and a stint in the USA . With his father Jean Méo and well-respected Henri Jayer as his mentors, Jean-Nicolas experimented with different winemaking techniques and eventually developed his own style. He prefers de-stemming as opposed to whole bunch fermentation although he may include around 10% of stems during fermentation. Grapes are cold-soaked at around 15oC for a few days prior to fermentation in cement or stainlesssteel tanks at up to 30oC, then warm-soak for a couple of days before pressing for more extraction. Depending on the fruit structure, each wine is aged with different wood regime. Today , the domaine produces 25 wines, including Grands Crus and Premiers Crus form the region.
We tasted four Pinots, all 2016 vintages from different villages in Cote de Nuits. True to Burgundy distinctive terroir, the wines show different characters. I like the delicate aromas and velvety structure of Fixin, a lesserknown small appellation with only 80ha under vines. In comparison, its neighbour Marsannay, the latest, bigger and more well-known appellation, produces wine with bright red fruits. Vosne-Romanée, with multi-layered aromas and freshness, is my favourite. The two plots of vineyard, next to the family house, are located at a higher altitude. In contrast, the wine from Morey Saint-Denis is sturdy with a darker fruits profile and a firm tannin. This is why Burgundy is unique - every appellation, no matter how close they are, has its own interpretation of Pinot Noir.
Jean-Nicolas met music producer Jay Boberg 30 years ago when he was in the US. Sharing the same philosophies about life, wine and music and especially the passion for Pinot Noir from Oregon, the pair eventually founded Nicolas-Jay in 2013. Jean-Nicolas was excited to take what he learnt from Burgundy to a new region with different climate and soil. Unlike Burgundy, Oregon has a wet spring but dry summer. There are also differences in the soil, clones and working attitude. Burgundian is more intuitive whereas Oregonian is more technical. Jean-Nicolas was humble to admit that he also has to learn from his US colleagues.
At the moment, Nicolas-Jay only produces Pinot Noir. They source grapes from three vineyards sites in Willamette Valley in Oregon, make three single-vineyard wines and two blends using grapes from across the valley. Comparing to Burgundy, the Oregon wine is riper and more fruitforward but there are still variations in different sites. The 2017 wine from the organic, dry farmed Nysa vineyard is generous with a softer tannin while the same vintage wine from the cooler, biodynamically farmed Momtazi vineyard is more focused, uplifted and structured. The 2017 Own-Rooted Pinot Noir was made from vines at least 30 years old and planted on their own roots. The wine has a more savoury note and it will be interesting to see how it develops. Jean-Nicolas also showed us three vintages of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2017, 2016 and 2015 to compare the different vintage conditions and evolvement.
The only white wine we tried was Hautes-C?tes de Nuits‘Clos Saint-Philibert2016 from Domaine Méo-Camuzet, a very pleasant wine that Jean-Nicolas described as a cross between Chablis and Meursault. It possesses the freshness and mineral character of Chablis and at the same time, the ripe stone fruits aromas and richness of Meursault. Cotes de Nuits is a red wine region but this particular vineyard is at an altitude of 1,200ft with stony soil. Jean-Nicolas explained that Pinot Noir grown there will lack richness and volume, but the terroir is just perfect for a remarkable Chardonnay. Running two wine estates thousands of kilometres apart and with harvests pretty much at the same time is not easy. Jean-Nicolas said he is lucky that he can rely on resident winemaker Tracy Kendall. He goes to Oregon around four times a year and definitely at harvest. Burgundy harvest is compact and shorter so he is able to catch the end of Oregon harvest, which spreads over a longer period of time.