微醺 ~ 品酒摘記

445愛的鼓勵 0訂閱站台

近日在工作上遇到不少難題，就連日常生活和開酒也倒楣，接二連三弄碎Cork之餘，喝了一些令人失望的酒，最近還染上感冒，這幾天的聖誕節假期都躲在家裡休養，看著Tiers的酒籤和被我礸至粉碎的1977 Ferreira Vintage Port酒塞獨自神傷。

自Melbourne購得那支被喻為澳洲白酒王的1998 Petaluma Tiers Chardonnay後，我就像照料初生嬰孩一樣，對Tiers百般呵護，小心翼翼地抱著她回香港。

英國Decanter、美國Winespectator、澳洲Winepros和網上酒肆Vintage Direct均對Tiers有極高的評價，說她擁有布根地高質白酒的質素，甚至是世界上最好的白酒之一。能被世界各地的評酒家捧上天，一定有其非凡之處，上星期我便和幾位酒友一同品嚐了這支澳洲新貴，結果卻被轟得體無完膚，我對這支酒卻極為失望，完全喝不出酒評所形容的味道，究竟是過份吹噓，或是Bottle Variation單一事件，相信要等到再有機會喝另一支Tiers才有答案。

酒溫維持在攝氏13度開瓶，拔出Cork後便湧出濃烈的甘蔗香氣，心知不妙，與開Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 1998時的情況類同。呈深黃色，清澈，除甘蔗香，還有微微桃香和隱約的奶油香，但變化不大。喝一口，木味較重、酒精度高，而帶輕微的楊桃味，其他果味欠奉。讓她呼吸十五分鐘後再喝，依然沒有變化，仍是濃烈的甘蔗香味，餘韻盡是燙喉的酒精味。半小時後再喝，同樣令人失望。

總括酒友的意見，這是一支平凡的澳洲的白酒，果味欠奉、欠平衡、單薄，欠深度，甚至敗給價錢只是其十分一的Rosemount Show Reserve Chardonnay 2000，與Beringer Private Reserve 1998同樣名過其實，同樣令人失望，更遑論與布根地Bonneau du Matray的 Corton Charlemagne一較高下。Tiers的年產量只有300箱，葡萄均來自Piccadilly Valley的優質Chardonnay，1998 Tiers的酒精度相當高，達到13.5%。

酒肆老闆說港、澳及大陸地區獲配給的Tiers只有兩，三箱，成本價每支 $600港元，再加上運費、行政費用及利潤，Tiers的零售價達到 $900 - $1000港元，這個價錢可買到真正質優的布根地白酒了，值不值？見仁見智。

以下是專家的評語：
Decanter:5*
～Hot tip, Fine and Rare Christmas tasting, decanter.com November 2001 - Aromatic, fresh and grassy, oily, butter nose. Wonderful on the palate with real vibrancy and tiered (!) fruit. Long, long toasty length yet with good apple fruit character.

～Steven Spurrier, Decanter magazine July 2001 – Bright lemony gold colour, ripe Chardonnay fruit with pear and white peach fruit restrained by a marked minerality, with superb structure and length.

～Connoisseur's choice, decanter.com April 2001 - Yellow-gold in colour, with ripe yet restrained fruit showing a hint of ripe peaches, this wine has superb structure, balance and length - and will continue to evolve over the next decade.

Vintage Direct: 98
～Excellence is one of those qualities that can be difficult to define, and is too often an overstated and over used term, yet when one encounters true excellence it is instantly recognizable. Croser's vision was to create a Chardonnay of world class – a wine that could be comfortably compared with the greatest of the White Burgundies - he has long been an admirer of Bonneau du Matray's Corton Charlemagne and has compared Petaluma Chardonnay with this great wine. Whilst, the Petaluma Chardonnay is in the same ball park, it is fair to say it has not yet reached the finesse of Corton Charlemagne. The Petaluma Tiers brings Croser several steps closer to creating a great Chardonnay. Only a small parcel of wine is bottled separately from the Tiers vineyard (which of the 6 distinguished vineyards appears to produce the best fruit). Brilliant, deep straw colour. A superb sophisticated wine - Complex, barrel ferment nose, but without being overt. Layers of aromas yet all the notes are in total harmony. Toasted oak, hazelnut, spice, yeast lees and cashew. A very refined sniff, with nuances of grapefruit coming at the very end and leading into a complex and persistent palate. The remarkable quality of this wine is the persistence of flavours both on the palate and aftertaste, which can be measured in minutes. Layers of almond, cashew, grapefruit, melon and fig are superbly integrated into a seamless, harmonious whole. A great international Chardonnay. Stocks are very limited. Cellar 4-5 years. (10/2000)

Winespectator: 96
～Rich and succulent, this seductive wine pours out its beautifully focused pear, quince, honey and spice flavors yet manages to feel elegant and restrained as the flavors sail on and on. A triumphant Australian Chardonnay that gives more with every sip. Drink now through 2008. 300 cases made. (HS)(06/2001)

Winepros
Len Evans
～Great wine- fine, delicate intense uplifted nose, really deep in character though still fine, good unctuous entry spreading around mouth. Wine slides off palate on nutty rollers and the length persists. My best wine of the day and the best wine in consensus.(03/2001)