Читать книгу Wine Faults and Flaws - Keith Grainger - Страница 37

There are many wines, particularly those at so‐called ‘entry level’ that are technically correct, fault and flaw‐free but which are distinctly uninteresting, dull, and by any set of values cannot be regarded as high quality. Such wines usually do not claim to express any regional identity, although they should be largely true to the characteristics of the grape variety or varieties named on the label. But how should we regard wines, often from small, artisan producers that are technically faulty, but which are complex, highly exciting and exude style and class and individuality? Our judgements are usually framework dependent, but excellence in wine, as perhaps in music, art, comedy, or literature can take us outside of our comfort zones where all aspects adhere to the rules. Breaking the ‘you can't do that’ norm may lead us into new territories that prove as exhilarating as they are disturbing. Nicolas Joly is a famous, perhaps even infamous, biodynamic producer in the Anjou district of France's Loire Valley. His family are the sole owners of La Coulée de Serrant, a seven hectare vineyard in the Savennières commune, which has its own Appellation Controlée (Protegée). He produces two other wines: ‘Le Clos de la Bergerie’, appellation Savennières‐Roche aux Moines, and ‘Les Vieux Clos’, appellation Savennières. He is noted for breaking many winemaking rules but produces award‐winning wines that have been described as amongst the world's best dry white wines, and yet which are regarded by some experts as faulty. He is revered by many wine lovers and reviled by many oenologists. Of course he believes great wine is ‘made in the vineyard’, and it is a straightforward task to turn wonderful grapes into wine. ‘What is a winemaker?’, he rhetorically asked me – ‘I don't understand the meaning of the word’ [personal discussion]. When describing a Nicolas Joly wine, the 2005 vintage of Clos de la Bergerie, Savennières‐Roche‐aux‐Moines, Lisa Perrotti‐Brown MW noted (in 2015) ‘ethyl acetate, acetaldehyde and high volatile acidity’ along with ‘beautiful, rich, mature fruit’ – she stated that ‘the wine tasted delicious’ [26].