紅顏容，被忽視的一級名莊

David Allen MW

葡萄酒大師（Master of Wine）；葡萄酒信息搜索網站Wine-Searcher（葡萄酒搜索引擎）的葡萄酒總監。從業近30年，具有豐富的葡萄酒銷售、推廣、培訓、品鑒等方面的知識。

我一直挺困惑為什么紅顏容酒莊看起來就像是波爾多5個一級列級莊里面最被忽視的一個。作為最早被列為1855年列級莊里4個一級莊（直到1973年木桐酒莊才被列入一級莊），紅顏容在Wine-Searcher的“波爾多最多搜索和最貴搜索的葡萄酒”列表里卻常常不如另外的4家。從歷史來看不常是這樣的，很多年以來紅顏容都更為受歡迎且有著更高的產品溢價。

I am at a loss to understand why Haut-Brion is seemingly the least-regarded of Bordeaux's five red First Growths. Listed among the 4 original Premier Grand Cru Classe in 1855 (Mouton Rothschild was only promoted First Growth in 1973). Haut-Brion consistently appears below its four peers both in Wine-Searcher's most searchedfor and of most expensive Bordeaux lists.Historically this position was not always the case, for many years Haut-Brion was far more popular and commanded significant price premiums.

紅顏容可以稱得上是第一個出現的葡萄酒品牌。在17世紀的中期酒莊的擁有者蓬塔克·阿諾德三世勛爵創造了這一高品質的葡萄酒來吸引英國王室的新國王，查理二世。一本寫于1660年的宮廷酒窖典籍里就記錄了169瓶“Hobriono”葡萄酒。很快這葡萄酒就在講究時尚的倫敦客間流行起來，1663年作家Samuel Peyps曾寫下在倫敦Lombard街的酒館里喝“Ho Bryen”的經歷。1666年那場倫敦大火之后，蓬塔克·阿諾德三世之子，Francois Auguste在倫敦建起他們自己的酒館，名為Pontac’s Head。于是在英國，Pontac這個名字就成為了優秀的波爾多紅葡萄酒代名詞。

到了1935年，酒莊由Dillon家族接手。他們很明智地保留了Georges Delmas的酒莊代管服務。這一決定深遠地影響了酒莊的未來，它為酒莊帶來了革新以及持久力。當Georges Delmas在1961年退休時他已經為酒莊服務40年，且接棒的是他的兒子Jean-Bernard。今天接手的是他的兒子Jean-Philippe Delmas主管釀造團隊，今年可是這一家族掌管酒莊的釀造第100年。

在Jean-Bernard Delmas管釀造的42年里（1961-2003），酒莊引入了很多先鋒性的改革。20世紀60年代，紅顏容是波爾多優秀的酒莊里面第一家采用不銹鋼發酵罐，采用控溫手段進行釀造的。紅顏容的分體式發酵罐可以允許上部進行發酵而下部則進行蘋果酸乳酸轉化。

因為相信釀造優秀的葡萄酒需要混合優秀的葡萄植株克隆，Delmas開始跟INRA及農業局于1972年共同擴展葡萄園植株克隆的多樣性。今天每公頃紅顏容的葡萄園上都包含了10-15種葡萄的克隆。這在園間就保證了優秀的多樣性。

Delmas三代人引領紅顏容釀酒團隊100年時間，這一持續紀錄對應的是酒莊的主人，Dillon家族也掌管了酒莊86年，為酒莊貢獻了3任掌舵者。今天家族的族長，盧森堡羅伯特王子，也同樣是Domaine Clarence Dillon的總經理。

盡管紅顏容獨特地將創新和延續性結合在一起，但有幾個理由使得他略顯過時。很可能是因為它的產量較小?紅顏容的年產量只有10000箱左右，大概是同行的一半數量使得它賣得很少。也可能是紅顏容不在梅多克，使得它跟不上其他一級莊的腳步。這不僅僅是地理位置的因素，還涉及酒莊葡萄園里的岡贊礫石質土壤。這種土壤讓梅樂這個品種得以蓬勃發展。紅顏容高比例的梅樂使得它的酒更大氣、更豐滿，也常常有更高酒精度的風格，比起梅多克其他的一級莊以赤霞珠主導的葡萄酒要沒那么干凈。對我來說，紅顏容至少能夠達到跟其他一級莊的水準，但它現今沒法符合大家對一級莊風格的期待。

Haut-Brion was arguably the first wine brand.In the mid-1600s the estate's owner, Lord Arnaud III de Pontac, created a high-quality wine to appeal to the court of England's new King, Charles II. A palace cellar-book of 1660 references 169 bottles of the "wine of Hobriono". Soon the wine was popular with fashionable Londoners, the writer Samuel Peyps describing drinking “Ho Bryen”in a tavern in London's Lombard Street in 1663. Following London's great fire of 1666 Arnaud de Pontac's son, Francois Auguste,established their own tavern, called the Pontac's Head, in London. In England the name Pontac became synonymous with good Bordeaux red wine.

The Dillon family have owned the estate since 1935. Sensibly they retained the services of the régisseur Georges Delmas.This decision did much to shape the estate’s future, by both revolutionising it and providing its stability. When Georges retired in 1961 he had been in the position for 40 years and was superseded by his son Jean-Bernard. Today Jean-Philippe Delmas heads up the winemaking team,he is Jean-Bertrand's son and this year marks 100 years of their family's oversight of winemaking at the property.

In the 42 years (1961-2003) Jean-Bernard Delmas oversaw winemaking there, the estate implemented pioneering changes.In the 1960's Haut-Brion was first the of Bordeaux's great estates to use stainlesssteel fermenters, facilitating temperaturecontrolled fermentations. Haut-Brion's split-level vats allow fermentation in the top half and malolactic conversion below.

Believing that making great wine requires an assemblage of excellent clones Delmas,began working with the INRA and the Chambre d'Agriculture, in 1972, to increase the vineyards' clonal diversity. Today each hectare of Haut-Brion's vineyards comprises 10-15 different clones. This ensures excellent diversity within the estate's vineyards.While three generations of the Delmas family have headed Haut-Brion's winemaking team for 100 years this record of consistency is mirrored by its owners,the Dillon family, who in 86 years have contributed 3 presidents to the company.Today the head of that family, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, is Président Directeur Général of Domaine Clarence Dillon.

Despite its unique combination of innovation and consistency there are several reasons Haut-Brion is slightly out of fashion.Possibly because it produces less wine -Haut-Brion's annual production of around 10,000 cases, can be half that of its fellows,making it less-traded. Possibly the fact Haut-Brion is not on the Medoc ensures it is out of step with its fellow First Growths.This is not simply a question of geography but relates to the gunzian-gravels and clays which comprise their vineyards. These soils allow Merlot to flourish. The higher percentage of Merlot in Haut Brion's blend makes the wines broader, richer and often more alcoholic in style than the leaner Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Medoc First Growths. To my mind Haut-Brion is at least the equal of its fellow first growths,but its wines don't currently fit the style expected of First Growths.