THE
WINE WHISPERERS
By
Jennifer Rosen
Buffalo
Commercial Advertiser, 1869: "Noted
horse-tamer Professor D. Magner was introduced
to a horse belonging to the Omnibus Company
- a most vicious brute, with the habit of
biting and striking with his forefeet, this
large and powerful bay once killed a man
by biting and trampling him and recently
bit the hand almost off a person. In about
twenty minutes Mr. Magner reduced this brute
to perfect subjection - the former furious
beast being as docile as a kitten."
This sort of news item was more common when
horses were crucial to our economy, but
the "horse whisperer" is still
around. Having spent years training horses
and training people to train them, I can
vouch for the existence of these types.
They often make a living teaching their
"system," but the truth is, the
secret is one you can't teach: these people
have a seemingly mystical ability to communicate
with animals.
I
thought of this when I hung out at Chateau
de St. Cosme - the oldest domain in the
Rhone Valley appellation of Gigondas - with
owner/winemaker Louis Barruol. Vignerons
for fourteen generations, Louis' family
has owned the property since 1490. They
still use the stone fermentation vats carved
out during the Roman occupation. The winery
is part of an old stable-block and house,
which has the kind of graceful, imposing
façade that could be very grand with
the help of about twelve groundskeepers.
Now the lawn is wild and the courtyard full
of Fisher-Price climbing toys. There's no
question a family lives here, and any spare
money goes into wine, not hedge-trimming.
I've
visited wineries ranging from grand estates
to high-tech antiseptic laboratories to
ramshackle garage operations. There are
lots of variables, but the wines I like
best all shared one crucial factor: a passionate
grower/winemaker with an instinct, a special
sense…a vine-whisperer, if you will.
These guys are farmers, first. Each feels
fervently that wine should taste of terroir,
not of winemaking. It's about understanding
the personality of each acre, and coaxing
out its best, most characteristic grapes.
It's about conserving the flavor of those
grapes, not changing them.
While
larger wineries have to focus on consistency
– 12,000 cases that all taste the
same – the smaller artisans can treat
each batch the way you would a brood of
children; you love them equally, but allow
them to develop their own personalities.
Louis
Barruol has the feel. His vines are not
neatly trellised. But he knows exactly where
each shoot is pruned and how much sunlight
the leaf canopy lets in. He explains why
grapes from the flatlands taste different
from those from the calcareous hillside
right next by. Deep in the stone caves of
St. Cosme, he has me taste the difference
from barrels. I fall for a deep purple Grenache;
a mix of state-fair-candy-apple and bitter
tobacco. Others smell earthy and explode
with fruit, licorice and an impression of
sweetness that has nothing to do with sugar.
He
tells me about his frustration as a business
manager. He recently hired a graduate of
an excellent wine program. The young man
was up on the latest science. He worked
hard, listened and learned. The problem?
He just didn't have… "it."
He didn't share Louis' intuition about vines
and grapes and most important, his taste
was different. In fact, Louis wondered if
when they put juice in their mouths they
were even tasting the same thing. Besides,
you have to motivate employees, encourage
them, listen to them. Louis listens to vines.
Some
people have the talent to manage other people.
Some, like Professor Magner, have it with
animals. And I'm thrilled to have met some
who do magic with wine. All the book larnin'
in the world can't teach that.
Copyright
2005
Jennifer Rosen
chotzi@vinchotzi.com
www.vinchotzi.com
|