酒聞 《酒聞》第十四杯上｜哈蘭莊主四合院對談，百年世紀藍圖的風土密碼

hello 大家好 我是呂洋 歡迎來到又一期的酒文節目 在葡萄酒的世界裡有一個詞叫做 膜拜酒莊 最初指的是在加州 Napa這些最頂級 產量非常少 得分非常高 價格極其昂貴的這些酒莊 我們稱之為膜拜酒莊 膜拜酒莊的原始成員之一 有一個酒莊是大名鼎鼎 叫做哈蘭酒莊 今天非常有幸 我們請到了哈蘭酒莊的現任莊主 Will Harlan 來到北京 來到我們的衚衕裡 來到我們的四合院裡 來到我們一心一氣的翰林書院裡 跟他聊聊什麼是膜拜酒莊 哈蘭怎麼做到這一點的 以及哈蘭的過去 現在和未來 走吧 Hello Will Welcome to Beijing Thank you It's been a while since you came here last time, right? Yeah, about five years Five years, okay So thanks for coming to our show Good restaurant 哈蘭酒莊 And let's have some wine first Sounds good Otherwise we cannot talk We have a 19 vintage 2019 It's a very lovely vintage, is it? It's one of my favorites in recent years It's a very high quality vintage I think overall in Napa Valley We had very healthy rain going into the growing season which is always nice We've been experiencing a lot of droughts lately and having some rainfall is very welcome So 2019 I think has this wonderful combination of a drive across the palate and this strength in its core But it also has a certain outer dimension and resolution and fineness to the structure I think it's going to be an exciting vintage I think the thing that strikes me most about this 2019 vintage It does have such a purity and transparency It's very precise But on the palate it has a very strong core Almost kind of invisible tannin But it stays on your palate for so long Almost like a lacy tannin It's there, it's not there But you can feel it I like that So I love it very much But for the past 10 years My favorite is still 2016 I mean that's a great vintage It's just a magical wine You just sniff it All the breath, all the class Everything is there I'm not going to argue with the 16 That's one of our favorites also So this year is very important 2024 is the 40th anniversary or birthday of Highland Estate 40 years is half of our lifespan Hopefully with all the wine we are drinking But in the world of wine 40 years is very short So how do you reflect on that? What does 40 years mean for you? And how does this idea of Highland which is one of the most iconic estates not only in California but in the whole world come to birth and become today what it is? Well, we certainly agree that we're still at the very beginning of our journey But I think it's also important to understand we started, my father started with a 200-year plan of what he wanted to create And we recognize that if you want to be in this industry and produce wine at the very highest level it takes some time And it takes really more than one generation But we're very proud of what we've accomplished so far We've been on a very steep learning curve in the past 40 years not only within us for the human element but also the vines have been growing and learning So we get to make wine Like with the 2019 we get to make wine from very mature vines So this is another benefit that you don't think about when sometimes you think about producers OK, and 200-year plan What's that? I mean, it's a very interesting mission to have especially in this kind of very fast-paced world Yeah, the 200-year plan was hard for me to wrap my head around when I was a young child And I realized What does it mean? I mean, you cannot do anything Anything you do within the 200-year period you have to get everyone's approval It's more a way of thinking It's more a way, kind of a philosophy to ensure that we are always keeping our eyes on the horizon always planning and putting together a strategy for the long run So even beyond our own lifetimes But do you have a contract? How do you implement it? It's less of a prescriptive play by play, check the box this year It's more, as I said It's more a way of thinking than it is a traditional plan And I used to think If we're 40 years into our 200-year plan that means we have 160 years left It's not the way to think about it It's actually a rolling 200 years So it kind of renews Yes, it never ends And honestly, I think that In many ways, that is the journey in wine I don't feel that there's an end I don't think that there's a perfect end point that you reach And then you just try and keep it there It's always discovery Always learning about your land on a deeper and deeper level So it's an endless journey OK And just go back to the beginning The vineyard itself is everything And how did your family or your father, Bill, find this place? I mean, it's overlooking Massa's vineyards It's not too far from Tacolum But it's on the hillside I mean, where does all this idea doing hillside planting come from? Back in 80s, which is a very normal idea Yeah, no, it's a great question And the decision to buy this very specific property We arrived at through very rational and logical decision making And it really was mostly inspiration from Burgundy Believe it or not Where when my father was trying to understand What are those common elements That make the great vineyards He realized especially in Burgundy It was always on the slope And always kind of in the mid slope And this was a time in Napa Valley When there was very little planting happening In the hillsides And so my father felt OK, it'd be great to be in the hillsides In kind of the mid slope So he had this vision already Yeah, he went in kind of going through This logical set of reasoning So yeah, he basically wanted to be on the hillside If you look at Burgundy It's mostly facing east So he wanted to be on the western side of Napa Valley So that he could have the eastern exposure To the morning sun And away from the afternoon intensity But you mentioned a few very important things there In kind of the proximity of Harlan Estate To some of the more famous valley floor producers Like Martha's Vineyard And that was the other part of the equation So we wanted to be hillside On the western side with eastern exposure But we wanted to be in proximity To a lot of these historical vineyards So that was how we ended up where we were OK, and besides Harlan As much as I love Harlan There's a few other properties Under the umbrella of what you have Can you briefly tell our audience What's the difference And the name between all of them Yeah, well Harlan Estate is the original And it's the smallest of the properties We founded a wine growing endeavor called Bond About 14 years later After we started Harlan Estate And then we also have One called Promontory So we have these three properties Each has its own land Its own winery Its own wine growing team Its own distribution network Its own clients, etc. We actually run each of the wineries Completely independently from each other And this to us is very important Because we feel that each deserves To have its own kind of path Its own philosophy, its own vision We don't see necessarily A hierarchy between these wines From the properties I think each one kind of has a bit Different vision and things And Harlan Estate, you know I think will always have a special place Because it's the original and things But So what is Bond Bond is a single vineyard Designated wines Cross the key appellation of Napa Right, so we founded Harlan Estate Maybe more on a model Similar to the Bordeaux model And Bond was almost modeled After like the Burgundy model Where we had these five Very, very small vineyards Around Napa Valley That were making five Small amount of wine from each one All Cabernet Really to showcase the diversity Of Napa Valley And the fact that You can make wine at the very highest level From actually a few different places Exactly Around the valley So Yeah, so we have these three properties And then we have the little brother I like to think of the mascot Which is made from the young vines Of all three properties Put into Blended into one wine OK What is Maiden So the Maiden What's the difference between Mascot and Maiden Yes, so the Maiden is Like a second blend of Harlan Estate OK Yeah, so Of all the components Made from mature vines We put together the very best Blend that we possibly can The truest kind of reflection of the place After we do that We're left over with some wonderful components So we put together the Maiden But again the young vines OK Don't even consider for the Maiden OK Yeah And now is Yuan Corey in charge I don't know if it's right phrase Or we're putting in the right way But as a second generation Between your father and Bob Levy Is there anything you will do differently Well I think evolution is a necessary part Of not just survival But continued progress and growth We, Corey and I are very fortunate That we get to build on this Very strong foundation And we're also very fortunate that We're actually very aligned with the vision That my father and I Have for Harlan Estate And so we're not trying to Take it in a different direction Necessarily Sometimes we may have a different method Of getting to the vision Or a different strategy And I think it's also important to recognize That what helped us Get to where we are today In the past 40 years Aren't necessarily the same exact things That will help us continue to evolve And get to where we We have the potential to be in the future So the interplay between the generations Is very important It's not easy It's very difficult I think it's the most difficult thing That I've done in my life I mean it seems behind the door right Yeah man I mean it can be pretty brutal Family business in particular Adds another dimension to it But we can always come back to this element of Hey we're really aligned on what we feel The potential of this place is And what that kind of founding vision is So in a sense you are doing evolution But not revolution Yes and quite honestly Like Promontory is where I personally get to have My opportunity to really build a foundation And the vision for something And I get to follow my own vision there With Harlan Estate My job is to ensure that we stay on our Evolutionary trajectory And we really reach the potential That my father set out with his vision Okay and tell us about the label It's a very interesting label Very striking But what's the meaning behind it Yeah this is a very old engraving Actually taken from the archives Of American Banknote Company Which was the company That was responsible for printing our currency So when you look at the label You see this very detailed There's so much depth to the imagery And warmth to the engraving It's really impossible to achieve this With traditional printing techniques And so it's something that my father Took probably 10 years To really come to this label But it's a piece of artwork That we found from these archives of the company So it's grapes on the vines Yeah Does this lady have a name We think of her as Mother Nature It's a little more allegorical Okay and being one of the cult wines And one of the most iconic wines In the world of wine And within this kind of Very superficial world There's many things that are not genuine or fake What's the authenticity That as a consumer You can find okay This bottle is genuine Is there any method As everyday wine lovers or collectors We can use to identify Well actually the label itself Acts as a bit of an anti-counterfeiting measure It's very difficult to copy a label like this Which is actually why they use That type of engraving for our currency But then we also have unique identifiers On the back of each bottle And we have a QR code Underneath the back label Or not a QR code A RFID chip Underneath the back label So we use a phone tablet And we can track every single bottle That we've ever sold to every restaurant To every client We can make sure that all the bottles Are both going to the places they should But also that they're authentic And how to best enjoy Highland I know that decantation is a topic At least among the wine lovers in China We talk often How long to decant Whether we have to decant On what kind of Temperature we have during the decantation Do you decant Highland yourself I mean it depends on the context I think when we're drinking Highland estate As a family as a team We don't really decant it We like to watch the wine Really evolve over time in the glass Showing a young vintage to people And it's not about the academic understanding It's more to have a good time Yeah maybe we decant it a little bit But I think in the most part It's fun to watch the wines Evolve in the glass I think you learn a little bit more About the wines that way But that being said If you're at a restaurant And you're a sommelier I understand the importance of having the wine Show really well for your customers And so you know You take something like the 19 You know maybe open it At 20-30 minutes in a decanter Will greatly