Het mag duidelijk zijn dat ik na mijn laatste bezoek aan Bordeaux serieus onder de indruk ben van de wijnen van Jonathan Maltus. Als je in een lastig jaar van zo goed als al je wijnen 90+ wijnen kan maken dan ben je een klasbak.

Hieronder een interview van Benjamin Lewin MW met Jonathan Maltus:

Now the garage wines have fizzed, who’s pushing the envelope?

I think that the demise of the garage wines happened around 2001. The 1990’s were where Saint Emilion was an ‘engine for change’ in the fine wine world. The fixation was completely with winemaking and not really about viticulture, The Left Bank fought back in the 2000’s adopting many of the gizmos and techniques used by the garagistes. Our approach then was to turn more towards the vineyards. As a result, we introduced the multi-Single Vineyard concept (more of a New World system) and now have five Single Vineyards, including Le Dôme. I think that that concept (within Bordeaux) is pretty unique.

What do you think of as innovative in Bordeaux, what’s the equivalent to young growers or micro-negociants elsewhere?

Like Napa, you are currently seeing some generational changes in Bordeaux and this will affect the wines that are made. I believe that Bordeaux remains the most innovative region that I’ve worked in. Wherever I visit, Bordeaux still appears to be the Formula One and centre of wine – both for consumers and winemakers. But I would say that!

Do you think there’s a trend towards homogenization of flavors, and is this different on the left bank versus the right bank?

The thing that I find the most unhealthy is the lack of individuality that sometimes exists here in Bordeaux. There are around three consultants (one on the Left Bank and Two on the Right Bank) that appear to drive virtually all of the major Bordeaux players. Winemaking, I believe, is better when it’s an expression of the vigneron/winemaker.

Doesn’t the recent revision of the St. Emilion classification somewhat reinforce the move towards Parkerized wines?

Not really. The two ex-garage wines that you allude to would be difficult to exclude because of their price and their notoriety.

What are you going to do about alcohol levels, or don’t you think that’s a problem.

Bordeaux doesn’t have the same kind of problem that the other two areas of the world, that I’ve had experience in, have. The climate is pretty great for the wines. Sure, in an El Nino year, you’ll see wines in the 14’s, but last year 12.5 was pretty common. I don’t think that it’s an issue here. On a personal basis we have, since 2008, picked a couple of days earlier and stayed on the skins a little shorter than before, using less new oak. But that is a stylistic need for more elegance and brilliance to compensate for our (generally) rich wines.

Is the strong Asian influence affecting only the top wines or more universal?

The Asian market has been buoyant for some time for all of Bordeaux. The Chinese influence of latter years has been beneficial for the First Growths and a few others, on the one hand, and on the other the basic Bordeaux wines. The Chinese market is currently hourglass in shape. However, over the next five years, with knowledge, the middle of the hourglass will expand.

I've always thought the difficulty with focusing on terroir in Bordeaux, with single vineyards at the apex as it were, is the assemblage of different varieties, especially on the left bank. But aside from that, are there enough single vineyards to replace garage wines as an attention-getter in St. Emilion (what are the others you have in mind, besides Le Dome)?

We have Vieux Chateau Mazerat, Les Asteries, Le Carré, and Clos Nardian, as well as Le Dôme. I’m certainly not saying that we’re alone in the concept of Single Vineyards in Bordeaux! However, I believe that there have been two distinct visions by garagistes after 2001. You have a movement towards terroir – which I believe we personify; and another who have attempted to become a part of the establishment and Classification. Properties on the Right Bank (as opposed to those on the Left Bank) have been traditionally smaller so, I think that’s why Single Vineyards and Saint Emilion is a perfect foil for Burgundy.

So how do you see this playing out and fitting into Bordeaux's traditional organization (and is it applicable to the left bank?)

One has to remember that Bordeaux is huge – with a bigger production of wine than the whole of Australia and with a higher turnover than Airbus Industrie. There is no requirement for it to be homogenous. When someone rings me from the London and asks me what the weather is like in Paulliac, I have to say “I’ve no idea because that’s the same distance to Calais from where you’re sitting”. As you know, the Left Bank is intrinsically large properties that are more corporately run and the Right Bank is traditionally artisan based on smaller properties. I don’t think that the Single Vineyard concept, therefore, translates to the Left Bank.

Bordeaux is certainly still my reference point, but I wonder whether the trend to amalgamation (properties being merged to form larger ones, like Quintus and Magdelaine, for example) doesn't increase the focus on the big guys, whose innovation seems to be more in brand extension than winemaking?

The reality is that the wine industry requires bigger brands. The Right Bank, with its smaller properties, is badly placed to compete for Airline demands, for instance. Chateau Teyssier, our value brand, is at 15,000 cases, one of the largest brands on the Right Bank, and we hope this year to purchase a further ten hectares to increase production to 20,000 cases. That’s just market forces functioning. Do Le Pin, Petrus, and Le Dôme need to get bigger? Probably not.

And with a common tendency to move in the direction of more ripeness etc, it's harder to pick out unique points of definition. Don't get me wrong: I still find that by and large Bordeaux has a quality of freshness than New World counterparts lack, but are the differences perhaps less distinct than they used to be?

I think that we would need to sit together and taste! We’re accused of being winemakers that make “New World wine in the Old, and Old World wine in the New”. Tasted blind – same winemaker – you’d tell the difference!

The reason I asked whether you think there's more of a trend to homogenization on one bank than the other is that I was struck by a difference at two recent tastings in New York. A St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé tasting of 2009 and 2010 seemed to show a lot of similar flavors, tending towards with simple sweet fruits, whereas a Cru Bourgeois from 2010 showed quite a bit more variety, and something more resembling the traditional flavor spectrum. (In fact, I was left wondering if the Grand Cru Classé have more distinctly moved towards the international style than the Cru Bourgeois.)

Yes, I think you’re right. A scenario where three consultants (irrespective of any journalistic demand) determine the overall flavour of a region will probably produce a sense of sameness. However, I don’t think that you’re comparing like with like. Other than the fact that the level is different (Cru Classé is at a higher level generally than Cru Bourgeoise) don’t forget that you were tasting a very young vintage. So cheaper wine shows better younger; as it should, because it’s not made for the long haul.

Bron: “What price Bordeaux?” Benjamin Lewin MW

Hasta luego

John

John