Herve Souhaut Clos des Cessieux Saint Joseph 2023 Rhone Valley《ZTF353》

Herve使用整串低溫半二氧化碳浸漬，他盡量多萃取葡萄酒中最微妙最為纖細的酚類物質，堅決反對橡木桶味蓋住果實原本的風味，因此他大部分的產品不用橡木桶，即使用桶也是老桶，所以他的酒即開即飲，有著完美的純淨度和酸度。

「“ I just don’t like the taste of oak, and don’t want the wines marked by oak“ 」

正如 Herve 提及他釀酒的理念不喜歡過份綷取單寧和依賴橡木桶。 

His philosophy is to compose a balanced set of tannins from the grapes, to make wines with subtlety and finesse. 

這種風格跟其他北隆的釀酒者有很大區別，其他北隆生產者普遍強調在釀酒時綷取單寧，所以我地飲開的北隆酒年輕時其實非常封閉難開（酒體好硬），要經長時間陳化熟成才能夠入口。反之，Herve Souhaut 的酒以平衡優雅見稱，就算新年份已非常 expressive 和balanced，既可陳存也適合早飲，絶對是喜歡北隆酒的酒友福音，不需辛苦的在巿場搵舊年份的北隆酒。

Every wine from Souhaut is appealing in its wholesome purity and delectability. Even the “simple” Vin de Pays and Vin de France are stunning, punching well above their weight — they display the effortless finesse for which Souhaut is renowned, without sacrificing strength or complexity. Meanwhile, the single-vineyard Saint Josephs offer a profusion of layers, depth and complex mineral tones that guarantee long and positive evolution in the cellar: they are exquisite beauties that redefine the appellation, at once expressive and cellar-worthy. 

In short,  a wine lover’s dream

行內飲家又點評論 Herve Souhaut 的酒?

被譽為  「Quintessential modern natural Syrahs ,delicate and beautifully finessed 」

更可以適合早飲 「Known for being youthful and approachable despite their age-old vines.」 

獲酒評家多次讚賞  「Praise their purity, freshness, and minerality, with notes of red and dark fruits, spice, and earthy complexity.」 

那份純淨和新鮮原因是來自最少的人為干預 「 His style is characterized by minimal intervention, including whole-bunch fermentation and semi-carbonic maceration, resulting in wines that are often vibrant and balanced but also possess the structure to age gracefully.」 

We must say his wines have such a fantastic level of purity and acidity, that the older bottles we have tasted have incredible potential to evolve into what we find to be one of the most spectacular natural wines in existence.

「…they are utterly beautiful, elegant creations, made from old vines with very little sulphur dioxide added…」

Jamie Goode — 英國資名酒評家，Wineanorak.com 創辦人

「These are wines on the edge, both technically in terms of winemaking as well as idiosyncracy in style… intriguing for their distinctively unadorned profiles and dressed down accessibility…」

 James Molesworth — Wine Spectator資深編輯

「It’s no wonder Hervé Souhaut, who created Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet in 1993, has become a sommelier darling. He makes perfumed, approachable old-vine syrahs from the northern Rhône (St.-Joseph, in particular) Souhaut’s wines have been in the States since 2002, but over the past few years they’ve started to sell out on arrival.」 

Megan Krigbaum – PUNCH 主編，前 Food & Wine 雜誌編輯