2011/10/22, @市長官邸沙龍

Almaviva 2001

Medium+ garnet.

Medium+ nose. Black berry, leather, soil, tar, light butter, light smoky, light baked cookie, hints of bouquet and grass. Soy sauce pickled squash, pounded grass and leather on the glass top. Compare to the staidness and undertone of 2002, this vintage shows a bit active and stronger style in nose at the beginning. After 1 hr, shows mint and bouquet.

Medium to full body. Crisp medium-high acidity, and velvet high- tannin. Black chocolate, licorice, black currant, light raspberry jam, mint, cinnamon, pickled squash, leather, and clove note. Very lingering.

Almaviva 2002

Medium+ garnet.

Medium+ nose. Black berry, black cherry, chocolate chips, light mushroom, leather, and hazelnut hint. Bouquet and hints of vanilla and caramel on the glass top. After 1 hr, some prickly ash and fennel, let me think of braise beef noodles (紅燒牛肉麵).

Chocolate, ripe black berry, roasted beef note, green pepper, and light spices in the medium-full body. Medium-high acidity is lingering (but not as long as 2001). Tannin is not as much as 2001, but more velvet. Chocolate, mint and spices notes at the end. Between 2001 and 2002, personally prefer the nose of 2002, and the palate of 2001. Both vintage can be kept for 5 years from now, especially 2001.

Almaviva 2003

Medium-deep garnet, slightly ruby hum at the rim.
Medium+ nose. Ripe black berry, light smoky leather, old wood cask, chocolate, crushed grass, clove, fennel, light pickled vegetable and attractive bouquet. With beneath hazelnut. More spicy nose than 2004, especially after breathing.

Medium-high tannin, not fully matured, still coats the teeth and the gums. Black pepper spicy flavor, cinnamon, light bitterness, licorice, plum, chocolate, pickled vegetable. Crisp acidity (medium+) balances with the palate, shows up noticeably after the lingering palate, and enriches the saliva.

Can keep for 5 more years.

Almaviva 2004

Medium+ garnet.
Medium+ nose (2003 is stronger). Black cherry, black berry, creamy butter, eucalyptus hint, bouquet, wet soil with withered leaves, light caramel, vanilla hint, and light tar hint. Shows butter and bouquet style after 1 hr breathing.

Medium-high acidity (lasting long). Medium+ tannin, not matured. Black berry, chocolate, brewed coffee (a bit acid flavor), eucalyptus leaves, chocolate note, and bouquet. Full body. But the acidity is a bit unbalanced with the flavors in the palate.

Almaviva 2005

Medium+ garnet.
Medium+ nose. Grass, black currant, baked meat with smoky flavor, quince, and bouquet (light, but increasing). Wild impression at the beginning. Some volatility nose which decreases after swirling. After breathing, reveal its fruity character with black cherry jam nose, which goes with black pepper, light vanilla, and chocolate.

Medium+ acidity (lasting), medium+ tannin (not matured). Licorice, black berry, Chinese anise, and cocoa powder. The ending has a note just like the ending note of one shot espresso and chocolate. Very lingering. Need more aging (at least 3 yrs).

Almaviva 2006

Medium+ garnet.
Medium nose. Black berry, leather, black pepper, light bouquet, chocolate and old wet wood. After 1 hr breathing, shows some vanilla and light smoky notes (and increasing!). After 2hrs, rose bouquet. After 3 hrs, shows smoky and pickled plum.

Medium+ body, medium+ tannin (still young). Medium-high acidity. Black berry, plum, chocolate, licorice. Long length. Needs about 3 yrs aging to get its peak.

Almaviva 2007

Medium-deep garnet with ruby hue.
Medium+ nose. Bouquet, cranberry, light strawberry jam, light dust, light green pepper, and chocolate sauce. After 1 hr breathing, black berry and light hazelnut.

Medium-full body, high tannin (very young). High acidity. Distinct notes of jammy black fruits, cinnamon, pepper on the palate. Very lingering. High potential for aging.

Almaviva 2008

Medium-deep garnet/ruby.

Medium+ nose. Black cherry, black pepper, dark chocolate, coffee, light leather and bouquet. With hint of vanilla, sandalwood, incense, and burned wood. The vanilla nose becomes denser after 1 hr, also the incense nose.

Medium+ body. Black berries, oak, chocolate, light bouquet. High acidity. Some licorice and over-ripe berries note at the lingering end. Medium+ tannin, not fully matured. Aging potential is a bit less than 06', due to its body and tannin and acidity are weaker than 06' vintage.

結束前面比較無聊的 Tasting Notes 之後就來講故事吧。

先從酒標說起，上頭的圓形圖案其實是 kultrum (Cultrun/Cultrún)，為安地斯山的印地安 Malpuche 族用在祭典與儀式中的鼓，圖案有許多的樣式，但大抵所代表的意義都是 - 宇宙/Universe/The whole world。

而 almaviva 可以拆開來成為兩個西班牙文字 alma 與 viva，意義分別為 活躍的/具生命力的 與 人/靈魂 ，所以在中國 Almaviva 的翻譯"活靈魂"會比起台灣用"智利王"要來的更貼切一點，不過我覺得還是講 almaviva 最好。

Almaviva 為 Chateau Mouton Rothschild 與 Concha y Toro 合作，前面我們已經知道這隻酒跟智利的關連，但跟法國的關連呢？事實上 Almaviva 為法國經典名劇"費加洛的婚禮(Le Nozze di Figaro)"中的伯爵的名字(Count Almaviva)，而在 Almaviva 官方網頁所使用的背景音樂也正是 Le Mariage de Figaro 的序曲音樂(Overture to the Marriage of Figaro)，此奏鳴曲為許多樂團演奏過，可以在 youtube 上找到許多版本，甚至還有很 high 的爵士鼓版本喔 😀 (請看之前的介紹)

Le Mariage de Figaro 為 Beaumarchais (Pierre Beaumarchais, 全名為Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais)的名作費加洛三部曲的第二部，這三部作品完成於 1772, 1778 與 1792年。第一部的名稱為 Le Barbier de Séville (賽維亞的理髮師)，第三部為 La Mère coupable (有罪的母親)。

看完作品的介紹會覺得其實跟台灣的鄉土連續劇(比方說夜市人生或天下父母心)差不多，首部曲講白了就是 Figaro 幫偽裝成平民的 Count Almaviva 在西班牙 Seville 把妹，最後是成功把到這個醫生 (Bartolo) 的女兒 Rosina。

第二部中 Figaro 成為 Count Almaviva 的僕人，想要跟同在 Almaviva 家中服務的 Susanna 結婚，可是色老頭 Count Almaviva 卻想動用領主的「初夜權」來對 Susanna 下手，而原本 Bartolo 醫生的女管家 Marcellina 卻覬覦著 Figaro 年輕的肉體，而 Rosina 夫人可能也是吃幼齒顧眼睛所以跟家中的童僕 Cherubino 有著不正常的關係。最後才發現 Figaro 是當年 Bartolo 與 Marcellina 的私生子，而 Count Almaviva 想動用初夜權的壞主意也被 Rosina 破壞，Figaro 與 Susanna 終於順利結婚。不過童僕 Cherubino 卻因為事跡敗露被逐出伯爵家，而送去當兵打仗了。

Beaumarchais 因為這部極為諷刺封建制度中許多不合理的陋俗的劇本而飽受許多眼紅人士攻擊，1781 年的時候路易十六還很生氣的宣布禁演，直到 1784 才又開放公演。但是 Beaumarchais 的政敵持續攻擊他，後來 Beaumarchais 在報紙上寫了一篇文章回擊，其中有一句意思是「為了一出喜劇公演，我連獅子和老虎都克服了。在成功後，您還想強迫我像荷蘭女僕似的每天早晨用柳枝打臭蟲嗎？」結果就被政敵去打小報告，說獅子跟老虎是指路易十六與王后，所以 Beaumarchais 又被抓去坐牢(對！已經不是第一次了，先前他還被褫奪公民權過，透過援助美國獨立戰爭等特務工作才又拿回公民權)。

Beaumarchais 被關進了聖拉撒監獄(專門關押盜竊犯和淫蕩少年)的消息一傳開，輿論大嘩。這種不滿情緒使封建朝廷慌了手腳，朝廷想把 Beaumarchais 偷偷放出來，可是 Beaumarchais 不答應，要求訴之法律。後來路易十六王室想盡了辦法平息輿論，並用「正常」的方式釋放了 Beaumarchais，出獄的第二天，各部大臣幾乎都觀看了 Le Mariage de Figaro 的演出。路易十六還下令在泰亞儂戲院上演《Le Barbier de Seville》。王后在劇中親自扮演 Rosina，阿多亞伯爵扮演 Figaro。國王路易十六還贈給 Beaumarchais 八十萬里佛，作為補償他在美國獨立戰爭時受到的損失。

不過大概是因為被關怕了(甚至在 1789 法國大革命前他還被關過)，或者是因為封建的制度已經在法國大革命中被推翻，Beaumarchais 的第三部作品 Le Mere coupable (1792)就沒那麼精彩，不過還是一樣很灑狗血。Rosina 夫人居然懷了 Cherubino 的種，之後生下男生 Leon。Cherubino 在戰爭受傷死前也寫了一封信給 Countress Rosina，這封信 Rosina 夫人找了個愛爾蘭工匠 Bégearss 做了個鎖盒保存起來，不想讓 Count Almaviva 發現這個秘密。雖然 Count Almaviva 沒有證據來戳破 Countress Rosina 的謊言，但一想到以後的繼承人可能是野種就讓 Count Almaviva 非常的生氣，所以想盡辦法把財產都轉到他自己在外頭的私生女 Florestine 身上。而知曉 Rosina 秘密的 Bégearss 也同時知道 Florestine 的身份，所以千方百計地想要跟他結婚。不過，天算不如人算，Leon 居然跟 Florestine 也搞在一起。在這回故事中，Figaro 和 Susanna 則成為拯救 Count Almaviva 家庭和諧幸福的救星。

看完這些介紹心裡頭只覺得，為什麼在法國平民百姓的鄉土劇，在台灣人的眼中就變得高貴起來？是否跟葡萄酒一樣，一旦飄洋過海就翻上數倍呢？戲劇、音樂、美食與酒類，都是在衣食無缺的庶民都會有的追逐目標，何以在法國是平價享受，在台灣就是奢華不已？期望在台灣美食與酒類都能漸漸變得更實惠近人。