讓人既愛又恨的葡萄酒 餐飲達人的心聲

There are many wines that are much beloved -- and a few that are notoriously reviled. Silver Oak Cellars Cabernet happens to be both. It's incredibly popular, especially among patrons of American steakhouses. It's also a running joke among certain oenophiles who regard it as the choice of vinous rubes.
有很多葡萄酒深受人們喜愛——也有些酒飽受非議。Silver Oak Cellars的解百納(Cabernet)碰巧都是。這款酒非常受歡迎，特別是在美國牛排餐廳。在有些葡萄酒愛好者看來，這款酒卻一直是個笑話，他們認爲嗜酒的鄉巴佬纔會選擇。

I first experienced this peculiar dichotomy a dozen years ago at the late Veritas restaurant in New York. I'd spent the better part of a week following the Veritas wine team -- Tim Kopec, Eric Zillier and Joshua Nadel -- around for a magazine story. The crew was one of the best in New York, as was their wine list, which was deep in selections from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone, and also featured lots of expensive California Cabernets. It was Silver Oak alone that provoked Scott Bryan, the restaurant's chef at the time, to make a sort of mocking salute whenever the sommelier carried it through the kitchen and into the dining room (which was fairly often).
我最早體驗到這種奇怪的矛盾現象是十幾年前在如今已經關閉的紐約Veritas餐廳。那周大部分時間我都跟着Veritas的葡萄酒團隊——蒂姆·科佩茨(Tim Kopec)、埃裏克·齊利亞(Eric Zillier)和喬舒亞·納德爾(Joshua Nadel)——到處跑，爲的是給雜誌寫一篇稿子。這個團隊是紐約最棒的，他們的酒單也一樣，都是從波爾多(Bordeaux)、勃艮第(Burgundy)和羅納河谷(Rhone Valley)精心挑選的酒，還有很多昂貴的加州解百納。單單Silver Oak惹着了當時餐廳的主廚斯科特·布萊恩(Scott Bryan)，每次品酒師拿着酒穿過廚房去餐廳時，他就會做出某種嘲笑的手勢。

The gesture was certainly tame compared with some of the less than flattering names I've heard applied to Silver Oak over the years. ('Silver Joke' is one of the more printable ones.) I can't think of another wine that has elicited such vitriol, even though there are plenty of other ubiquitous and rich California Cabernets that would seem to be equally fair game: Jordan, Caymus and Opus One, to name a few. Why was Silver Oak singled out?
和我多年來聽過的對Silver Oak不那麼討喜的某些評價（“Silver Joke”是其中能上臺面的評價之一）相比，這個手勢肯定是無傷大雅。我想不出還有哪款葡萄酒遭到過如此惡毒的評價，即便還有大量隨處可見的昂貴加州解百納似乎也差不多：比如Jordan、Caymus和Opus One。爲什麼偏偏Silver Oak被拎出來了？

I posed the question to Mr. Zillier, who left Veritas almost 10 years ago. He is now the customer-relations manager of SevenFifty Technologies, a New York-based online wine buying resource for retailers and restaurateurs. One of the reasons that Silver Oak Cabernets (the winery produces one from Napa and one from Sonoma) are reviled, said Mr. Zillier, has to do with the upfront oak and fruit. He said it's an unchallenging, obvious wine 'for people who think they know a lot about wine.' How did he envision a Silver Oak-loving type? 'It's generally someone who is confident and conservatively dressed,' Mr. Zillier said.
我向10年前離開Veritas的齊利亞提出了這個問題。他現在是紐約SevenFifty Technologies的客戶關係經理，該公司專門爲零售商和餐廳提供葡萄酒網上購買資源。齊利亞說，Silver Oak的這兩款解百納（一款產自納帕谷(Napa)，一款產自索諾瑪(Sonoma)）之所以評價不好，一個原因和用的橡木和葡萄有關係。他說這是一款“對自以爲很瞭解葡萄酒的人”來說毫無挑戰性、平淡無奇的葡萄酒。那他是怎麼看喜歡Silver Oak 葡萄酒的人的？齊利亞說：“一般是自信而且穿着保守的人。”

I've been in wine shops across the country that won't sell Silver Oak, the same way that a cool indie bookstore might shun Danielle Steel. One such retailer in suburban Dallas, who didn't want to be identified for fear of alienating his Silver Oak-drinking friends, explained that he stocked many more interesting wines. Gary Fisch, owner of Gary's Wine shops in New Jersey, which sells a good amount of Silver Oak Cabernet, said he thought that dislike of the wine was a bit of a bandwagon phenomenon. 'Silver Oak is the wine that's sexy to hate.'
我去過全美各地不願意賣Silver Oak的葡萄酒行，這些酒行不賣Silver Oak就跟一家很酷的獨立書店不會賣丹尼爾·斯蒂爾(Danielle Steel)的書一樣。達拉斯郊區就有一個零售商解釋說他存了很多更有意思的葡萄酒。他不願意透露姓名，怕疏遠喜歡喝Silver Oak的朋友。新澤西州的Gary's Wine葡萄酒行有很多Silver Oak解百納出售，老闆加里·菲什(Gary Fisch)說，他覺得對這款葡萄酒的厭惡有點像是從衆效應。他說：“不喜歡Silver Oak是很酷的一件事情。”

The winery's aging process is a possible factor in the Silver Oak controversy. Unlike just about every other Cabernet made in Napa Valley, Silver Oak is aged in American oak, which adds sweet notes of vanilla and, some even say, coconut. (Silver Oak makes its own barrels.) The more commonly used French oak is far more subtle, with spicy aromas.
Silver Oak的陳釀過程可能是該酒遭到爭議的一個因素。與其他所有產自納帕谷的解百納不同的是，Silver Oak是在美國橡木桶裏陳釀的，從而增加了香草的甜味，有些人甚至會說有椰子味。（Silver Oak自己生產木桶。）更常用的法國橡木桶更精緻些，有辛辣香氣。

And yet Silver Oak also has a large, and very passionate, following. The winery produces just under 100,000 cases of their two Cabernets annually, and their tasting room has won raves from amateur drinkers and wine professionals alike.
不過Silver Oak也有一大羣非常熱情的粉絲。Silver Oak的兩款解百納每年產量不到10萬箱，而酒莊的品酒室贏得了包括業餘和專業人士在內的葡萄酒愛好者的盛讚。

Silver Oak Cellars, founded in 1972 by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer, was one of the few serious wineries in Napa 40 years ago. Its earliest Cabernets bore a 'North Coast' appellation, suggesting the grapes had been sourced from all over the northern part of the state. It wasn't until 1979 that the winery produced a Napa Cabernet. (A 1977 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet came out before.)
Silver Oak Cellars於1972年由雷·鄧肯(Ray Duncan)和賈斯汀·梅耶(Justin Meyer)創立，在40年前的納帕谷是少數幾家正經的酒莊之一。其最早的解百納標着“北海岸”產區的標籤，表明葡萄來自加州北部各個地區。直到1979年才生產納帕谷解百納。（1977年出過一款Silver Oak亞歷山大谷解百納( Alexander Valley Cabernet)。）

Silver Oak Cabernet sells well all over the country, but thanks to its big, ripe flavor profile, it's particularly successful in steakhouses. It's a regular top-seller at Empire Steak House in New York and at Del Frisco's steakhouses across the country. Jessica Certo, sommelier of Del Frisco's in New York, said that she couldn't keep Silver Oak in stock. 'We sell out of every vintage,' she said.
Silver Oak解百納在全美各地銷量不錯，但由於其濃郁成熟的口味，在牛排館裏尤其暢銷。它在紐約帝國牛排餐廳(Empire Steak House)和全美各地的Del Frisco's牛排店經常是最暢銷的葡萄酒。紐約Del Frisco's牛排店的品酒師傑西卡·塞爾託(Jessica Certo)說，店裏存不了Silver Oak。她說：“每款年份酒都賣光了。”

It was as if the wine simultaneously existed in two different worlds. I wondered if the winery's owners were aware that their Cabernet was such a lightning rod. I called David Duncan, Silver Oak's CEO and president, to ask his thoughts on the chatter his wine inspired. 'I know there were a couple of somms in Texas who were saying some things,' said Mr. Duncan, sounding unfazed.
就好像這款酒同時存在於兩個世界裏。我在想酒莊的老闆們是否意識到他們的解百納成了這樣一個衆矢之的。我致電Silver Oak首席執行長兼總裁大衛·鄧肯(David Duncan)，詢問他對自己的葡萄酒引起的爭議有何看法。他說：“我知道在得克薩斯州有幾個品酒師在說三道四。” 他聽起來泰然自若。

I was surprised to learn that an anti-Silver Oak sommelier could get a job, let alone rise to a position of influence, in the steakhouse-centric Lone Star state. Mr. Duncan said that Texas was one of the winery's most important markets, along with California and Florida. In any case, he said, 'We're not interested in what a few people say. I really don't see it as that big of a deal. We have tens of thousands of customers who like our wines.' Could the oak's sweetness be too much for some people? 'We produce wines that people like,' he said.
得知在以牛排館爲主的得克薩斯州，反感Silver Oak的品酒師竟然能找到工作，我感到很意外，更意外的是他們竟然還能升到有影響力的職位。鄧肯說，得州是酒莊最重要的市場之一，還有加州和佛羅里達。他說，無論如何，“我們都對少數人說什麼不感興趣。我真的覺得沒什麼大不了。我們有成千上萬喜歡我們葡萄酒的客戶。”橡木的甜味對有些人來說是不是太重了？他說：“我們生產人們喜歡的葡萄酒。”

Older vintages of Silver Oak Cabernet, which tend to show less overt oak, also have a few of their own fans, and foes. The winery's production was much smaller back in the 1980s -- it made about 30,000 cases per year of both Cabernets, less than a third of today's output.
較早年份的Silver Oak解百納往往橡木味沒那麼重，這些酒也有一些自己的粉絲，當然也有人不喜歡。1980年代，酒莊的生產規模比現在小得多，這兩款解百納每年的產量約3萬箱，不到現今產量的三分之一。Ariana Rolich, an American- and Spanish-wine buyer at Chambers Street Wines in New York, is an aficionado of the old Silver Oak, and has several like-minded customers who, she notes, are quite different from lovers of the new wines (which Chambers Street does not stock).
紐約Chambers Street Wines 酒行負責採購美國和西班牙葡萄酒的阿里安娜·羅利克(Ariana Rolich)是傳統Silver Oak葡萄酒的擁躉，她說有很多跟她志同道合的客戶，他們跟喜歡新式酒的人很不一樣。Chambers Street不賣新式Silver Oak葡萄酒。

'People are surprised when they see the bottles in our store,' Ms. Rolich said when I mentioned my own shock at seeing them during a recent visit. 'Sometimes I have to gently take the bottles out of customers' hands when I realize they expect them to taste like the Silver Oaks they know.' Right now the store has a selection of Silver Oak Cabernets from the 1970s and '80s, and one 1998 wine, all of which the store purchased from individuals.
最近去Chambers Street時我看到了以前的酒。看我表示震驚，羅利克說：“人們在我們店裏看到這些酒都很驚訝。有時我不得不輕輕地把酒從顧客手裏拿過來，因爲我意識到他們期望這些酒的味道和他們所知道的Silver Oaks一樣。”目前店裏有70年代和80年代的Silver Oak解百納，還有一瓶1998年的酒，都是從個人手裏收購而來。

What does Ms. Rolich recommend the new Silver Oak lover buy instead? 'Probably the White Cottage Cuvee or a Matthiasson red,' she said, naming two small, cultish California producers. Although White Cottage winery has since closed, the makers of Matthiasson would probably be surprised to hear their wine was considered to be a Silver Oak alternate. 'I might also suggest a younger Rioja, since they use American oak in Rioja, too,' Ms. Rolich added. 'Essentially you have to give them the most luscious wine that you have.'
那麼對於喜歡新式Silver Oak葡萄酒的人，羅利克推薦買什麼呢？她說：“White Cottage Cuvee或者Matthiasson紅葡萄酒吧。”她提到的是兩家小規模的小衆加州生產商。雖然White Cottage酒莊已經關了，但聽到自己的酒被認爲是Silver Oak 的替代品，Matthiasson的釀酒師應該會感到驚訝吧。羅利克說：“我可能還會推薦比較年輕的里奧哈(Rioja)，因爲他們在里奧哈也用美國橡木。起碼應該把你手裏最香甜美味的葡萄酒給他們。”

Although I'm a fan of wines that are luscious, I've never been fond of an overt use of oak. I last tasted Silver Oak many, many years ago. In fact, it was the first wine I was able to identify blind -- I was given a glass at a Vermont resort and told to guess its identity. I got it on my first try. I wanted to see what I thought of it today.
儘管我喜歡香甜美味的葡萄酒，但我向來不喜歡橡木味太重。我上次嘗Silver Oak是好多年前。事實上，這是第一款我能夠盲品出來的酒——我在佛蒙特州(Vermont)的一個度假村時，有人讓我嚐了一杯，讓我猜是什麼酒。我一口就猜中了。我想知道現在我怎麼看這款酒。

So I bought a bottle of 1982 Silver Oak Alexander Valley ($106) and the 2008 and 2009 vintages of both the Napa and Alexander Valley wines ($110 and $60, respectively). (Silver Oak releases its wines much later than most California Cabernet producers, who are on their 2010 and 2011 vintages.)
於是我買了一瓶1982年的Silver Oak Alexander Valley（106美元），還有2008年和2009年產自納帕谷和亞歷山大谷的年份酒（分別爲110美元和60美元）。（Silver Oak比大多數加州解百納生產商推出葡萄酒的時間都晚，他們現在都在推2010 和2011年的年份酒。）

For my tasting, I invited a couple I know to join me. The husband was a Silver Oak-loving fellow who had even visited the label's property long ago. I offered them dinner, too -- steak, of course.
我邀請了一對認識的夫婦和我一起品酒。丈夫喜歡喝Silver Oak，很久以前甚至參觀過酒莊。我還請他們吃了晚餐——當然是牛排。

The results could be summed up by that word that frustrates all wine drinkers: inconclusive. While I'd been impressed by how well the 32-year-old 1982 Alexander Valley Cabernet was holding up, with a still-firm acidity, soft tannins and a brown-sugared apple sort of fruit, my Silver Oak-loving friend was of a different opinion. He's used to lots of young, luscious fruit, and thought it was 'too old.' The fruit was faded and the notes were more earthy.
結果可以用那個讓所有葡萄酒愛好者沮喪的詞來總結：沒有結論。我驚訝於32年陳釀的1982年Alexander Valley Cabernet能夠保持得如此之好，酸度依然穩固，單寧柔和，紅糖煎蘋果般的果香，但我那位喜歡Silver Oak的朋友看法不同。他習慣濃郁的未成熟葡萄的甘甜果味，覺得這個“太老了”。這款酒的果味淡了，更具泥土芳香。

We were all pleased by both of the 2008 Cabernets -- the wife's and my favorite was the more restrained Alexander Valley, while the husband liked the Napa, which was a bit richer and more full-bodied than the Alexander Valley bottling. None of us much cared for the 2009 wines, which were both much oakier, the fruit sweeter and more overt. The 2009 Napa bottling in particular was decidedly young, but also tiring to drink -- it was sweet, with over- the-top ripeness. 'And it's certainly not cheap,' the wife said of the $110 price tag.
我們對兩款2008年的解百納都很滿意——我和那位妻子最喜歡比較內斂的亞歷山大谷，而那位丈夫喜歡納帕，味道比亞歷山大谷濃郁，酒體更飽滿。我們都不太喜歡2009年的酒，橡木味都比較濃重，果味更甜也更明顯。2009年的納帕毫無疑問很年輕，但喝起來也很無聊——很甜，成熟的過頭了。那位妻子評價這款110美元的葡萄酒說：“肯定也不便宜。”

However sexy it might be to hate Silver Oak, I simply found that I couldn't. Maybe it was because I was surprised by how well the 1982 wine showed at such an advanced age, or maybe it's because I've had much worse wines. Or maybe just because it went so well with the steak.
無論對Silver Oak表示反感顯得多酷，我發現我還是做不到。也許是因爲我對那瓶1982年的酒過了這麼多年仍然保持得這麼好感到驚訝，也許是因爲我嘗過更糟糕的酒。又或許只是因爲它和牛排是絕配。