Joe Shooman
joe@cfp.ky

The French winemaker is in the unique position of being an expert in both viticulture and biochemistry, a powerful blend of skills, which has led to his near legendary status as one of the world’s most respected individuals in his field.

He was born in Epernay to a fifth-generation wine growing family, which inevitably meant he learnt all practical and technical aspects of the craft. His education and studies included enology, viticulture and wine business at Champagne then Burgundy and Bordeaux where he earned a Master’s degree from the University of Dijon.

Visiting his brother Luc in California in 1994 set a flame in Nicholas’ heart and he joined Peter Michael winery in summer 2005 after stints at Joseph Phelps, using Bordeaux and Burgundy techniques.

“Peter Michael is a combination of both sides of the Atlantic,” he says, “We aim for the refinements of Europe allied to the generosity of California. These are not monolithic, one-note wines like some European ones; we are looking for grace. It is an expression of the terroir and the food.”

Creativity, adds Morlet, is what motivated him to move to California; he also had carte blanche from Sir Peter himself, who the wine maker praises for trusting the experts to do their jobs.

“It was freedom; we also do not wish to go bigger. We produce a maximum of 20,000 cases a year and indeed have sold out of Chardonnay for 2012 and 2013 already. Some Napa producers have got too big.

“The terroir here is unique with volcanic drainage, perfect on the west slope of the Knights Valley. It is like a mountain vineyard from 1,000 to 2,500 feet with a very steep, 50 per cent slope.

“It is also a magical location in terms of scenery. Indeed, there is a Caribbean link here too - Robert Louis Stephenson was inspired to write Treasure Island by the Napa Valley. It is certainly an inspiring place to work.”

The bear factor

Because it is surrounded by a National Park, there are some rather unique challenges in bringing the crops to fruit effectively.

“The bears harvest one ton of merlot every year - they are very expensive bears. They crush the semillon and merlot grapes, mostly. We also have mountain lions, owls, bobcats.

“In fact, the California flag, with the bear and the star, was invented by Knights Valley in the 1850s,” says the knowledgeable expert.

One of the big differences in the Peter Michael output, especially the reds and the chardonnays, is that there is no fining or filtration.

“The bottles can be a bit hazy although this settles clear after two years. Fining damages the structure of the wine and removes some of the polysaccharides.

“This is our big difference compared to some Burgundy and Bordeaux producers; the market wants it clear so they do use a fining process. But before the 1890s it was not used so much. Some fining agents can cause allergies, such as isinglass [a fish derivative used to clarify wines].”

Planting is another very important part of the process, of course, Morlet rightly noting that if you do not start with great stuff you will not get good wine. Being able to control this has been another part of his spectacular freedom. Talking with Morlet is a pleasure and an education - the winemaking process is so spectacularly precise that we spend a good 10 minutes discussing how to best squeeze a grape to ensure the sweetest juice (from the middle) is released rather than that of the outside flesh, which is harsher.

That said, Morlet also relies on soul.

“It is a blend of experience from my mentors, my learning background, palate and intuition in knowing when to pick; sometimes you don’t know why but you have a feeling. I say sometimes, ‘the vine told me’ because you look at a vineyard and take into account the shape, taste, evolution of vine and the colour of the foliage and decide.”