My Truth of Terroir

Terroir: A sense of place, specific to that place, as perceived in a glass of wine.

As you taste wines from around the world you begin to find unique expressions that speak to where they are from. They really do have their own language when they are made well and from a particular space. This is true wherever a grape is grown.

If one were to put a drop of wine in front of a scientist, they could deconstruct the wine and explain to you with precision what was going on in the juice. Acidity level, tannin, alcohol, flavor compounds, solids per million, and so on. They would explain to you that the mineral content in a wine is far to low (parts per million) to taste. Terroir does not necessarily exist in a laboratory, and does not always display itself in every wine.

Unique flavor is a gift of the vineyard or region, even on a large scale. Sunbathed California wines, regardless of varietal always show a more significant ripeness and fruit profile than the majority of their Old-World counterparts. This is what begins to set wines apart. A claim to one significant world region being better than the next is moot when you consider terroir.

Ethereal exists in the wine world when you can close your eyes while tasting a wine and be transported to another moment when you have had that wine in the past. Be it a particular producer, region, vineyard, or bottle it is then that wine becomes so incredible to take in. A crazy idea really, because in my mind it doesn’t even matter if that wine is of your preference. If the wine is correct that must be respected, and as such appreciated for its expression.

I consider my palate under-experienced. At the same time I have tasted enough wines to have a few that I know well, as you might. The other day I tasted a 1992 Chateau Haut Brion, and it tasted just like Haut Brion just a hint light with vintage variation. Upon sipping I was lead directly back to my first taste of Haut Brion as my palate was dosed with the pencil lead, graphite, and scorched earth flavors that I have come to associate with these wines. I associate those flavors with the mineral content that the scientist says are in-perceivable, and frankly, I do not care who is right. Other wines and regions have this effect on me; Spottswoode, Chabils, Dry Creek Zinfandel, Mosel Riesling, Southern Rhone and I can’t wait to find more to fill this list.

Mineral is only a piece of the puzzle though, many things effect the final flavor of a wine. Sometimes it is indeed the soil itself that makes the expression. How much sunshine does your vineyard get? Do you get more morning sunshine or afternoon? Almost every change in a vineyard can be tracked to a taste or expression down to the slope of the hill. Winemakers in California and Oregon have begun dissecting large classic regional vineyards into tiny, individual blocks when making their wines for this very reason. This is absolutely exhilarating to the wine geek in me. While there is a lot of land around the globe to make quality wine there is just something special about being able to taste one particular little spot.

I hope, my friends, that this little rant might inspire you to take a moment. The next time that a wine is poured and in front of you take pause to look, sniff, and taste the juice in the glass. Come to know the wines that you love and you will be rewarded again each time that you get an opportunity to enjoy another glass. The most beautiful wines in the world can become as a friend and in every instance that your palate happens upon them they make you happy.

Cheers