American in France Comments on Terroir

OK but terroir is not a monopoly of France (though the best wineries are really ogod at it). Terroir can be American too. But you will not get terroir if you irrigate and encourage the development of roots close to the surface. Terroir requires you to work the top layers so as to inhibit those roots and encourage the plant to go deeper for water.

I have absolutely no doubt about this at all. Not that many here, I suspect, will doubt that a wine can reflect the land upon which it's grown.

Two anecdotes

Tasting barrel samples of the wines destined to become Moulin des Dames white at Ch Tour des Gendre. The estate grows the Sauvignon Blanc grape (same clone) on three different parcels, they all have different types of limestone. The resulting wines are completely different, with one (grown over very hard limestone, into which the roots have difficulty penetrating) really quite similar to some New Zealand SBs. So here are two examples of the same clones of the same vines vinified the same way, showing differences that can only be due to the parcel on which the vines are grown.

I'm not drawing inferences about desirability or otherwise, but merely confirming that the concept of terroir has validity.

As Mike Tommasi says, however, it's difficult to see how the concepto f Terroir can have meaning if the roots don't penetrate deep enough into the soil to interract with it.

-- All the best Fatty from Forges

I'll second Ian's post. I would like to (once more, yawn) point out a tasting in the cellars of Coche-Bizouard, where we tasted all their whites, all (exception of a St Romain 2003) had undergone the same treatment (oak 18 months, same degre of tasting, same ratio of new/old barrels) and the differences were very marked indeed, from the minerality of St Aubin to the butteryness of Meursault. Another example would be the Rieslings of Dirler-Cadé. although here there were some difference in vinification, I think ... Howev er, recently returned from Bourgogne, we visited George Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin. Fourrier has, for various reasons, stopped using new oak - his reasoning appears mainly be on the lines of bioconservation. arguing against chopping down oak trees that will take generations to grow back - and, here, we tasted a line of his 2006. To my mind, the differences were less marked the "higher" on the appelation ladder you got - clearast difference to my nose (not a particularly good instrument it has to be admitted) was on the village level, between Gevrey and Morey St D.

Cheers

Nils

"Nils Gustaf Lindgren" wrote .........

You'll get no disagreement from me, either.

A few months back, I was in Marlborough, visiting the rather prolific Saint Clair Family Estate.

They produce a total of eleven separate Sauvignon Blanc labels.

Most interesting is their "Pioneer Block" range - every one produced from single vineyards in the Marlborough region - some adjoining each other.

A very good web site is at -

Generally, the vinification remains quite constant - juice pressed with minimal skin contact; fermentation in stainless steel at cool temperatures to retain fruit flavour and freshness etc. - but having tasted all eight SBs in this range, the differences are marked and not altogether subtle either.

Terroir is alive and well in NZ

st.helier