Do Terroirists hate our freedom? - Philip Bernot

Do Terroirists hate our freedom?

That is not a typo. “Terroir” is the French term used to define the specific characteristics of a given vineyard site, and it is in France that a group of wine fanatics who think soil is everything have come to be known as “terroirists.” Terroirists are everywhere, however; if anything the German system of rating vineyards is even more specific than the French. California has its share of terroirists, too. “Rutherford dust” is a well known term used to describe the dusty tannins found in the best Cabernet from the Rutherford bench in Napa. Entirely too much has been written about terroir, and heaven knows the term gets thrown around at tastings when nobody has anything more insightful to say. There are basically two views on terroir – one view is that true terroir is an elusive thing found in the very best wines of the world and is the defining trait; e.g. the soil of Champagne cannot be duplicated elsewhere, therefore no other sparkling wine can approach Champagne’s greatness. The other view is that since all vines are grown in dirt, all wine has terroir. Which is correct? Mmmm, both. Sure, all vines are grown in dirt, but some dirt is better than others. This leads me to point of this article. Talk about wine for more than five minutes and someone is sure to say something like “It’s all subjective, it’s all about what you like best.” It is, but it aint. Like anything worth studying, like art or music, there is much more to wine than just personal taste. The established great wines of the world are established for a very good reason. Over many decades or centuries certain places have shown that they make wine of superior quality. It doesn’t mean that everyone will prefer these wines, but it does mean that people who know about such things have noticed that some vineyard sites just make better wine than others. This kind of rubs Americans the wrong way; we tend to think all things are equal. Heck, it’s literally part of our constitution! It’s a nice thought, but the logic is faulty. The California wine business is predicated on the easy to understand but woefully unspecific “Varietal” system; the type of grape is on the label. But Chardonnay from Napa tastes quite different than Chardonnay from Sonoma, and from Monterey, etc. Frankly, just knowing that the wine is made from Chardonnay is not much help at all. The French system is quite different-you are supposed to already know that Chardonnay is the grape of white wines from Burgundy; the question is whether you want Meursault or Chablis, then more specifically whether it’s Meursault “Les Charmes” or Chablis “Vaudesir.” Logic and specificity is both the great strength and the great weakness of the French Appellation Controlee system.

So are these terroirists attacking our core values by asserting that some places are better than others for the production of superior wine? Strangely, some people seem to think so. People love to believe that you can get a little plot of land, clear some brush, plant some vines and win some medals. But think about this – a trip through the cellars the worlds foremost wine critic (you know who I’m talking about) might surprise you. What are missing are many of the highly-rated new world and “buzz” wines. What is in the cellars of the top critic and other experts? Wines that completely define the place on earth where they are made. Here are four that fit that description:



A quartet from Shaps & Roucher-Sarrazin:

It should go without saying that we taste a lot of wine around here, but I’m going to say it anyway-we taste a lot of wine around here. I’m not complaining, but it’s usually much closer to work than you might imagine. Sometimes, though, it’s nothing but a pleasure -like this quartet from Burgundy producer Shaps & Roucher-Sarrazin. Burgundy is frequently the “it” place for serious wine people, and with this group it’s easy to see why. Michael Shaps, an American from Virginia, has teamed with Michel Roucher-Sarrazin of Burgundy, France, to make wines of great distinction. Winemaker Roucher-Sarrazin’s work should be well-known to Burgundy aficionados already having made wine at the now defunct Chartron et Trebuchet. And like his best efforts at C et T, the Shaps & Roucher–Sarrazin wines exude class and style.
One note: we taste a lot more wine than we can ever stock and we currently do not stock these wines. We will be happy to order them, however, and will no doubt add them to our line-up at a later date.

Meursault “Les Vireuils” 2005- Don’t ask me for pronunciation help on this, I think the word “Vireuils” could be used as a litmus test as to whether you are a native French speaker. This wine was remarkably forward with an intense nose of honeycomb and bee pollen. The palate is replete with minerality and focused acids. A fairly remarkable value in this space with the wine retailing around $60.

Meursault “Les Charmes” 2005- A total classic, the Les Charmes is silky-fine; sort of what it must be like to drink a Hermes tie. Winemaker Roucher-Sarrazin really has a way of coaxing out subtle and elegant flavors, and the wine exhibits apple, pear, and clove on the nose. The finish is longer than a night in jail with superb balanced acidity. If you can think of $110/bottle of wine as a value, this is it.

Volnay “Les Santenots” 2005- If Burgundy is the “it” place for wine aficionados, Volnay may be the “it” place in Burgundy. The nose exhibits gorgeous cherry and raspberry notes, but it is the tremendous depth, complexity, and style that set this wine apart. The average age of the vine here is about fifty years, so the concentration and elegance should be no surprise. Superb Pinot Noir! About $75

Nuits St. Georges 2005- This wine surprised me. By all rights this should be very, very good, but not great wine, at least not by standards of the Volnay. But this example was flat-out yummy and actually a little easier to relate to than the Volnay at this time. Very rich and complete with deep, focused acidity and earthy Pinot Noir aromas. Around $65

All of these wines will reward the patient buyers who tuck them away for a few years. If drinking them young give them plenty of time to breathe. The reds did not really start to hit their impressive stride until they had been open about 8 hours.