The Fallacy of Terroir

The fallacy of terroir is not that it doesn't exist, it is that people keep saying there is no English-language equivalent of the concept. Many people attribute, soil, climate and topography as the common denominator of terroir. According to the infallible Wikipedia, "at its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that growing site." Thus, terroir is often described as the set of special characteristics of a certain place. Depending on scale, that could be a region, a village, a vineyard or even a specific block within a vineyard. This is exemplified by the fact that syrah wines differ from Hermitage, Barossa and Paso Robles despite being made from the same grape cultivar. Perhaps the concept of terroir is best epitomized in Burgundy where famed climats like Romanée, Romanée-Conti and Richebourg in Vosne-Romanée are only meters apart and yield distinct wines all made from pinot noir.

Yes, the soils, climate (not so much in Vosne-Romanée) and topography vary in each of these places. But one thing that is too often left out of the terroir discourse is the anthropic influence. After all, grape vines don't decide where they grow, harvest themselves or stop fermentation before the product is vinegar. Some people, including myself, add the human element to the concept of terroir. Whether or not you include people as part of the terroir of a place, there is in fact an English word that covers all the definitions of the concept: geography. In English, the characteristics of a wine can be said to come from the geography of a place. Geography is more than just maps (actually, the study of maps is called cartography). Geography encompasses soil, climate, topography, geology, history and cultural practices of a place.

Ben's Bubbly: Patrick Bottex "La Cueille" Bugey-Cerdon Rosé (Méthode Ancéstrale)

This week Ben had his two-month doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, this appointment included his first immunization shots, and he was not a happy camper. He had a fever the first night and was ornery for a few days, but is doing better now. He is using his hands and arms more and is even holding the rattle his mom made. He also went to his first wine festival and met a handful of Colorado's winemakers. He loves showing off his big toothless smiles, but only when there are no cameras around. We are amazed that at only two months old, he knows when we are trying to take his picture, and becomes very stoic and the smiles cease. It really is quite funny, but I'm sure that we'll get some photos of his sweet bubbly face in the future. Thus, for this week's Ben's Bubbly, we picked a sparkler as sweet as our little boy.

NV Patrick Bottex "La Cueille" Bugey-Cerdon Rosé (Méthode Ancéstral)

This grapefruit-pink sparkling wine is made from 90% Gamay and 10% Poulsard in the area between the Savoie, the Jura, Burgundy, and the Rhône in France. Different from the méthode champenoise, the méthode ancestrale technique bottles the wine before primary fermentation is complete and the wine goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Unlike in Champagne, dosage is not permitted. Bright fruit (mostly ripe strawberries) dominates the nose and the palate. Quite sweet, this wine is perfect as an apertif or for a picnic on a hot summer day. More acidity could make this a more complete wine, but nonetheless it is fun and refreshing. 8% abv Purchased $14. Good/Very Good (tasted 6/10/11)

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé! (two weeks ago)

The third Thursday of November every year is a wine marketer's dream. The brainchild of négociant Georges Duboeuf, this is the day that the new vintage of Beaujolais are released worldwide. Originally designed as simple wine to celebrate the harvest and to hold over locals until the better-quality wines from the region and more famous villages within were ready in the spring, these wines are now distributed global with much fanfare. Whole-berry fermented and not seeing any oak aging, Beaujolais nouveau is intended for consumption within weeks of its release. While I have not bought any the past few years, I couldn't help myself when I went to pick up some beer at a local shop.

2010 Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau, France

As is typical with Beaujolais nouveau, this wine is dark fuschia, yet translucent in color. It has a very floral and fruity bouquet. Violets and roses are matched in intensity by fresh cranberries and red raspberries with the ever-so-slight hint of bananas. On the palate, the fresh fruit gives way to tart cranberries and unripe strawberries. A slight note of chocolate is also present causing an almost banana split-like aftertaste. This is a simple, gulpable wine that I could drink once a year. 13.5% abv Purchased $11. Average (tasted 11/27/10)