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TERROIR: THE NATURAL STATE OF THINGS
Most current wine literature is peppered with the word terroir - our own offerings included.It has slipped into accepted winespeak with remarkable speed and is increasingly becoming apt in many New World areas - but what does it really mean?
Words by: ALISON BUCHANAN.
Associate Director of Buying.Corney & Barrow London
RACHEL THOMPSON.
Senior Buying Assistant.Corney & Barrow London
The liberal use of the word 'Terroir' assumes an understanding, but perhaps denies its depth and breadth of meaning.
THE INSIDE VIEW
Rachel Thompson and Alison Buchanan from the buying department give an insight into the Corney & Barrow interpretation of terroir, as derived from vineyard visits, our suppliers' and our own experience. Given the varietal debate elsewhere in this section, this indirectly puts a counter argument to the idea grape variety is all-important - though the
marriage of grape and terroir is key. One of the most sought-after châteaux on the Right Bank - Pétrus, in Pomerol - lies atop a button of clay on the plateau of Pomerol. But a stone's throw away. La Fleur Petrus, with similar plantings (80% Merlot) produces an entirely different style of wine. Puligny Montrachet provides some of the leanest, most pure, steely Chardonnays from Burgundy. Meursault, the adjoining village provides some of the richest, most opulent, creamy wines from the same grape. A glance at other producers such as Descendientes J Palacios and Olivier Leflaive tells the same story.
HOW CAN THESE BE EXPLAINED?
The answer is of course terroir. That magical utterance which sends half of the wine-drinking world in to misty-eyed contemplation and leaves the other half scratching their heads in confusion, assuming the wine writers are again trying to blind them with science.
It need not be wine of course, as we could talk of terroir in the context of an Ayrshire or Guernsey Royal potato, asparagus from Kent, the Scottish raspberry (Tayside or Clyde) or traditional English apples.
The word is rattled off too light-heartedly and we are sure that many simply associate it with soil - yet it encompasses so much more. There is, of course, the vineyard site - the vine, soil, subsoil, draining ability, meso-climate,
aspect, topography and climate - to be taken into account. Then there is possible influence from nearby mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans and woods. Walls and the colour of those walls may also have an effect, as does the colour of the soil…and that is only part of the physical dimension of a word, which also hints at the spiritual, at a sense of history. One can understand a work of art or a piece of music without any problem at a certain level, without knowing the background of the artist's life or contemporary world events, but often knowing such detail intensifies the emotional impact. Thus the viticulturalist/wine maker who is fully tuned into their terroir in all dimensions, will have a greater understanding than anything which can be explained simply by soil analysis - and that is part of what is translated in the finished wine. It is important to note that whilst haloed terroir is always exciting, there is always a place for ostensibly lesser sites, which nonetheless fulfil a need. Take Barrail du Blanc as an example. This can never be described as great terroir. The owners could limit production to one bottle per vine but, on their light soils, it would never be competition for the truly great Saint Emilions. What the wine does however is to give early pleasurable drinking, whilst the truly great names are still, largely, undrinkable. Thus, in our eyes, Barrail du Blanc is great in its own right, giving real pleasure and quality at an affordable price and without expensive ageing.
Likewise Sancerre Domaine du Nozay makes great Sancerre but would probably produce questionable chardonnay- horses for courses. Sadly, as is almost always the case, terroir on its own presents challenges as a guide to buying wine, not least the time required to research the received wisdom on the subject. There are individuals who out - or under-perform with regards to their land. Heavy handled technology and cooperative blending strips wines of their identity, as does the use
of chemicals, as Nicolas Joly and many others would argue.
Thus wines, even those produced on good sites, can be thrown out of balance by use of cultured yeasts, for example, or overuse of oak. It is always better to seek advice from your wine merchant. There are some rather more cynical voices in the wings whose musings, in the interests of fairness, ought to be aired. Some have suggested that the whole concept of terroir was dreamed up to counter wine being traded, just like any other commodity. If indeed there is any truth in this, so what? - if a wine's origins have true integrity. The logic seems clear to us, as long as consumers have their eyes open. The mere fact that the so-called New World are now espousing the same virtues must surely bear witness to the term having real meaning. C&B
