Salut/Hi Timothy Hartley,

le/on Tue, 09 Aug 2005 23:37:06 +0100, tu disais/you said:-

>It is often suggested that French wine would sell better and be much
>more easily understood if the labels of AoC wines bore a reference to
>their constituent varietals. The French say that this ignores the
>over-riding importance of terroir.

[snip]

>possible to have the attachment of a single, pure, unblended, varietal
>label, in Burgundy, of either Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. However
>tasting three different climats of Dom. Coste-Caumartin"s wonderful
>Premier Cru Pommards, both vertically and horizontally, though several
>vintages, was a clear demonstration, yet again, of the immense
>difference that a few hundred yards can and does make, even when the
>same winemaker is responsible for each of the wines under
>consideration.

This is a subject that has come up here before and with the possible
exception of DG's replies which have more to do with provocation than
anything else, most of the valid points have been covered again.

As it happens - serendipity, if you like - we've got a "Courtier" from
Burgundy staying here for a few days, and the subject came up - before I
read your article and the replies to it.

I agree absolutely with what you say about the sometimes amazing differences
that a few hundred yards can make in the difference between two wines made
by the same grower, from the same clones of the same grape variety in the
same year - especially in Burgundy, though I could perhaps more accurately
say "with the Pinot Noir grape" as I think this is the cepage which seems to
be most affected by terroir. Perhaps that's why some Oregon growers are now
giving almost more weight to vineyard than to cepage!! (Shades of Burgundy).

However, as I said to Jean-François, take some P-N grapevines from Nuits to
Pomerol and take some Merlots from Pomerol to Nuits, and you won't get a
bizarre pomerol and an atypical Nuits. So the taste and overall character of
a wine ARE indubitably much more dependant upon the cepage than upon the
terroir, even if _when tasted against eachother_ the same cepage can show
amazing differences from different parcels.

You point out that it's only at AOC level really that these differences show
up, but that may be as much to do with the blending and general messing
around that is often carried out at "lower" levels as anything, but which is
illegal at AOC level. There's some truth in that - as winemaking is at
present carried out. But I don't think that's necessarily true in all
circumstances nor in all countries.

However, my main problem with the classing of wines by cepage is that it can
mislead almost more than it informs. For example, one of the best white
wines I've ever drunk was Marcel Deiss' Altenberg de Bergheim. Despite
recent (post 50s) legislation in Alsace which seeks to limit Grand Cru
vineyards there to monocepage, (thereby disallowing the use of the name of
the cepage, because it's implicit) he goes back to ancient tradition there
and co-plants several cepages. His wine is sold as "Altenberg de Bergheim"
and the amount of the grape varieties present will vary from year to year.
"Varietal minded" types may very well dismiss the wine saying "It's a
blend." I don't give a XXXX for the fact that it's a blend, I care about the
fact that it's a great wine, from a great area and a great grower. That's
what matters, not the information which anally retentive varietal freaks
seek, that it's 57.32% riesling, 21.03% sylvaner and 12.43% gewurztraminer
and 9.22% Pinot Gris. Their obsession with varietal purity has completely
blinded them to the fact that there's more to wine than the grape variety
from which it's made.

The two classic mixed cepage areas in France are Bordeaux and
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and their wines aren't going to be better or worse
because you know what's in it. And in the case of Merlot based wines, I
suspect that as far as the great American unwashed is concerned, their
experiences of flabby merlots from the USA would prejudice them against
brilliant Merlots from the "other side" of the Gironde if the cepage were
given.

So although I would agree with those who insist that the overall character
of a wine is more determined by the grapes that make it than anything else,
in the case of wines from some of the most ancient and largest wine
producing areas in the world, there's not a lot of point in insisting on it
being shown.

What I _do_ think is ludicrous is that European legislators seem to need to
be so blessed directive all the time. What isn't obligatory is forbidden, it
seems to me, and I don't think that kind of thinking is good at all.
--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
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