Great Vineyard… Learning about the Terroir

Profile | October 18, 2010

Look up the word “great” in the dictionary and you’ll find a great many definitions. Great can mean large in size, numerous, considerable in degree of power, wonderful, first rate, notable, important or distinguished. But you want to know what makes a vineyard “great.” for a vineyard to be great, think in terms of wonderful, first rate, notable and distinguished. those are the vineyards that are great, but what is it that makes them great? Is it the terroir or the vineyard manager and the viticulturist?

Grapes are grown around the world in a number of different regions. These regions have a specific terroir, which is the most important ingredient that will give the properly planted vineyard the chance to be great. Each varietal of grape has a specific terroir. Specifically, where a Chardonnay grape is going to be great, a Cabernet grape may not be, nor a Pinot Noir, nor a Merlot, and so on with the many grape varietals that are planted worldwide.
Terroir is about the ground in which the grapevines are planted. Is it rocky? Is it chalky? Is it fertile? The wine’s flavor relies heavily on the type of soil the grapevines are grown in, as the nutrients will come from that part of the earth and give it those flavors such as earthy, minerally, chocolaty, cherry, and many more. Terroir includes the area’s climate: Is it dry, wet, cool, hot? Does it have a westerly or easterly exposure? What is the altitude? Is it on a hillside or in a valley? This list could keep going, but you get the point of how many decisions go into determining the right location to plant a great vineyard. It is important to point out how crucial climate is to making a great vineyard. Most have heard of a great vintage of wine, and that vintage is usually the result of a great year of growing weather: not too hot, not too wet, not too cool—just right!

Napa is bordered by two mountain ranges, and is in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. It has a temperate climate with a long growing season of sunny, warm days followed by cool evenings. There are 14 distinct microclimates and terrains formed by hills, exposures and elevations. Sonoma lies to the west of Napa on the Mayacamas Range and ends at the Pacific Ocean. Sonoma soil contains a lot of ash and lava from volcanic eruptions 2 million years ago. It has a moderate climate, and several microclimates between the valley and the hillside, moist ocean coast and dry inland, and the cool southern regions, forming a diverse grape-growing region. Mendocino is directly north of Sonoma and is bounded by California’s Coastal Mountain range, the Pacific Ocean, and the great northern redwood forests. The climate of Monterey County reflects the cooling influence of the Monterey Bay and lack of abundant rainfall. There are enough warm days to ripen the grapes, but the marine influence is dominant. Due to the cool growing conditions, harvest is typically two weeks later than in the other regions, allowing for a longer season and slower fruit maturation. The steep slopes and rolling hills provide good drainage, and soil temperatures in Monterey are cooler than in other parts of the state, limiting crop size.
Paso Robles, centrally located along the coast, has a greater day-to-night temperature swing than any other region in California, as well as distinct microclimates, diverse soils and a long growing season. Paso Robles is a unique wine region blessed with optimal growing conditions for producing premium and ultra-premium wines.
In Santa Barbara, the north-south range of coastal mountains abruptly turns to run almost east- to-west for 50 miles, framing the valleys in transit to the Pacific Ocean. The unique topography allows the flow of fog and ocean breezes to shape well-defined microclimates and makes the region one of the coolest viticultural areas in California. However, warmer daytime temperatures in the inland areas allow a wide variety of grapes to be grown. Terrain and climates vary widely, from steep, windswept hillsides to rolling inland valley vineyards where summer temperatures often reach the century mark.

The Central Valley is in California’s vast interior basin, nestled between the state’s coastal mountain range and the Sierra Nevada. The region produces 71 percent of the state’s grapes. As you can see, each region may have some of the same varietals, yet they will all produce a different type of wine based on their terroir.
The human element in the vineyard includes the vineyard manager and the viticulturist. The vineyard manager is in charge of training and supervising employees, and business planning throughout the year. The viticulturist has responsibility for the entire grape-growing process: monitoring the grapes’ health, fertilization of the vines, coordinating the harvest and managing the field crews. Both of these positions require experience in the field and also a bachelor’s degree in the respective discipline.
Now to answer the question: What makes a great vineyard? The terroir makes a great vineyard. Without great terroir, you could put the best vineyard manager and viticulturist on the job, and not have a great vineyard—you would have a good vineyard. Although terroir is the most important, as it is the foundation for the grapes, without the best vineyard manager and viticulturist, you won’t see the great terroir produce the great grapes that make it a great vineyard. Think about a great racecar. Sure you could take an average driver and have a good finish, but you need a great driver to have a great finish. So one without the other is good, but one combined with the other is great.