In his gigantic tome The Wines of Burgundy, Clive Coates writes succinctly about how to buy good wine: “Rating the vintages, rating the vineyards, and rating the growers. You may assume that each of these is of equal importance. Not so. The name of the grower on the label is paramount. The climat (or vineyard) is of marginally less precedence, and the vintage very much the least. What are you looking for? In a word: elegance.”
In America, we’re often trained to think about wine in terms of flavor, and to then attach that flavor to the varietal. Cabernet is full-bodied and dark fruited. Pinot Noir is lighter-bodied and bright. But for those of us who work in the industry (and those who put Burgundy at the center of the wine universe), the grower and the vineyard are everything. Think of it like your favorite chef at your favorite restaurant: it’s less about any singular dish at that point. The potential for exhilaration is what drives us, so we open ourselves up to new opportunities.
“Terroir” is a loaded and rather hackneyed word at the moment, so I’m going to shy away from using it. What I will say, however, is that certain vineyards have a unique ability to produce greatness, and certain growers know exactly how to coax those flavors out of the grapes. It’s less about winemaking and more about farming. Knowing where to plant, how to prune, when to pick, and when not to pick: it’s the wisdom of a grower that separates a great wine from a mediocre wine. Just like a skilled photographer knows how to capture the potential beauty in an image, the seasoned grower knows what to do in the vineyard.
So the million dollar question, of course: how do I know which growers and which vineyards to buy from? You don’t; and you won’t until you start tasting all sorts of different wines. I can, however, tell you how the rabbit hole begins. To use myself as an example, I tried a Chardonnay from The Hilt last year that completely blew my mind. It was fiercely acidic, almost salty, and had so much electricity. I met with the grower at the vineyard sites and learned that the Chardonnay being grown by The Hilt at the Radian and Bentrock vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills region near Santa Barbara had a very unique soil type (diatomaceous earth) that lended itself to mineral-driven whites.
From there, I began purchasing wines from other producers using Radian and Bentrock fruit, comparing and contrasting the styles. Then I expanded out to the nearby Sanford & Benedict, La Rinconada, and La Encantada vineyards to see what the differences were. Not only were these wines completely rocking my world, they were piquing my curiosity, enlivening my sense of adventure, and increasing my enjoyment of drinking on the whole. I began taking more trips out to the Sta. Rita Hills, meeting more of the winemakers and growers in the region, and expanding my horizons. At this point, I probably have seven to eight cases of various Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from the Sta. Rita Hills waiting to be opened and enjoyed.
Granted, not everyone has the same level of interest, commitment, or enthusiasm when it comes to wine. For plenty of people out there, a nice silky Cabernet or creamy Chardonnay is more than sufficient for their personal enjoyment. But when you’re spending serious cash for a “nice” bottle of wine, the vineyard and the grower are what (should) determine the price. Personally, I would never drop more than $20 for a generic “Napa blend” or a “French red” because I have no idea what I’m paying for. For those of us in the biz, it starts with the place. Which places are making the most exciting wines and—from there—which sites specifically. Then, which growers/winemakers are creating the best expressions of those vineyards.
Whether you’re buying German Riesling from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard along the Mosel, a Bordeaux blend from the Médoc, or Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, the location almost always dictates the wine’s potential character. Once you know from whom and where your wine comes from, and how those specifics affect flavor, you can make a decision about what’s worth buying.
-David Driscoll