Joy Lindholm wrote:There are so many great factors in what encompasses terroir - soil type and nutrients, elevation, sunlight exposure, weather, etc. that it is hard to generalize in a broad sense (ie. California wines do not display terroir because it is too hot). Many wines lose their essence of terroir (and typicity) due to over-ripening or manipulation in the cellar, but when you narrow it down to a specific region (and decent wine making), you can really see where little differences like temperature and elevation make a difference. I just returned from Willamette Valley and left with a great understanding of the different AVAs and their microclimates, soil types, etc, whereas previously I just thought in the broader spectrum "Willamette Valley Pinot Noir". The method is far from scientific, but when you taste Pinot (or any variety) from the same producer made from grapes from different locations in the same winemaking style, you start to see how the different areas stand out. I'm sure the same is true in Burgundy and other areas like Germany where Rieslings made by the same producers show very differently based on where they were grown.
I hope you'll post some tasting notes and impressions (in a separate thread, of course.) Or did I miss it?