The Dilemma Of Origin
I have been spending some effort on two of the most common wines found on the MW exam, chardonnay and pinot noir. After extensive tastings, wide spread samples, different levels of quality, different geographic sources, in depth reading, and discussions with winemakers, what I have discovered is this…. It’s very difficult to pinpoint the origin on these wines blind. In theory, the origin question is a question about climate. The fruit quality and character should be able to provide you reasonable clues as to where it was grown. I think that this was a rock solid argument in 1990 when California was always sunny and Burgundy had to cross their fingers to get to basic ripeness standards. The challenge now is, despite the troglodytes clinging to the idea that climate change hasn’t happened, is that EVERYWHERE is generally warm or worse, has unpredictable seasons which lifts away the idea of “typicity”. The Loire, which could ripen red wines in fou...
