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07/01/2011

Single-Vineyard Wines: Terroir in a Bottle

In the last two decades it has become more and more common to see California single-vineyard wines—Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs, Zinfandels, even Sauvignon Blancs—on retail shelves and restaurant wine lists. These wines, sometimes called vineyard-designated wines and labeled with the name of the vineyard where the grapes were grown (in the U.S., 95% of the grapes in a wine labeled as single-vineyard must be from that vineyard), have become more sought after, and no wonder. As the California wine industry has developed and matured, growers and vintners have gained more experience with wine grapes from specific growing regions and sites, and have naturally identified certain vineyards that produce grapes worthy of bottling on their own vintage after vintage.

But what makes certain wine grapes single-vineyard worthy? To Mike Sangiacomo of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards whose family has been farming grapes in Sonoma County for three generations and supplies grapes for some twenty different single-vineyard wines produced by different wineries, it’s relatively simple. “The site has to be able to deliver grapes that make a complete wine,” says Mike. “Aromas, flavors, mouthfeel – the one vineyard has to be able to deliver it all.”

But that’s relatively rare, as Mike explains, which is why so many of California’s great wines are a blend of grapes from different vineyards. “With blended wines, you can get complexity – layers of aroma and flavor and different textures – from different vineyards. The winemaker has a number of different wines to choose from and can build the wine according to the flavor profile he or she is looking for.” Single-vineyard wines, on the other hand, are more about expressing the terroir—the unique characteristics—of one particular site in one particular vintage. The winemaker has less flexibility; the vineyard and the vintage dictates what the wine will be like.

“One isn’t necessarily better than another,” says Mike, who notes that his family does not require wineries to use his family’s vineyard name on the label. “They’re just different.” Which explains why many wineries produce both blended wines and single-vineyard wines – it’s interesting to see how each vineyard expresses itself in the wine, and how they differ from each other and from wines made from several vineyard sources.

Still, with single-vineyard wines there are ways to gain complexity, depending on the vineyard site. Vineyards can be very diverse with a variety of small blocks that feature different soils or are planted to different clones. There can be differences in vine age, spacing and row orientation – all of which can have an effect on the grapes. “By using grapes from different blocks you can make a more complex – and complete – wine,” says Mike. “But one that is still representative of that particular vineyard.”

Like other growers, the Sangiacomos farm all of their vineyards to exacting standards and with the utmost care and attention to detail, whether the grapes are destined for single-vineyard wines or not. But since single-vineyard wines generally command a premium price, Mike and his family are mindful of what their winery clients—the ones who bottle their grapes as single-vineyard wines—are looking for. “We generally sit down with each winery and talk about the farm plan and make sure we all agree about each specific step we’re taking in the vineyard,” says Mike. “It’s all about ensuring that the highest quality comes out of the vineyard.”

Likewise, when wineries ask to put the name of a vineyard on their label, the grower wants to be sure that the wine is made to the highest quality standard possible; after all, it’s his/her name (or the vineyards’ name) on the label. “With single-vineyard wines, it’s a two-way street, and generally, both the grower and the winery are in it for the long term,” says Mike, who explains that most wineries want to know they’ll have continued access to the same vineyard if they’re going to put the name on the label. “These are long-term relationships, built on mutual trust.”

Vineyard-designated wines are labeled with the name of the vineyard where the grapes were grown.