A Sense of Place
What does A Sense of Place Really Mean?
A sense of place: it's one of the greatest compliments a wine aficionado can bestow upon a winemaker.
More than the French word terroir, for New World wine lovers, "a sense of place" invokes a wine that tastes like where she’s grown, a wine that gleefully shouts her vineyard pedigree so that both wine novices and experts alike can smell, sense, and taste her personality.
A sense of place is the culmination of mindful farming, precise harvest, thoughtful fermentation, and conscientious aging. For these special wines, every choice, from grape to glass, contributes to what you uncork, mainly a wine that tastes like where it’s grown.
Lovingly crafted, such wines stand in defiant opposition to the insipid, mass-produced, hot, over-oaked drek lining the shelves at most supermarkets. If you can taste fruit, warm sunshine, wet earth, clean rain, and a colorful palate of complimentary, wonderful, ancillary flavors then you know firsthand what elevates a "sense of place" wine from simple drink to poetic muse.
Of course, as a pinot winemaker, I’m biased in favor of pinot noir, a grape that always tastes like where it’s grown. A sense of place is why pinot noir from Oregon tastes different than one from California, Otaga New Zealand, Okanaga BC, Maipo, or Yarra Valley.
From A Winemaker’s POV….
Let’s get more granular. A sense of place is why my Torrey Hill Vineyard Russian River AVA pinot noir is so different from my Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands AVA pinot noir. Two wines. Two unique vineyards. Two exceptional wine experiences. SAME grape.
Yes, it’s the sense of place, my friends.
Deeper still, this is why I vinify both a Sangiacomo Roberts Road Vineyard pinot noir and a Gap’s Crown Vineyard pinot noir, both from the Petaluma Gap AVA, adjacent vineyards in neighboring plots of soil, and yet- and yet, those two pinots are distinctly different.
The French call this “terroir.” But terroir sounds so hoity-toity and exclusionary. In contrast, a sense of place feels like home, a warm embrace poised to electrify your palate and haul your taste buds out to the vineyard.
It’s a Winemaker’s Stamp
Whether you prefer terroir or sense of place, this sensibility is a winemaker's stamp that reads "This is my wine. I made it with heart and care. It is unique and extremely special. I hope you like it, too."
With a more generous and fanciful spirit, "a sense of place" is also a metaphor for the bewitching way a great wine transports us into the intimate recesses of our own imagination. Nowhere is this phenomenon better elucidated than in a 2008 WSJ article titled "The Lamb-Chop Test." There John and Dottie taste tested 10 wine-shop recommended wines alongside simple broiled lamb chops, divining the best pairings of the day.
For me, the most alluring part of their prose was hearing those lovebirds detail the sappy, nostalgic places they imagined they'd been sipping their stuff. They write (without irony), "The dinner had an altered feel depending on which wine we were tasting. With Consilience Syrah, we were sitting around a fire on a beautiful night; with Gorrondona from Spain, the meal took us to a friendly provincial restaurant; with a 1999 Rioja, we were at a very fancy, white-tablecloth place."
Clearly all crazy, wine-obsessed nuts share a passion for poetic hyperbole. But you get the drift. A sense of place makes wine more than a quaffable afterthought alongside dinner. When the stars align, a sense of place transports you to where the grapes are grown, as a great wine ought to do. And if you’re uncorking a sense of place wine, you’ll want a sense of place meal to enjoy alongside your bottle.
My Favorite Pairing?
To close this post with a giant bow, I thought I'd share a personal favorite wine and food pairing: Lamb Stew with Chickpeas and Pomegranate Molasses paired with my Soberanes Vineyard pinot noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA.
This pinot is big-shouldered with brambly red/black fruits, exotic spices, and a silky texture that can stand alongside heartier fare. I joke that Soberanes is my dark and brooding pinot noir, so of course, she pairs magnificently with my (what cheeky impudence- it's a Cooking Light recipe!) lamb stew. This expressive pinot, equal parts juicy berries, and savory herbs transform a hearty, braised, meat stew into something really special. Plus, the pomegranate molasses provides a piquant fruity kick that mirrors this pinot’s palate. Yum!
Sense of place wines are often made in smaller quantities than what you’ll find lining supermarket shelves. These are wines well worth seeking out for your own cellar. But please understand, this is not an endorsement to rush to your computer right this minute to buy my current release Soberanes Vineyard pinot noir (although it's one I love).
Instead, I challenge you to discover and uncork your own sense of place wine. And once that wine is on your counter, cook something satisfying and delicious to pair alongside that bottle. Who knows where it will transport you? And if you're a little buzzed, you may find the bottle speaking to you, or maybe even appealing directly to that lamb in your pan, promising ‘Get on my shoulders, little buddy, and I'll carry you.' " The perfect food and wine pairing is a wonder to behold! Thank you John and Dottie; you're always an inspiration.
This link shares the aforementioned recipe along with some simple techniques for mastering awesome, super-duper stew.
Taste with Us
Whether you're actually going to Bruliam Wines or just wish you were, tasting with a top-notch female winemaker offers an unforgettable experience. You can schedule a wine tasting in Sonoma or hire Kerith for a virtual wine tasting event in the comfort of your own home.