Can’t we all just get along? Probably not.

Every wine is different, even the same wine will taste different on different days – this is probably the greatest thing about the beverage. With Coca-cola or Budweiser one knows what one is getting; it is the mystery of what will be inside that bottle that makes wine so exciting.

Decades ago not much was known about the chemistry contributing to a wine’s taste and smell, but as science has progressed so has our understanding of the chemistry behind the flavor. With the ability to isolate yeast strains much of the guess work has been taken out of winemaking. Now it’s common practice to add yeast nutrient so the fermentation takes place seamlessly, creating fewer “stinky” aromas. This all sounds great, but with every new technology terroir loses its place as the driving force behind a wine and gives way to lab coats.

Santa Ynez Valley

Recently we discovered what causes cork taint in a wine. It’s the presence of a compound known as trichloroanisole or TCA – when this is present in a wine it is undeniably flawed. Nobody wants to drink acidic basement water, which is in effect what the wine becomes. When a wine’s volatile acidity (VA) is high enough, aromas of vinegar or nail polish remover become prevalent, but elevated levels are pleasant before becoming obnoxious, and personal tastes vary on the amount of acceptable VA.

Other than these two flaws (which I would argue VA only is at extremely high levels), there is nothing else commonly found which causes me to deem a wine as flawed. Oxidation could be mentioned, but some wines are purposely oxidized. Brettanomyces is often considered a flaw in the new world, but the yeast and it’s byproducts are commonplace in some famous old world wines, and honestly, I like a little stink in my wine and there’s nothing wrong with that.

It is varying levels of compounds which were inherent to the grapes and the oak as well as those produced by yeast and bacteria which contribute to the uniqueness of a wine. To me all four of these factors combine to create the elusive terroir – but the trend has gone the way of creating predictable character by eliminating the last two factors. Commercial yeast strains may produce pleasant fruity esters, but an important piece of terroir is lost. Similarly, adding nutrient might help avoid a stinky fermentation, but shouldn’t the wine represent the nitrogen levels that are naturally present in the vineyard? A fermentation with native yeast and low nitrogen levels will likely produce higher levels of compounds such as Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS), which can cause aromas of cooked cabbage, canned corn, and Walla Walla terroir.

This particular compound was a subject of controversy last week when Kori of Wine Peeps wrote on her blog about sending a wine from Cayuse, a well known Walla Walla Valley winery, to ETS labs to test for flaws. She claims the results show that Cayuse is inherently flawed, due to higher than normal levels of DMS (312 micrograms per liter). She also notes that the VA was slightly above sensory threshold and the pH was “high” – although neither number was provided.

Walla Walla Valley

Yes, Cayuse wines do have a high pH, as do many red wines produced in Washington. I supposed this means that Christophe Baron could have dumped in a few kilograms of tartaric acid to compensate for the natural result of growing wine grapes in the Walla Walla Valley. And to prevent high levels of DMS he could have added a commercial yeast strain and nutrients to help along the fermentation.

Had Christophe done this I’m sure the wine would still be good, as his vineyards are nothing short of awesome, but they wouldn’t be the same. Cayuse is one of very few Washington (OK, technically Oregon) wineries creating a unique product that gets me excited. To suggest that these wines are flawed because they are different than his neighbors is exactly what I can’t stand about the current state of the wine industry. The numbers don’t matter – the wines are distinctive and many are among the best I’ve ever tasted. I highly doubt that Christophe is too concerned over this accusation, either. It’s unlikely the seven year waiting list for his wines will suddenly crumble – I know I’m not giving up my spot. Does this mean Christophe could declare, “I fought the flaw and the wine won”? That doesn’t work as well as I had hoped.

When the day comes where all wines are treated as chemistry projects the entire industry should be considered flawed, and I’ll start looking for a new career.

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P.S – thanks to Ben Simons of Vinotology for bringing this issue to my attention, and thanks to Ed Thralls of Wine Tonite! for taking my orphan chair. Not my chair, not my problem, that’s what I say.

Blackwood Canyon Vintners: Driven Mad by Terroir?

Visiting Blackwood Canyon was something on my to do list for quite some time. The other day, as luck would have it, I found myself in the immediate area and thought it was time to give it a shot.

First off you drive about a mile down this beat up winding road surrounded by a vineyard that looks like it’s either mostly dead or out of a Grimm’s fairy tale. Signs continue to tell you to keep going and you’re almost there. Upon arrival at the winery you find something that seems as though it would fit nicely into a Texas Chainsaw Massacre set rather than set in the scenic hills of Red Mountain. The barrels are aging outside exposed to the elements and are sun bleached and gray. Feeling somewhat apprehensive at this point and not sure whether or not to leave the car, I mustered up the courage and set forth towards the tasting room doors. My apprehension was due to the fact that most of my colleagues who have spoken about Blackwood Canyon have always discussed it as if it’s a mythological creature rather than a real winery.

Meeting the winemaker M. Taylor Moore was a experience all in its own: a man with a somewhat gruff exterior and a beard for the ages. To call him a mad scientist might be the best way to put it. However, after talking with him for a while I realized that though he may have his quirks and may be what some people may call crazy, underneath all that you find a individual who has great passion for what he is doing and what he is doing is super, ultra, insane, over-the-top traditional wine making techniques. Looking in the winery you see a place that would fit in more in Burgundy rather than WA. By America’s winery standards this place was filthy but in Burgundy it’s just what it is.

Now a little bit about the wines. I will be the first to tell you that this is not a place for the novice wine drinker; this is a place for wine geeks who will come in droves just for the experience. I tried a 20 year old chardonnay, yes you heard right, a 20 year old chardonnay that is in his current line up. The wine hit every single part of your palate — sometimes in a good way and other times in a not-so-pleasing way but always in an interesting way that made you want to take another sip. Then he brought out cheese to pair with the wines we were tasting and when the wine and the cheese were combined it was truly amazing, everything that was strange about the wine was balanced out by the flavors of the different cheeses. As some of you know the concept of wine needing to go with food is not one that I am firmly on board with. I think a great wine should be able to stand on its own. However, when these wines were paired with the cheese it all seemed to make sense.

This place was kind of like the first time you go on a roller coaster: once you realize you can survive it you want to go again. After about two and a half hours I had to make my trip back to Walla Walla. I will need to return to Blackwood Canyon in the coming weeks as I was only able to try three of their wines in my two and a half hour stay. For those of you who are extremely obsessed with finding things that are outside of the norm, seek this place out. Whether you like the wine or not I am at least promising you a memorable experience.

What Can Browne do for You?

Today is Wine Wednesday. This is insignificant, other than being an annoyance on my Twitter feed. However, in the world of the Terroirists, wine was consumed this Wednesday. In fact, this Council of Variable Members meeting proved to be the first conducted in the absence of electricity, due to a freak wind storm which descended upon Walla Walla. Luckily we still had the iPhone to surf pointless internet videos dealing with socially adept unicorns.

2006 Browne Family Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

Armed with our candles, we set out to rate this wine. During this process we discussed the writing of our manifesto, which is expected to be published within a week. We also decided that for this and future CoVM’s everyone should be required to drink a glass before submitting a score. There is no need to rush in the wine world… would you meet a dude and judge his entire life in 2 minutes? Probably, but that’s not fair when it comes to wine. We figure 10 minutes gives a much better snapshot.

This cab is made by the same peeps who create Waterbrook, one of Walla Walla’s oldest and largest wineries, founded in 1984. Might as well Jump. Coming in at $50, it certainly stands above the rest of the crowd at Precept brands, who now owns Waterbrook. The wine is tasty, and in fact it is the first wine ever to score 90 points in a Council meeting. I was not alone in feeling that the wine is over-oaked, and it wouldn’t surprise me nor Eric if at least one of those barrels was American. Coconut abounds, and the mid-palate leaves more to be desired, but I would not want it any other way.

Mike’s score: 91
Eric’s score:90
Steven’s score: 89 (unblind)

Council of Variable Members score: 90

Constant over-stimulation numbs my palate, and that is the case with this wine. It should be noted that it was more popular than the other unlabeled wine which was occupying a strikingly similar position on the table, and if this were the case quite often one would not be surprised so much as complacent.

Long-Awaited Cork Dorks Report

Due to five days without internet the report on last week’s Cork Dorks United event is largely overdue. Tonight I remedy this situation.

In continuing with the tradition, Cork Dorks of 2010 which do not involve a free dinner remain very poorly attended. For this reason, CDU meetings are now open to all readers of the blog who can establish a physical presence in Walla Walla on the appropriate night. Last Sunday a few of us enjoyed three white wines of great diversity. We should get mad tax breaks from this one.

1st Place: 2009 Evan Lewandowski Tocai Friulano & Arneis

I suppose this requires some explaining. On my Sonoma trip I stopped into a place called Quivira, and it just so happened that the assistant winemaker had spent some time in Walla Walla. He sent me home with a couple of bottles of his own wine — a 50/50 blend of Friulano and Arneis grown in what I want to say is Mendocino County, but don’t quote me on that. This wine was so interesting and mystical that it managed to beat out… well… two other white wines. It’s unfined, unfiltered, full malo-lactic, early-picked goodness, and I’m ok with that.

2nd Place: 2007 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay

This wine definitely suffered from Walla Wallan ABC tendencies. Despite being a Chardonnay the wine is quite acceptable, and I had to give it the nod over Eric’s Wisconsin wine even if I really tried to like that better. This wine is voluptuous, unctuous, decadent, and slutty. It deserves some respect for being a very nice wine, but its style is not something any members of the tasting panel are accepting of.

3rd Place: 2008 Wollersheim “Prairie Fume” Seyval Blanc

First of all, I must respect the witty “Prairie Fume” title given to this wine. It’s humorously far removed from a Pouilly-Fume, and I have to wonder how many consumers of this wine understand the reference. My bet is on fewer than those who actually spent money to see Dumb and Dumberer in theaters. There are a few problems with the wine. The first is that after some online research I have discovered that the grapes were grown in New York. The second is that the wine is just finished too sweet, but maybe that caters to the Midwest palate (no offense, Indiana). Regardless, it’s still better than Muscadine sparkling wine being sold as American Champagne in North Carolina, and it was a pretty solid accompaniment to Scott’s spicy chicken curry. I finally returned his Tupperware, too.

The next Cork Dorks United has yet to be conceived due to the Terroirists Birthday Bash which will be held on April 17. Good wines and better beer is sure to be involved.

Cabernet Franc: Like a horde of Norman invaders down the gullet