Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/637107
{ SOMMjournal.com } 77 This is something that rarely happens in winemaking, but note that Daniel is only able to do this as a result of the unique terroir of the Adelaida District AVA. Again though, I knew this already. What I was sort of embarrassed not to know is that Paso Robles has more calcareous soil than any other California region and also has the greatest diurnal range of any premium California region. Bordering the northeast corner of the Adelaida District is another Paso AVA called the San Miguel District. This is where the J. Lohr 2008 Cuvée PAU is from, and tasting this after the DAOU Cab was a fascinating comparison. I found the J. Lohr to be an incredibly rich, gratifying experience. "A very high-alcohol wine at 15.6%, but really well balanced. This soil is very similar to what you've find in Pauillac," said Eric Hemer. Tasting these two high-end Paso Cabs felt like a comparison between wines from the Left Bank and Right Bank of Bordeaux. Still in the New World but from another hemisphere, the other stand-out red was the Henschke 2012 Mount Edelstone Shiraz. Aaron Ridgeway, National Sales Manager for Negociants USA, was on the panel repre - senting Eden Valley, Australia. "What's really exciting about this wine," says Aaron, "is that you're going back to the beginning of the entire Australian wine industry." The vines of Mt Edelstone are over 100 years old. In fact, the history of the Eden Valley goes back to 1847, and the second wine we tasted from Aaron—the Pewsey 2015Vale Riesling—can even be traced back to the original cuttings brought into Australia. This was a striking example of dry Eden Valley Riesling: lemon- lime on the nose and palate, but also white flowers, talcum and a thyme-like finish. Aaron's testament to terroir was similar to Christopher's emphasis of climate in Touraine. "We've been trying to grow Pinot Noir in the cooler climate of Eden Valley for very long time, and it's an extremely compelling argument for terroir that you just can't make Pinot Noir anywhere in the Barossa Valley. In our company there is a single vineyard called Heggies—we tried for 25 years to make Pinot there and the vineyard just said, 'No way,' so now it's all about Riesling and Chardonnay. We think this may be attributed to the high variation in temperature swings, then of course, things like humidity." Frankly, I'm glad the Pinot never took, otherwise I may never have gotten to enjoy this Pewsey Vale Riesling. The last area we visited and one of the most persuasive case studies for terroir is in Jerez, Spain. The accent of the terribly charming Export Manager of Gonzalez Byass, Christopher Canale-Parola, may sound like he comes from one the historically famous three British Port-producing families, but he doesn't. "Especially when we talk about Sherry, we're talking about two terroirs: the terroir of the vineyard and then the terroir of the bodega, because these wines are aged for so long in the winery. In fact, some would be bold enough to say the terroir of Sherry is the terroir of the winery . . . The bodegas are built like cathedrals, with the high ceilings to keep the cellars quite cool during the solera aging under flor yeast There's a dusty sand on the floor and that's used for humidity control, so you really have to tap into the environment of the bodegas to at least understand part of the Sherry's terroir." The first Sherry we tasted, the Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe En Rama, was a reflection of just this environment. Aged in solera under the flor yeast for a minimum of four years, then bottled when the flor is healthiest. This wine, tasting of ripe apple and almonds, is not to be treated unfairly, as we often tend to do with Sherry . . . The second wine was the light and nutty Gonzalez Byass Palo Cortado Apostoles V.O.R.S, and after the Teo Pepe, it was a fascinating way to show us the differ - ence between a biologically aged wine and an o xidized wine. In either case though, neither of these the wines would not be possible without the famous bright white albariza soil. During the winter, the moisture-retentive albariza sucks up all the rain. Then during the dry and hot growing season it bakes and forms a crust that allows the vine roots to search for water trapped below. As Brian Cronin, MS puts it, "When you consider the magic of the flor compounded with albariza soil, how can you say that terroir doesn't exist?" See page 116 for Part II of this report.