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Transparent Winemaking: Three Wineries’ Terroir Experiment or Terroirists Don’t Wear Masks

Uniqueness is valued by humans as an integral part of self-worth, perhaps in an attempt to rationalize or transcend mortality. Maslow in his hierarchy of needs described a transcendent concept he termed "self-actualization." Wine, like traditional art forms, has the ability to elevate appreciation to that level, occasionally providing unique expressions that are repeatable, but usually only from a single source. That single source can be a gifted winemaker, or, more likely, a special, discrete plot of land over which the stars align. Serious wine lovers hone their palates for the appreciation of those special wines -- and, for the pure, ultimate expression of terroir the reason most of us journey to cool climate varietals like Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

"I Hope This One's Not Mine!" Lynn Penner-Ash, Rex Hill; Terry and Ted Casteel, Bethel Heights; and Harry taste experimental 1999 Pinot Noirs in January.

However, terroir influences can be difficult to discern in this day and age, because winemaking style is often as strong, or stronger, than terroir. Pinot noir is one of the best mirrors of terroir nuance, being a delicate, elegant and complex wine. Yet, most wineries have been guilty of occasionally yielding to a public and major publication demand for bigness, subsequently making wines that are stylistically over-oaked or over-extracted or overly manipulated in some way. Terroir has been masked. We have fallen into the trap of wanting to "do" something, to use our powerful winemaking skills rather than allowing the site to speak. It would be a poor interpreter who interjected his or her opinion, while pretending to accurately reflect the speaker.

Chehalem is taking strides to achieve a transparent winemaking style that consistently reflects site rather than the hand of our winemakers, Cheryl and me. For example, in both 1998 and 1999 winemaking emphasis required a deft, delicate touch since they were vintages where over-extraction and hugeness were likely. Ripeness criteria, fermentation temperatures, new oak percentages, whole cluster use, yeast and enzyme use, and maceration types or levels were all tweaked to minimize masking, or to maximize transparency. It is a little like composing a simple, haunting melody that stays with you rather than an easily forgot ornate, orchestral piece. It's harder to not overwork elegance. (Here's another article on terroir from a previous newsletter.)

Three-part Harmony

We are working in collaboration with our friends at Bethel Heights and Rex Hill wineries in multi-year experiments aimed at separating vineyard and winemaker influence, making wines from each other's fruit and sharing results from highly controlled trials. The experimentation began in 1996 as an International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) program element, and has been continued outside of IPNC in 1998, 1999, and 2000.

The objective is to see how different fruit is handled by three winemakers whose philosophies and techniques, although largely the same, do differ; and to see to what degree terroir is apparent in their selected approaches. We each make wines from our own and the other wineries' fruit, picked from small blocks to assure identical raw material but with no constraints on when we pick and what we do with the fruit afterwards. We sit down periodically during the year and taste the nine wines (three from each winery), tasting blind and trying to discern vineyard and winery characteristics and identity. We have shown the full 9-wine matrix to groups including Masters of Wine, Society of Wine Educators, groups in New York and San Francisco, and trade. Extra instrumental analyses are run to give as much data as possible with which to correlate tasting results.

Initial observations show distinct families of wines, although it is hard to know whether the family is vineyard or winery style. As the trials have progressed, we have shared ideas to challenge existing winemaking methods and move towards processes that let the site show through. For example, Cheryl and I obstinately held out in 1999 for later harvest on Southeast Block fruit. And Terry Casteel, although reluctant initially, was pleased with the results; Lynn Penner-Ash began questioning her selection of enzymes when she saw her fruit's extraction compared to the other two wineries'; and, Cheryl and I have reduced extraction based on finesse seen in others' wines.

Winemaking tweaks aside, expressions of fruit from specific vineyards have been very similar. The fact that floral and more delicate elements come from each Southeast Block wine, very plump fruit from the Jacob-Hart, and more dusty, briery elements from the Ridgecrest 7-Acre, speaks to unique vineyard block characteristics, especially as subsequent vintages yield similar results.

Wines Available

We are releasing a few cases of Chehalem's 1998 experimental wines so you can see for yourself what different fruit looks like in our hands. We have Bethel Heights Southeast Block, Rex Hill Jacob-Hart Vineyard and our own Ridgecrest 7-Acre Pommard Block available to Tasting Panel (Wine Club) participants initially and, with some remaining, to consumers at large.