FINDING TERROIR
By Leslie-Ann Sheppard
Touring around the southern Rhone Valley in France is a true reminder and reinforcement of the concept of terroir. Aterm borrowed from the French language, terroir is used to sum up the geographic and environmental conditions of a particular place, and assumes that these conditions impart distinct characteristics onto products grown or made in that place. Translation: quality wine should show characteristics of the place in which the grapes were grown.

When tasting wine, many people try to single out distinct flavors, such as specific fruits, spices, or other kinds of foods. Perhaps the mark of a truly complex wine is that one can also taste the terroir. Of course, knowing something about the wine's place of origin can help a person appreciate these subtleties.

I've traveled to and met with many winemakers in different regions of the world, but nowhere has the terroir been so striking to me as in the southern Rhone Valley, France. We started our tour in the A.O.C. Gigondas, and the village of the same name. The French A.O.C. system is an example of an intricate government-controlled system that has named appellations for specific areas that have a common terroir. Aside from the land composition itself, within an A.O.C., only certain grapes are permitted to be planted, grown, and vinified into wine. The wine will then carry the name of the A.O.C., rather than the name of the grape or the blend, because this system holds that the end product is defined by its place of origin. Grenache grown outside of Gigondas could not be a Gigondas, just as sparkling wine made outside the Champagne A.O.C. can not be champagne.

Our two wine appointments in Gigondas each started the same way - with a walk through the vineyards. Right away, our guides- in each case, winemakers - wanted to stress the importance of the land - to see, smell, and feel the terroir of Gigondas.

Domaine du Gour du Chaule has been making wine within the same Bonfils family since 1900. They focus on growing Grenache, a red grape that thrives in the cool micro-climate that is dramatically framed by the imposing jagged 'Dentelles de Montmirail'- limestone peaks that hint at the soil composition of the Gigondas soils. Grenache is the main grape by tradition; the winemakers follow the 'rules'of the appellation that determine which grapes can be grown.

We tasted the 2006 Gigondas and the 2007 Gigondas Rose. The rouge showed concentrated red berry juice with a distinct nose- the nose of Gigondas. The sticky clay-like soil infused with limestone adds a unique minerality to this wine. The rose, made from 50% Cinsault, and the balance of Grenache and Mourvedre, was irresistibly fresh and lovely, showing strawberry notes with a lift of subtle citrus.

Next, we headed to our second visit of the day- Chateau de Saint Cosme. This estate is the oldest in Gigondas, and has been operating since the late 1400s. Again, our guide started us with a tour of the vineyard sites, including a steep climb to the small, ancient chapel on one of their prized sites. The vines here were incredible- with an average age of 60 years, they looked like gnarled people, standing in the vineyard, arms extended to the sky. Bare of any greenery aside from the first hints of bud break from this late, cool Spring, the vines stand freely, without being tied to posts or wires. They are old, sturdy, and have withstood vintage after vintage of producing fruit, of surviving all weather conditions. Here the Dentelles de Montmirail loom over the vineyards very closely; and, there is the amazing Mont Ventoux just in the near distance. The weather that day was humid, drizzly, and very cool. The smells in the air were of clay, limestone, and earth.

Chateau de Saint Cosme farms organically and vinifies their wines without the introduction of foreign yeasts, and without fining or filtration. The wines are natural. The minimal intervention allows the terroir to show through. We tasted all of their 2007 out of barrel, extracted by a 'thief'- a long medicine-dropper-like contraption, swirling and spitting in the ancient cellars. Tasting out of barrel is meant to provide an impression of the upcoming release; it is not a finished product, but can give a sense of the wine. Then we headed to the tasting room to taste the recent bottlings of the estate.

Along with their estate Gigondas, Saint Cosme also produces several other bottlings, including a Cotes du Rhone, a red table wine called 'Little James'Basket Press,'and a special Gigondas cuvee, 'Valbelle.'These are all made from estate-grown fruit. In addition, the estate also purchases grapes from several northern Rhone appellations to offer bottlings of Cote Rotie, Condrieu, and a wonderful Saint Joseph. These negociant bottlings are labeled 'Saint Cosme,'rather than 'Chateau de Saint Cosme.' All were exceptional. Tasting them side by side allowed us to really taste the differences in the appellations and even in the specific vineyard sites.

Depending on the vintage, wines from the southern Rhone appellation of Gigondas can be enjoyed within a year of release, and in a good vintage, will also age for a decade or two. Luckily, we are able to purchase these excellent wines here in Massachusetts.

I know the next time I open a bottle of Gigondas, my enjoyment will be enhanced by my memory of standing in that particular place, inhaling the distinct

aromas of this unique appellation. I

Leslie-Ann Sheppard is the owner of The Cellar, a wine and cheese shop on Surfside Road, now open for its fourth season. Look for a continuation of this 'travel memoir'in the next edition of 'Your Wine.'