Anarchy in the Vineyards

Some day in the very distant future, there will appear wine with the designation “Rutherford” that will have no other identifying phrase and yet everyone will know it’s a wine based on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Cabernet is what the town of Rutherford is known for, and for the last few decades, since more Rutherford-area grape growers have discovered they can get more money for Cabernet grapes, out have gone the Chenin Blanc and the Riesling and in has gone more Cabernet. But as things stand today, “Rutherford” on a wine label doesn’t have to indicate Cabernet. It can mean wine from any grape grown in the area, whether that grape is suited to the land or not.

Grape vines discriminate. To put it another way, nature imposes certain constraints on grape vines, which react by growing differently in different places. The French have a term for this: terroir.

The word translates, poorly, to “soil,” but the meaning is far more complex. It is the totality of the growing regime, which includes the soil in which the grape grows as well as the microclimate of the vine, and the viticultural practices that make up the way it grows.

France has an authoritarian attitude toward terroirs. The state has ruled that certain grapes grow best in certain terroirs , and if a non-prescribed grape variety is grown in a plot of ground, wine made from it may not be sold with the terroir name, which is in effect an official designation of fine wine.

Thus if a grower in the Meursault region of Burgundy wanted to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, he would be forced to call the resulting wine merely vin de table . He would be prohibited from calling it Meursault--even if it were the best Cabernet in the country.

The French feel that the name of the region should be the wine’s calling card--the grape comes second. When you see a Meursault on a wine list, chances are very good it’s a Chardonnay (though a small amount of red wine is legally made under the name too). It cannot by law be a Cabernet.

In California, the best wines are named for the grapes that dominate their composition. By law, a Cabernet Sauvignon must consist of at least 75% of that grape variety. But our democratic government doesn’t dictate that only Cabernet may be grown in Rutherford. It frankly doesn’t care what is planted where. (In a sense, some feel, our system is more anarchistic than democratic.)

This is because the agency that regulates wine in the United States is just that--a regulator. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), a division of the Treasury Department, is more deeply concerned about drugs, guns and explosives than it is about beer and wine.

And its main activities concerning alcohol have more to do with collecting taxes and ensuring that alcoholic beverages are properly labeled than with worrying about the quality of wine. Indeed, the quality of the wine is legally not BATF’s responsibility, even though in France, Italy, Germany and a lot of other countries, entire bureaucracies are set up to protect the quality of the wine.

Don’t get the idea the European system is altruistic, intended to protect the consumer. In fact, such systems are set up to protect the industry--to make certain that the industry’s reputation remains intact and so the industry will continue to thrive.

For lack of another agency to oversee wine, it is BATF’s responsibility to certify the official wine grape-growing regions of California. On the surface, this business of approved names resembles the system in France, Italy, Germany and elsewhere, but there’s a difference. In Europe, the system is so old it’s not possible to know precisely how it came about; in California we’re making it up as we go.

Typically a grower or winery simply maps out an area he or she thinks is unique in soil and climate and maybe even historical significance. A map is drawn, some data are obtained from an outside source, and papers are submitted to BATF. BATF considers the evidence, including public comment, and if there’s no serious opposition, the appellation is granted. Poof: instant recognition for an area.

Yet that approved area might grow one grape variety very well and six to 10 different grape varieties that are all equally mediocre, and the appellation’s name is on all of the wines, the good as well as the bad. French and Italian laws don’t permit this. Some would argue that the loophole in the American system will be fixed by the marketplace. That is, after a certain amount of time, the public will determine which regions grow which grapes best, and other grapes will not be commercially viable in those regions.

How much is a regional designation worth? Today you can find a lot of wine that carries an appellation of “California.” This tells you only that the wine was made from grapes grown within the state--they could have been grown in the Napa Valley or in Death Valley. The appellation is so broad it has no meaning.

Yet if a wine says Alexander Valley on it, does that really tell you any more? Alexander Valley is a long, narrow region in northern Sonoma County that looks as if it were gerrymandered. It ranges from relatively cool areas to broiling hot ones, and because of the many terroirs that exist there, the name could show up on excellent Rieslings, Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnays, sparkling wines, Ports and anything else--some poor wines too. Clearly, the name “Alexander Valley” has little meaning unless you know what sub-region of the area the wine in question is from.

But some appellations do have specific meanings to wine lovers. Here is a short list, taken at random and not meant to be complete:

Rutherford, Oakville: Classic Napa Valley Cabernet areas, for which growers and wineries are now seeking formal approval from BATF to use on wine labels.

Carneros: An area south of both Napa and Sonoma famed for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with a growing reputation for Merlot.

Anderson Valley: Tiny slip of a valley in western Mendocino County whose cold climate grows great Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Noir, good Chardonnays, and which recently has shown potential for Zinfandel and sparkling wine.

Mount Veeder: A mountain region on southwestern Napa slopes that makes elegant Chardonnays and powerful Cabernets.

Spring Mountain: A steeply pitched hillside west of St. Helena yielding potent Cabernets and Zinfandels.

Santa Cruz Mountains: A rugged coastal range that makes chunky Pinot Noirs, intense Chardonnays and deep, concentrated Cabernets.

Sonoma Valley: Northwest of Carneros and the town of Sonoma, the Valley of the Moon produces intensely scented Chardonnays; elegant, complex Merlots; and there are pockets that do wonderfully with Cabernet, Zinfandel and Riesling.

Diamond Mountain: A northwestern Napa area, steep and rock-filled, that makes huge, potent Cabernets.

Sonoma Mountain: Unique hilly, multi-soiled region that makes elegant, complex Cabernets.

Clarksburg: Rich bottomland region near the Sacramento River Delta northeast of San Francisco that produces wonderfully complex Chenin Blancs.

Lodi: Warmer region south of Sacramento, home to lush Zinfandels.

Livermore Valley: Between Oakland and Stockton, a windy region home to elegant Sauvignon Blancs, Semillons and Rieslings.

Santa Barbara County: North of Los Angeles, a region ripe for great Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, with great Riesling in pockets.

Monterey County: Cool, windy area south of San Jose that does well with Riesling, Gewurztraminer and recently with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Dry Creek Valley: The northern Sonoma region best suited for spectacular Zinfandels and herbal, nuanced Sauvignon Blancs.

Russian River Valley: Coolish region in western Sonoma County that produces marvelously complex Pinot Noirs and rough-hewn, delicious Zinfandels as well as lean, full-flavored Chardonnays and sparkling wines.

Sierra Foothills: East of Sacramento, a warm region that yields ripe Zinfandels and elegant Merlots with an apparent future for wonderful red Rhone-variety blends and even Italian variety wines.

If a variety is not listed for a region, it doesn’t mean the area can’t grow it well. Indeed, some of the best wine made from Russian River grapes are Gewurztraminers, but the area is better known for other wines.