terroir

The word terroir may seem a bit pretentious to some. This may be because of it’s perceived affected “Frenchy” pronunciation or because initially the only people who talked about terroir were in the wine industry or were wine snobs showing off their substantial knowledge of all things wine related.

However, there is something to say about the terroir of each different appellation and even further, of each individual vineyard. In the past years, many different appellations have been classified in California due their unique terroir, which proves that their soil, weather, conditions, etc are different enough from their neighbors to warrant their very own growing region. While this makes it harder and harder for the general public to figure out a wine bottle-it also speaks for some of the different qualities we find in wines from these areas.

As far as I’m concerned-I don’t NEED to know about the terroir of a vineyard where the grapes were grown for the wines I drink most nights at home. But I do WANT to know.  And if I were attending a wine tasting for a certain region or country, I might want to delve a little deeper and get to know exactly what differences in ‘nature’ (think nature vs. nurture) were present for these wines before they became, well….. wines. How much does the nature vs the nurture (winemaking procedures, oaking, ageing, etc) differentiate these wines when they are the final product?

I can taste the difference in a wine that has been French Oaked vs. American oaked. I can taste the difference in high alcohol/low alcohol and sugar content. But-can I taste the difference in how the grapes were grown?
At Michel-Schlumberger we think: Yes. Terroir definitely plays a major role in our wines quality and it’s taste once in the bottle. In fact, we have quite our own little unique terroir on the estate. There are so many variations in our 100 acre vineyard sites. Some places are a little cooler or warmer, some are a higher elevation or different soil or mineral content in the soil…….. How do we choose where to grow what, and what effects are we looking for in the wine when we make these choices?

We’ll have more information on this in the next blogs…in the meantime, what are your thoughts?  Is the concept of terroir relevant or unimportant?

Harvest is a great time to visit Michel-Schlumberger.  And to encourage our online friends to venture out off the beaten track in Dry Creek Valley, we have a special promotion. From now until the end of October, our Vertical Tasting or Green Tour is free to anyone who mentions they heard about it online. Just call 800.447.3060 to make an appointment and tell us where you heard about it… here on the blog, on Facebook, Twitter, Pownce or Friendfeed.

The Vertical Tasting showcases our reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from vintages 1998, 1999 and 2000. One of the wonderful things about having Estate wines is that all the fruit comes only from our estate.  As a result, you really get to taste true vintage differences. What was happening in 1998 (cold, rainy), 1999 (long, long, long, cool season), & 2000 (vibrant, complex vintage) and how did that environment impact the wines?  Taste the absolute art of the winemaker, the essence of our terroir, and the subtleties of vintage in this tasting of the best wines our Estate can produce.  This is a guided tasting that allows you to compare and contrast these wines side-by-side in our tasting salon. We usually charge $25 per person for this tasting but it’s free to our online friends for the rest of this season.

Our Green Tour was featured in Sunset magazine this year and is given at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Enjoy this extraordinary in-depth tour of our eco-friendly Estate learning about our organic garden, abundant wildlife, Wine Creek restoration, sustainable winegrowing and more. Stroll to the top of our benchland vineyards to take in the breathtaking vista of Dry Creek Valley, our serene lake and the blocks of our different varietals. The tour ends at a hillside table, with a panoramic view, and enjoy a guided tasting of our award winning Estate wines including our new Deux Terres Cabernet. While you’re sipping this reserve wine you can behold the very block of the vineyard that produced the grapes for this extraordinary blend. This tour is a $30 value, again free to our online friends.

We’re hoping to see several of our online friends here as we continue harvest. Just give us a call at 800.447.3060 to make your reservation and mention you heard about it here. One free tour or tasting per visit, please.  Come see what everyone is talking about!

One of the unique features of Michel Schlumberger are the hillsides, and whenever we take people up one of our hills it’s just the beginning of a visceral experience into how wine is grown here.  It’s kind of steep and you do have to get in gear a bit to make it to the top but once you do, the view is amazing.  I tell folks about how our vineyard crew, our winemaker and our viticulturalist have to hike up and down these hills everyday.  They get quite a workout no doubt.

This type of leg work is crucial for growing high quality vines.  Mike and I were driving around wine country yesterday and we saw a vineyard manager just cruising around the vineyard in his truck, windows rolled up and AC on for sure.  That’s one of the beauties of hillside farming.  It’s too steep for anything but feet.

Welcome to the Benchland Blog, the official blog of Michel-Schlumberger, a Benchland Wine Estate high on the hillsides above Dry Creek Valley!

If this is your first exposure to Michel-Schlumberger, welcome aboard.  If you are an old friend of ours, welcome to a new facet of the Estate.  You are invited to ‘discover’ Michel-Schlumberger in a dialogue posted here with members of our team - hopefully this will lead  you to discover us in person up at this incredible Estate.  We are located on the Western edge of Dry Creek Valley, high up in the hills in a natural amphitheater well off the beaten trail.  Trust me, it is one of the most special places on earth!

Our physical estate consists of two ranches totaling 100 acres.  About 83 of those are planted to 15 different varietals, farmed organically on steep hillsides overlooking Dry Creek Valley.  Geologically, geographically, and climatically, when it comes to terroir…we have it in spades!  As Winemaker Mike Brunson says, “You can’t beat the terroir out this place with a stick.”

But as distinct as our physical terroir is, and as complex and identifiable the wines born of this Estate are, our ‘cultural’ terroir may be the thing that brings you back to the winery over and over again, and drive you to bring friends with you as you share in your new discovery.

The Estate is vibrant and alive as we care for our organic garden, tend to our bees, pick and press our olives, station our mobile chicken coop throughout the vineyard, herd sheep to mow our native grasses without machines, work to restore Wine Creek (a creek flowing through our Estate that is one of the few remaining native Salmon & Steelhead spawning creeks in Sonoma County), feature the work of local artists in our Tasting Salon, promote locally grown foods at our special events, stage local musicians on Friday evenings in the Summer, and of course, tour the Estate & taste some truly world class wines.

At the heart of all of this is our people.  And our people will be the heart of this blog — you’ll meet Tony – our Vineyard Biologist and Organic Mentor; Mike — Winemaker & Organic Vineyardist making unparalleled wines from an unparalleled Estate; Jay — the head of tours, tastings and all things Retail; Brooke — Event Coordinator to the stars and all around ‘party expert’; and a host of others who make up the finest winery team ever assembled (ok — I’m slightly biased).  And of course we’ll hear from Jacques Schlumberger - proprietor of Michel-Schlumberger, visionary of the Estate, and passionate wine lover, bee-keeper & Franco-phile.

To me, there is no place on Earth like Michel-Schlumberger.  You are cordially invited to experience us virtually in this blog, physically at the winery, and spiritually every time you open and enjoy a bottle of our wine.

Welcome to the Benchland Blog — come on up — the view is great!