Volcanic terroir

[Bill_H_o_o_p_e_r]

Much of the Willamette Valley
Forst in the Pfalz
Hawaii

Cheers,
Bill

[Ryan_M]

Thanks to everyone for the input so far! Glad to see it has generated such interest - might be a fun offline - if you happen to be in the Kansas City area and are interested, let me know!

[John_Morris]

The Rangen vineyard in Alsace is volcanic: CLOS SAINT URBAIN, RANGEN DE THANN GRAND CRU in Thann | Zind-Humbrecht

Some vineyards in the southern part of Montalcino, including those around Mount Amiato, have at least partly volcanic soils.

[Larry_P]

FYI a mailer from North Berkeley Wine went out today featuring Murgo, a methode champenoise sparkler from Etna, made from Nerello Mascalese. Should be a great starter for your tasting. They have a good Taurasi selection too.

[brigcampbell]

@Todd Hamina

Dundee Hills.

Lots of red dirt

[brigcampbell]

@brodie thomson

Santorini Assyrtiko is a great example

More red dirt

[Ian_Brand]

The pinnacles over Chalone are the remnants of an old volcano.

[Kirk.Grant]

Patricia Green has a Volcanic Soils Pinot Noir from Oregon. I’d snap up one of those…I’d expect that they show quite well.

[Tvrtko_C]

@Larry P

FYI a mailer from North Berkeley Wine went out today featuring Murgo, a methode champenoise sparkler from Etna, made from Nerello Mascalese. Should be a great starter for your tasting. They have a good Taurasi selection too.

The Murgo sparklers are excellent, particularly the Rosato (both are vintage dated). They have an Extra-Brut as well which, although good, I found a little less successful. Great QPR too.
In my opinion, however, the best sparkling wine on Etna is made by Destro. Their 2010 Sassanigra is absolutely stunning and a credible contender for the best sparkling wine I have ever had that wasn’t Champagne.

[Larry_P]

@Tvrtko C.

@Larry P

FYI a mailer from North Berkeley Wine went out today featuring Murgo, a methode champenoise sparkler from Etna, made from Nerello Mascalese. Should be a great starter for your tasting. They have a good Taurasi selection too.

The Murgo sparklers are excellent, particularly the Rosato (both are vintage dated). They have an Extra-Brut as well which, although good, I found a little less successful. Great QPR too.
In my opinion, however, the best sparkling wine on Etna is made by Destro. Their 2010 Sassanigra is absolutely stunning and a credible contender for the best sparkling wine I have ever had that wasn’t Champagne.

Thanks for the opinion. Inspired by this thread, I dropped by North Berkeley today and picked up a mixed case including the Murgo (a few vintages of both the rosato and the brut, they were out of extra-brut) and some Aglianico del Vulture from Macarico and Serra del Prete.

Love this thread - wine geek supreme!

[Carl_Steefel]

Interesting contrast would be wines from volcanic soils contrasted with those not, but with essentially the same micro-climate. Some of the Rieslings grown on basalt from Germany (which Terry Thiese often writes about) contrasted with slate.

Gabbros is a coarse-grained “plutonic” (subsurface) version of basalt, so chemically the same, but texturally different. The different texture might result in a soil that is different due to the way it decomposes during weathering (affecting mainly the hydrologic or drainage characteristics of the soil).

One thing about basalt is its dark color means that the soil can result in adsorption of heat which then radiates well into the evening/night. I have heard this discussed as part of the reason why Red Mountain in Washington (home to Tapteil, Klipsun, etc) are distinctive. Same presumably applies to some of the higher elevation vineyards on Mt. Etna, where the degrees days can be effectively extended.

A rhyolite is compositionally the same as a granite, so quite different from a basalt (rhyolite has lower Ca, Fe, Mg, higher silica). So this is a case where the chemistry of the resulting soils might make an interesting contrast…

[Chuck_Anderson]

Corsica?

Ah, someone else had a similar idea.

[Rob_Hansult]

@Carl Steefel

Interesting contrast would be wines from volcanic soils contrasted with those not, but with essentially the same micro-climate. Some of the Rieslings grown on basalt from Germany (which Terry Thiese often writes about) contrasted with slate.

Gabbros is a coarse-grained “plutonic” (subsurface) version of basalt, so chemically the same, but texturally different. The different texture might result in a soil that is different due to the way it decomposes during weathering (affecting mainly the hydrologic or drainage characteristics of the soil).

One thing about basalt is its dark color means that the soil can result in adsorption of heat which then radiates well into the evening/night. I have heard this discussed as part of the reason why Red Mountain in Washington (home to Tapteil, Klipsun, etc) are distinctive. Same presumably applies to some of the higher elevation vineyards on Mt. Etna, where the degrees days can be effectively extended.

A rhyolite is compositionally the same as a granite, so quite different from a basalt (rhyolite has lower Ca, Fe, Mg, higher silica). So this is a case where the chemistry of the resulting soils might make an interesting contrast…

Carl,

Some interesting tasting ideas.

You’re correct about basalt adding degree-days (just a way of measuring total heat summation over a 24 hour period, & an entire season) & speeding up ripening by dark soil absorbing more heat, & radiating it into the vine micro-climate.

A soil won’t necessarily retain that heat longer after sunset merely because of dark color, though. It’s the texture of the soil that’s more important in allowing a soil to retain heat longer. Stony/rocky (larger rocks retain heat longer than smaller particles) soils (independent of color) retain heat longer.

Warmer nights speed up ripening (more acidity is respired); cooler nights (comparatively) slow ripening (even though no photosynthesis takes place at night, obviously).

Dark soils also confer ripening advantages late season, especially in cool climates, or a “poor” year in a warmer climate.

Terroir: what a wonderful, flavorful, partially understood thing.

[Steve_Brickley]

Malleco, Chile. No idea of producers or quality. I have been to Southern Chile and it is dotted with volcanoes.

[GregT]

Somló was already mentioned but also Eger and much of Tokaj - Hungary is a plain surrounded by mountains, many of which are old volcanoes.

[Larry_P]

@Chuck Anderson

Corsica?

You’d think, based on geography, but actually Corsica is an uplifted chunk of granite, covered by sedimentary schist on the east side.

Maybe that’s the key to similar climate, different soil: taste Corsica vs. Sicily.

[Larry_P]

@GregT

Somló was already mentioned but also Eger and much of Tokaj - Hungary is a plain surrounded by mountains, many of which are old volcanoes.

I was thinking similarly - pretty much anywhere in the Cascades will be volcanic - Umpqua Valley, Willamette Valley, etc.

[Rob_S1]

Rangen de Thann in Alsace is volcanic. As I mentioned in the “rarest wines” thread Schoffit makes a special SGN from that site which is called Tears of Lava.

[Carl_Steefel]

@Rob Hansult

@Carl Steefel

Interesting contrast would be wines from volcanic soils contrasted with those not, but with essentially the same micro-climate. Some of the Rieslings grown on basalt from Germany (which Terry Thiese often writes about) contrasted with slate.

Gabbros is a coarse-grained “plutonic” (subsurface) version of basalt, so chemically the same, but texturally different. The different texture might result in a soil that is different due to the way it decomposes during weathering (affecting mainly the hydrologic or drainage characteristics of the soil).

One thing about basalt is its dark color means that the soil can result in adsorption of heat which then radiates well into the evening/night. I have heard this discussed as part of the reason why Red Mountain in Washington (home to Tapteil, Klipsun, etc) are distinctive. Same presumably applies to some of the higher elevation vineyards on Mt. Etna, where the degrees days can be effectively extended.

A rhyolite is compositionally the same as a granite, so quite different from a basalt (rhyolite has lower Ca, Fe, Mg, higher silica). So this is a case where the chemistry of the resulting soils might make an interesting contrast…

Carl,

Some interesting tasting ideas.

You’re correct about basalt adding degree-days (just a way of measuring total heat summation over a 24 hour period, & an entire season) & speeding up ripening by dark soil absorbing more heat, & radiating it into the vine micro-climate.

A soil won’t necessarily retain that heat longer after sunset merely because of dark color, though. It’s the texture of the soil that’s more important in allowing a soil to retain heat longer. Stony/rocky (larger rocks retain heat longer than smaller particles) soils (independent of color) retain heat longer.

Warmer nights speed up ripening (more acidity is respired); cooler nights (comparatively) slow ripening (even though no photosynthesis takes place at night, obviously).

Dark soils also confer ripening advantages late season, especially in cool climates, or a “poor” year in a warmer climate.

Terroir: what a wonderful, flavorful, partially understood thing.

I was not thinking that the dark rocks retained heat better, rather that they absorbed more during the day—difference between asphalt and light colored concrete on a street.

[PeterH]

@Larry P

@GregT

Somló was already mentioned but also Eger and much of Tokaj - Hungary is a plain surrounded by mountains, many of which are old volcanoes.

I was thinking similarly - pretty much anywhere in the Cascades will be volcanic - Umpqua Valley, Willamette Valley, etc.

Underwood Mountain, across from Hood River, is an old volcano. Soils of the Willamette and Umqua Valleys are a jumble of volcanic, sedimentary, and break up of the ice age flood debris. Many single vineyards have more than one soil type side by side, or up and down.

P Hickner