Lago Lomita Vineyards

Terroir. You hear that term thrown around in the wine business, but what does it mean? The French translation is “a sense of place,” but what is that, and what does it have to do with wine? It turns out, a lot. The climate, soil, and topography of the Santa Cruz Mountains create a unique character in the wine that comes from our area. It cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Wine enthusiasts know that the terroir of our mountains is what makes our wines great. In 1855, Napoleon III requested a ranking of France’s best wines and designated their vineyards as Grand Cru. The 33 Grand Cru vineyards represent the highest classification of vineyards in France.

We took a terroir class taught by the Bordeaux Sciences Agro Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Bordeaux, France. In the class, we learned from some of the vineyard managers and winemakers of the Grand Cru vineyards. Soil’s contribution depends on the obvious factors of rainfall, drainage, and nutrient availability. One Grand Cru vineyard dug several trenches and showed us the layers of clay and sand in the soil. In one area, the vines became stunted in the middle of the summer rains. They figured out that during the year, the roots grew down deeper in the soil, and through the clay layers. When the summer rains came, the clay swelled so much that the roots several feet deep would be choked off or die. The vines in the sandy loam area were thriving.

They set up a blind tasting of four wines from grapes in the same vineyard. Two were Cabernet Sauvignon and two were Merlot. First, we were asked to identify which of the wines were Cabernet Sauvignon and which were Merlot. Then, we were asked to identify which of each type of wine was from the sandy area or the clay area of the vineyard.

The entire class of over 35 wine professionals judged that the two wines grown in sandy areas were Merlot, and the two grown in clay were Cabernet Sauvignon. The terroir made two wines made from distinctly different grapes taste like they were the same.

Over the course of the class, we repeated tastings for factors like rainfall, drainage, minerality, temperature, and sun exposure. It became clear that climate, soil, and topography have a huge impact on wine. We are fortunate to be in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mike Dunne, a wine writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote, “…how about Lago Lomita Vineyards, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Elevation, exposure, temperature, and all the other elements key to profound wine come together there and here – a Nebbiolo of extraordinary cherry/ berry fruit, silken texture, peppery spice, and regal bearing.”

Terroir. And some great winemaking from Peter, Paul, Jim, and Simone at Soquel Vineyards. Hey, Napoleon III, come taste our wine!