A Matter of Taste - Soil: Reflections on the Basis of our Existence - page 115

Noble rot . The grapes in the photo are infected with Botrytis cinera , a fungus that can devastate a
wine harvest. But when producing wines such as Sauternes and Tokaj, the fungus is welcome and
referred to as noble rot. It causes the grapes to shrivel, which concentrates the sugar content and
delivers sweeter and more aromatic wines. These wines are also expensive, as the grapes must
be picked by hand at exactly the right time. The most exclusive wine in this category is Château
d'Yquem, which commands a price of several hundred euros per bottle
but typically watery and anonymous wine. Well-drained soil and generous sun-
light yield the best results. Based on these criteria, the Hess Collection ought to be
good: the thin soil of the Napa Valley offers excellent drainage and the strong sun-
light gives well-pigmented grapes. Perhaps Jean Michel Deiss's Alsace wines are
so good because his vines are subjected to more stress than at other vineyards. His
wineries have a considerably lower production volume than the Alsace average,
doubtless due to the harsher conditions on his land.
What could be better than brightening a dark autumn evening at home in
Sweden with a spot of Californian sunshine? I uncorked my US wines and invited
friends to a tasting with a terroir theme, adding a middling Californian blended
wine to the high-quality bottles. Each guest was given three glasses of different
wine and a blank sheet of paper to write notes on. The first wine was dark red with
a bluish tinge. All agreed it was full-bodied and rich in tannins, with a long after-
taste: a well balanced blended wine from Robert Mondavi in California and pur-
chased in Sweden. Next up was the expensive bottle from Stags Leap. It was dark
in colour, almost inky-black, and filled the palate with a taste of dark berries. The
tannins were more rounded and less astringent than the first wine. The consensus
was that it was a good wine but in no way exceptional. When we moved on to the