New World vs Old World Wines

[wondersofwine]

Possibly the reason that zinfandel is an exception is partly because some CA zinfandel comes from very old vines. Zinfandel vineyards survived Prohibition better than cabernet sauvignon and other varietals. In countries with a longggg growing tradition such as Spain, Italy and France, the vintners have to replant vineyards eventually but try to keep a mix of older and newer vines. Other contributors are soil composition (great variety within a few acres of Burgundy or German riverbanks, etc.), perhaps clones used (although CA uses European clones too), and wine-making style. Many wine fanciers shrug off California and other New World wines as lacking "terroir"--that sense of the particular patch of earth--but I do think there is something to "Rutherford dust" in certain cabernet sauvignons and an affinity for the pinot noir varietal in an area such as the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. Some like lots of earth and/or funk in their wines--others don't care for it and want mostly fruit flavors. I fall somewhere in between, wanting obvious fruit but also more complexity from minerals (particularly in white wines), forest floor or mushroom/truffle elements (red Burgundies sometimes), etc. I like both the elegant, velvetiness of a good Volnay, and the more foresty or gamy Nuits St. Georges.