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Winemakers often talk of terroir; they also say, “wine is made in the vineyard.” If they aren’t presented with quality grapes, they can’t make truly distinctive wines.
While terroir encompasses the totality of the climate influences, soil, as the medium in which grapes grow, reflects the influence of all those elements while supplying its own the components of the dirt.
Consider Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. While there is a generally recognized “Napa style” pronounced fruit, lavish oak, richness, concentration, firm but supple texture there are different expressions attributable to Napa’s different appellations.
Generally, Napa appellations can be understood by distinguishing between the valley floor and the hills and mountains. Those mountains are the Vaca Range to the east and the Mayacamas to the west. Then we can differentiate among the 16 official sub-appellations.