Red Wines White wines

Mount Etna

I am obsessed with Igneous soils, especially born of the volcano. And more often than not, I find I am drawn to wines that come from them. Volcanic wines have a very specific texture; sometimes an ashiness, sometimes it’s a “nervous sensation”. Coming from the Earth’s core, Basalt stones were filled with iron, which impacts energy. Whether true or imagined, there’s a rusty, edgy ash with almost oxidized acidity in some of my favorite basalt-grown wines.
QuantityWine Vintage
WCalabretta, Cappuccio Etna Rosso2011
WPietro Caciorgna, Ciaurìa, Nerello Mascalese, Etna Rosso2018
1Benanti, Etna rosso2016
1Vino di Anna “Jeudi 15” Rosso2019

Canary Islands

I am obsessed with Igneous soils, especially born of the volcano. And more often than not, I find I am drawn to wines that come from them. Volcanic wines have a very specific texture; sometimes an ashiness, sometimes it’s a “nervous sensation”. Coming from the Earth’s core, Basalt stones were filled with iron, which impacts energy. Whether true or imagined, there’s a rusty, edgy ash with almost oxidized acidity in some of my favorite basalt-grown wines.
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Willamete Valley

I am obsessed with Igneous soils, especially born of the volcano. And more often than not, I find I am drawn to wines that come from them. Volcanic wines have a very specific texture; sometimes an ashiness, sometimes it’s a “nervous sensation”. Coming from the Earth’s core, Basalt stones were filled with iron, which impacts energy. Whether true or imagined, there’s a rusty, edgy ash with almost oxidized acidity in some of my favorite basalt-grown wines.
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Campania

Pumice and Ash soils are rich in iron.
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Alto Piemonte

Somewhere in between basalt and granite is another form of igneous rock that comes from fire: tuff. Tuff is rich in silica and iron and contains larger crystals of quartz in a fine-grained matrix. Wines from Boca and Bramaterra in Alto Piemonte are extremely exciting in that they contain elements like silica and boron (found in Mount Etna) and partnered with minerality and tension found in granite.
QuantityWineVintage
WVallana, Boca2015

Northern Rhone

Granite is associated with an edgy structure and tang of acidity and freshness. The high potassium levels in granite softens the acid in the wines (unlike calcium carbonate in limestone/chalk which adds a sharpness). Granite means that there is lots of quartz. And Quartz means energy! The resulting wine is always a little drier and the sensation of raspiness is felt more in the back of the mouth, often with a nervous, high pitched, sensation.
QuantityWineVintage
WBois Prieur Domaine Rémi Niero, Saint Joseph2017

Cru Beaujolais

Granite is associated with an edgy structure and tang of acidity and freshness. The high potassium levels in granite softens the acid in the wines (unlike calcium carbonate in limestone/chalk which adds a sharpness). Granite means that there is lots of quartz. And Quartz means energy! The resulting wine is always a little drier and the sensation of raspiness is felt more in the back of the mouth, often with a nervous, high pitched, sensation.
QuantityWineVintage
WLouis Jadot, Château des Jacques, Moulin-a-Vent2009

Burgundy & Jura

Limestone is something that you first sense up front in the mouth, on the tip of the tongue, and it invites a long finish with leaner structure. Made from decomposed bodies from mollusks to fish to coral, it is made of minerals aragonite and calcium carbonate (the latter giving wine high, sharp acidity).
QuantityWineVintage
2Tissot, DD Cuvee 2018
1Tissot, Singulier 2017
1Tissot, Singulier2016

Chinon & Bourgueil

Limestone is something that you first sense up front in the mouth, on the tip of the tongue, and it invites a long finish with leaner structure. Made from decomposed bodies from mollusks to fish to coral, it is made of minerals aragonite and calcium carbonate (the latter giving wine high, sharp acidity).
QuantityWineVintage
1Domaine de la Noblaie, Chinon2017

Marche

Marl is calcium carbonate or lime-rich mudstone which contains variable amounts of clay and limestone. I’m no expert, but I’m guessing the impact on wine differs depending where it sits on this scale: Marly limestone (95 to 75 % limestone), Calcareous marl (75 to 65 % limestone), Marl (65 to 35 % limestone), Clay (ish) marl (35 to 25 % limestone), Marly clay (25 to 5 % limestone).
QuantityWineVintage
1Fattoria San Lorenzo, Artù, Marche2013

Piemonte

Marl is calcium carbonate or lime-rich mudstone which contains variable amounts of clay and limestone. I’m no expert, but I’m guessing the impact on wine differs depending where it sits on this scale: Marly limestone (95 to 75 % limestone), Calcareous marl (75 to 65 % limestone), Marl (65 to 35 % limestone), Clay (ish) marl (35 to 25 % limestone), Marly clay (25 to 5 % limestone).
QuantityWineVintage
1Fontanafredda Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba2016
1Mirafiore Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba2016
1Barolo Ornato, Pio Cesare, Serralunga d’Alba2016
2Barolo Mosconi, Anselma, Montforte d’ Alba2016
2
Barolo Bussia Dardi le Rose, Poderi Colla, Montforte d’ Alba2016
1Castello di Perno, Montforte d’ Alba2016
1Marchesi di Barolo, Barolo del Cannubi2016
1Marchesi di Barolo, Barolo del Commune2016
1Vite Colte Barolo di Barolo Essenze2016
1Sordo Barolo Gabutti, Castiliogne Falletto2016
1Paulo Scavino, Castiliogne Falletto2016
1
Barolo Rocche dell’ Annunziata, Renato Ratti, La Morra2016
1Guasti Clemente, Barbaresco2016
1Pita Luigi, Langhe Nebbiolo2019

Rioja

Marl is calcium carbonate or lime-rich mudstone which contains variable amounts of clay and limestone. I’m no expert, but I’m guessing the impact on wine differs depending where it sits on this scale: Marly limestone (95 to 75 % limestone), Calcareous marl (75 to 65 % limestone), Marl (65 to 35 % limestone), Clay (ish) marl (35 to 25 % limestone), Marly clay (25 to 5 % limestone).
QuantityWineVintage
WLa Rioja Alta, Viña Ardanza, Rioja Reserva2008
1Hacienda López de Haro Reserva2018
1Bohorquez Reserva Ribera Del Duero2010
1Can Axartell Callet2016
14 Killos Callet2016
0Viña Zorzal, Graciano2019

Lombardy

In an area called Valtellina, Nebbiolo grapes (called Chiavannescca here) grow on tiny terraces as high as 2,500 feet above sea level, on slopes that are perilously steep. Clay, loam, sand and gravel form the soil in various compositions at different locations, impacting the wines in different ways. Sandro Fay is mainly sandy (about 70%) and silt (18%) resulted from crumbled granitic formations.
QuantityWineVintage
1Sandro Fay, Valtellina Carteria2015
1Balgera, Valtellina Superiore ‘Sassella’2007

Pomerol

The clay soils in Pomerol are unique. The types of clay found in Pomerol are what gives many of the wines its sensuous, rich and opulent character. Clay is produced from degraded limestone, which explains why you often find limestone and clay located in the same terroir. The best estates are located on what is referred to as the Pomerol plateau. The terroir of the Pomerol plateau is filled with different types of clay, gravel and iron deposits in the soil.
QuantityWineVintage
WChateau Enclos, Pomerol2006
1Chateau La Pointe2014
1Chateau La Croix Chantecaille 2013

Tasmania

The most successful wines from Tasmania has been on the brown and red soils developed from both dolerite and basalt. The soils on dolerite offer stony, shallow, free-draining and warm soils suitable for long ripening. Tamar Valley (Glaetzer-Dixon) is gravelly basalt on a clay and limestone base.
QuantityWineVintage
2Glaetzer-Dixon “Avance”, Pinot Noir2017

Left Bank Bordeaux

Bordeaux’s Left Bank has a gravelly top soil which also has a layer of limestone bedrock. This stony top soil makes the each vine reach down deep for nutrients, creating muscular wines with high extract of flavors and dense color.
QuantityWineVintage
2Château Clauzet, St Estephe2009
1Chateau Peyrabon2009
2Reserve de la Comtesse2016
WChâteau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac2000

Northern Greece

If a wine is good enough for Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite, it’s good enough for me. On the slopes of Mount Olympus, the region of Rapsani grows the red grapes of Xinomavro on schist-dominant soils. In Naoussa, vineyards are located predominantly on limestone-rich clay soils (marl), which gives this region’s Xinomavro wines additional structure (tannin) and bolder fruit characteristics. Naoussa wines must be 100% Xinomavro, but Rapsani additionally has Krassato and Stavroto – normally all three varieties in roughly equal parts I believe.
QuantityWineVintage
2Rapsani Terra Petra Thymiopoulos2018
1Apostolos Thymiopoulos2017
1Jeunes Vignes Thymiopoulos2019
WDalamara Naoussa 2017

Chianti Classico & Montalcino

QuantityWineVintage
1Piemaggio, Le Fioraie, Chianti Classico Riserva, Sangiovese, Tuscany2012
1Caparsino Chianti Classico Risera2014
1Innocenti Vino Nobile di Montepulciano2014
WCarrobio2014
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