I love everything you’ve written on this topic Randy, it’s certainly the most comprehensive discussion about natural wines i’ve read so far! My only issue is the word “natural”. I teach beginning wine students at a local college and they immediately ask the question, when I bring up natural wines, does that mean everything else we’re going to taste in this class is “unnatural”? But I look at everything as a teachable moment and after reading what you wrote here, I think I’ll have a better way of explaining it now.
Thank you, Betsy! I actually laugh every time I hear the word "natural" because it reminds me of the hairdresser who cut my hair for over 20 years while I was living in Hawaii. After every cut, he always asked the exact same question, "Do you want spray or natural?" Most of the time I said "natural," but saying that never meant using hairspray was "unnatural." It just meant you were using spray. Ergo, I am absolutely mystified by anyone who would think that just because they are drinking more conventional wines, they are drinking "unnatural" wines. It just means they prefer wines made in a more controlled style to capture specific commercial profiles, nothing more, nothing less!
Nice piece, RC! I remember a library tasting at Castello Banfi around 20 years ago where Dad (Mark Chandler) and I were astonished by how many of the newer vintages tasted like they could have been from the 'new world' in that they were noticeably riper and less structured than the older wines.
I drink a lot of Bordeaux and have noticed the same phenomenon there as well - particularly since 2015. It certainly makes the wine world less interesting when so many producers are shooting for the same style (or even using the same consulting winemaker).
On the bright side and IMHO, many wines from the 2021 vintage - particularly on the Left Bank - displayed more of the 'terroir' and regional character that makes one Chateau distinguishable from another (even if they're practically neighbors like Latour & Pichon Longueville). Here's hoping that trend continues!!
Thanks, Dave! Two thoughts: I agree, ripeness of fruit profile is more indicative of "New World" thinking, but so is oak. It's so ironic that use of barrels is originally an Old World practice, but it became "New World" because of the way it became overused by Americans (as well as Australians and South Americans) starting about 50 years ago. The use of barriques was especially noticeably in Tuscany because up until then they only used larger and older wood containers for aging. Second thought: It's good news that some of the Bordelaise are returning to older styles that are less ripe and more terroir delineated. Over the past 20 or so years it seems to me that the Bordelaise have been enjoying the warming climate, which allows them to produce riper wines (the hottest vintages always used to be considered the "vintage of the century" in Bordeaux). But just because you can doesn't mean you should. Good to hear there is now a movement towards restraint!
Great point about the oak - particularly in Northern Italy. That barrique battle has caused more than one family feud! Sure makes blind tasting more difficult (and less fun) when wines from different regions taste so similar.
Let's see: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 - and now 2022, apparently? Based on the last 24 years, there's 34.28% chance that next year will be the Vintage of the Century!! ;-)
I love everything you’ve written on this topic Randy, it’s certainly the most comprehensive discussion about natural wines i’ve read so far! My only issue is the word “natural”. I teach beginning wine students at a local college and they immediately ask the question, when I bring up natural wines, does that mean everything else we’re going to taste in this class is “unnatural”? But I look at everything as a teachable moment and after reading what you wrote here, I think I’ll have a better way of explaining it now.
Thank you, Betsy! I actually laugh every time I hear the word "natural" because it reminds me of the hairdresser who cut my hair for over 20 years while I was living in Hawaii. After every cut, he always asked the exact same question, "Do you want spray or natural?" Most of the time I said "natural," but saying that never meant using hairspray was "unnatural." It just meant you were using spray. Ergo, I am absolutely mystified by anyone who would think that just because they are drinking more conventional wines, they are drinking "unnatural" wines. It just means they prefer wines made in a more controlled style to capture specific commercial profiles, nothing more, nothing less!
Nice piece, RC! I remember a library tasting at Castello Banfi around 20 years ago where Dad (Mark Chandler) and I were astonished by how many of the newer vintages tasted like they could have been from the 'new world' in that they were noticeably riper and less structured than the older wines.
I drink a lot of Bordeaux and have noticed the same phenomenon there as well - particularly since 2015. It certainly makes the wine world less interesting when so many producers are shooting for the same style (or even using the same consulting winemaker).
On the bright side and IMHO, many wines from the 2021 vintage - particularly on the Left Bank - displayed more of the 'terroir' and regional character that makes one Chateau distinguishable from another (even if they're practically neighbors like Latour & Pichon Longueville). Here's hoping that trend continues!!
Thanks, Dave! Two thoughts: I agree, ripeness of fruit profile is more indicative of "New World" thinking, but so is oak. It's so ironic that use of barrels is originally an Old World practice, but it became "New World" because of the way it became overused by Americans (as well as Australians and South Americans) starting about 50 years ago. The use of barriques was especially noticeably in Tuscany because up until then they only used larger and older wood containers for aging. Second thought: It's good news that some of the Bordelaise are returning to older styles that are less ripe and more terroir delineated. Over the past 20 or so years it seems to me that the Bordelaise have been enjoying the warming climate, which allows them to produce riper wines (the hottest vintages always used to be considered the "vintage of the century" in Bordeaux). But just because you can doesn't mean you should. Good to hear there is now a movement towards restraint!
Great point about the oak - particularly in Northern Italy. That barrique battle has caused more than one family feud! Sure makes blind tasting more difficult (and less fun) when wines from different regions taste so similar.
Let's see: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 - and now 2022, apparently? Based on the last 24 years, there's 34.28% chance that next year will be the Vintage of the Century!! ;-)