October brought friends to Bordeaux, one of them an emeritus geology professor from San Francisco. We met Karen and Jay in Ashland, Oregon a few months before heading across the Atlantic. Wine and food, cycling and hiking, and most of all, they are two individuals who desire to explore the world, immersing themselves in all to be had including the terroir of Bordeaux.
A topic of intense discussion, terroir is often explained as a sense of place, the link between wine and origin. A multi-disciplinary concept really, drilling down to where the grapes were grown (the specific lot), and the interaction between the vines and their biological environment. Climate, soil, and environmental constraints (such as water and nitrogen) play a huge part in terroir.
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- A healthy vine leaf against gravelly soil
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- Marine fossils in limestone
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- Vines come in many shapes
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- Famous Barsac red clay and limestone soils
Karen discusses some of these elements in recent posts on her blog, Landscapes Revealed. She also included a succinct overview to help understand the wines of Bordeaux. We so enjoy her light, refreshing style of explaining complex geological processes- truly interesting and educational.
Whether you plan to visit the Bordeaux area or not, her discussions provide a high-level peek into the Medoc, Saint-Emilion, and the Entre-Deux-Mers wine areas. Karen also has a wealth of other geological and travel information on her site. We hope you enjoy Landscapes Revealed as much as we do!
A toast with Jay and Karen at Bocca à Bocca in Bordeaux.