Neal Rosenthal and his Fight to Keep Terroir Alive
By JASON HATFIELD 10/16/10
The idea of looking at wine through the eyes of importers instead of winemakers is uncommon for the average consumer, but this isn't a crazy idea. If you like an imported wine maybe the person who brought it in has a similar taste as you. This can allow you to be more adventurous, but retain an element of confidence in your selection.
Neal Rosenthal of Rosenthal Wine Merchants
Two examples of Neal's wine we carry:
Domaine Monpertuis Vin de Pay du Gard $13.50
Jacques Puffeney Arbois Poulsard 2007 $27.00
Since the late 70's Neal Rosenthal has brought distinctive wines to the American market that reflect his devotion to the concept of "terroir". A lot of you are probably saying to yourselves what is terroir and why should I care? It is a French term in farming used to denote the special characteristics that a small area bestows upon its fruit. Think of the word "microclimate". You should care about terroir if you like wine that isn't generic and overpriced. In the modern wine market, "branding" wine has completely overlooked this concept of terroir. Larger distributors of wine (or any other beverage) want 2 million cases to ship all over the world and they want it all to taste the same. It's hard to explain to them that wine isn't cola. It can't be mass-produced and retain a unique quality. Some large producers use technology and oak to basically flavor their wine. The end results are millions of bottles of wine that all taste the same.
Neal said in an interview in the film "Mondovino" broaching a similar subject (I am paraphrasing):
INTERVIEWER: Oaking and manipulating wine is like plastic surgery?
NEAL ROSENTHAL: No, this process is worse than plastic surgery. After the plastic surgery you still have the person underneath, this process destroys the soul of the wine.
This does not mean Neal is opposed to technology. Take, for instance, this excerpt from his website madrose.com:
"... the business of wine has boomed, the media has focused its attention on this aspect of life, technological change has come at a rapid pace, and enormous amounts of capital have been invested in our world of wine. So many of these influences have resulted in a vast improvement in the overall quality of wine. We have benefited immensely from these developments and we are grateful for having been involved at such a stimulating moment." "...There is a fine line between making necessary refinements to a fundamental process and turning priorities on end."
He goes on to say that early in his career, mentors taught him that 90% of the ultimate wine is made in the vineyard and the role of the winemaker is to let the wine make itself. He refers to the "holy trinity of terroir" as: soil, climate and grape variety
It seems almost too simple, right? There is a catch though. You can't do this and make a million bottles that taste the same. Some believe the terroir is more important than the winemaker. If you are a talented winemaker you can make great wine year after year, but each year will be different. Different plots of the vineyard will yield different results and so on. It's very hard to "brand" a terroir-influenced wine.
That being said we can now talk about what makes Neal's wine awesome. One of the first things that blew me away are some of the prices. We carry three wines under $22, all of which are small production, naturally made and completely unique. Neil also carries a plethora of serious wines from classic regions that aren't cheep but constantly astounding. We have those too. Imagine a Burgundy that instead of ripe cherry had a brothy mushroom in the nose or a Chianti that smells of sesame seeds and earth. Wines that reflect terroir are not always what you expect, but Neil's wines are always unique and delicious.
We are now offering 6 or more Rosenthal Wine Merchant selections in every price range from France and Italy.
Thanks for reading!
Jason Hatfield
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