I must admit, I am not always prepared for "intellectual" questions during my tasting event. I need to occasionally switch-off my brain and purely indulge in a sole appreciation of drinking. When I was asked to explain during the last office-gathering of my 2nd half central Otago Pinot Noir tasting on how one define sappiness in wine. For that second, I was speechless. Not because I was unable to tackle the question, but more so, is the question involved complex issues on; an individual-ability to perceive sappiness in wine; a personal preference for greatness. It's like asking me to explain the subject of terroir. My simpler explanation is, "if you sense and understand the important of terroir, then, is significant. Otherwise, is meaningless to discuss".
During the discussion, one of the attendee was so helpful to reply to the query. "Sappiness, is like when you're drinking a Chinese tea, in the like of Tie Guan Yin, which gave off some sweet, honey tone, yet the astringent finish creating the co-existent of sweetness/acidity cleansing finish". Bravo! However, I would rather quote Long Jing instead, as Tie Guan Yin (or Ti Kuan Yin) is part of Oolong tea family and is partially-fermented. Unlike Long Jing, from the green tea family (fresh tea leaves), which has less of those fermented tea tartness. Sorry, are we even talking about tea now?
Today wine world could largely be divided into two very distinctive group of disciples (which is villain dark force? u decide) ; those who celebrate richness, weight and obviousness in wine and those who look upon subtlety, elegant, vibrancy and balancing in wine. To simplify this, there are school of acid precluded versus school of acid preserved. The iconic leader for the school of precluded must land on the shoulder of Bob Parker, who he has openly supported and encourage the promotion of surmaturite (hyper ripeness), new oak laden, where alcohol and glycerol was the answers to the best kept secret of wine. On the opposite side, which was previously led by Clive Coates and currently well succeeded by Allen Meadow's Burghound that embraced the important of acidity, which on the physical side, give wine the stability (inhibiting the growth of microbes like brettanomyces, volatile acidity, which is commonly found on wine that belong to school of acid precluded, with wine generally high in pH in addition to the excessive of oxygen contact during the wine upbringing without properly combat by sulphur dioxide), color redden and in the perceive of taste, give wine the freshness, purity, elegant, delineation and the exclusive, "sappiness".
Despite Parker has continue his emphasis on his belief of physiologically ripeness. However, much of his favorite wines tend to head towards dehydrated ripeness rather than phenolical ripeness. His description such as Amarone-like, port-like are the living prove of his preference. Those sweetness one detect from dehydated ripeness can be very appealing, however, it was not the real "ripe fruit sweetness" but rather coming from alcohol, glycerin and residual sugar (the balance grape sugar that has not been metabolized by yeast. It is very common with high-alcoholic wine, where function of yeast was ended by the risen of alcohol during fermentation - yeast cannot survive in a alcohol level much higher than 13/14°). Quoted from Benjamin Leroux of Comte Armand, "the real fruit-ripeness, are sweetness with sappiness. Sweetness than finish with cleansing acidity rather than palate staining, syrup-like stickiness".
Parker often referenced such legendary Bordeaux vintages like 1947, 1949 as his quality yardstick, which was in fact, all coming from an extreme heat-wave, water-stressed, drought years. Especially during the harvest months of August/September, with such scorching heat could effortlessly burn all the natural tartaric acid through rapid respiration. Such extreme heat years also pushes the vegetative circle (often resulting earlier than usual harvest), preventing the accumulation of natural acidity in grape. Those wines frequently marked by high alcohol and frightfully low acidity. Occasionally, when the grape suffered from skin burned or baked, a more exotic, raisiny, pruney characters will be results and made rather blurry wine (terroir indistinctive).
I have recently read about a viticultural technique called PRD (partial root drying) and some of Parker's favorite winemakers at downunder has already adopted such hi-tech practices. Like most of the dehydrated sweetness wine favorite by Parker. They are mostly coming from stressed vine. PRD uses the drip-irrigation to manipulate the water-stressed in vine. All plants have their natural self protection against water stresses. When the roots signal the drought, it will alert aerial bits of plant that hard times are on the way and they stop growing, closing stomata (small pores) in the leaves (stopping photosynthesis) and keeping canopy growth restricted in order to prevent further risk of water loss. PRD enable to give such false signal to the plant by using dual-drip system that vine vigor is reduced and thus, potential grape quality is enhanced. Sparky Marquis once told me, such PRD system enable him to produce high quality grape from young vine with economically viable production size. His belief has totally defeated the traditional logic of all great wines are made out of old vine, low yield vineyards. What do I think of such steroid enhanced technique? While, try decant those new sensational for 2-3 hours and see, if there is anything left beside those sticky, mouth coating sweet-oak and alcohol. The truth lies beneath.
Like minerality in wine, sappiness is underpinned by natural acidity (malic or tartaric). However, those acidity has nothing in common with those acidified (mostly citric & tartaric) practiced mostly by the new-world or warmer wine growing region. Many of those acidified reds does not have the cleansing finish, but instead showing ripeness, sweetness on one end, with sharp grapefruit-like acid on another. They are less harmony on the palate.
Sappiness is almost exclusively used in describing red rather than white (to me, it required certain outline dryness from tannin) and generally refer to red grapes that having sounding acidity. Like Pinot Noir, Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo...etc. Grape alone, does not contribute to sappiness, very often or so, we need the climate, or vintage, like the classical Burgundy vintages such as 2001, 2004, or even 2002, where the vegetative circle is prolong and better natural acidity is preserve. When the weather is extreme, or grape suffering from drought, like the case of 2003, sappiness will be as rare as a winter white truffle. The skillful winemaker in this case also play an crucial role. He can either amplify the present of sappiness or simply demolish them. Excessive contact of oxygen during elevage, or lavish used of new wooded treatment are the case.
During the discussion, one of the attendee was so helpful to reply to the query. "Sappiness, is like when you're drinking a Chinese tea, in the like of Tie Guan Yin, which gave off some sweet, honey tone, yet the astringent finish creating the co-existent of sweetness/acidity cleansing finish". Bravo! However, I would rather quote Long Jing instead, as Tie Guan Yin (or Ti Kuan Yin) is part of Oolong tea family and is partially-fermented. Unlike Long Jing, from the green tea family (fresh tea leaves), which has less of those fermented tea tartness. Sorry, are we even talking about tea now?
Today wine world could largely be divided into two very distinctive group of disciples (which is villain dark force? u decide) ; those who celebrate richness, weight and obviousness in wine and those who look upon subtlety, elegant, vibrancy and balancing in wine. To simplify this, there are school of acid precluded versus school of acid preserved. The iconic leader for the school of precluded must land on the shoulder of Bob Parker, who he has openly supported and encourage the promotion of surmaturite (hyper ripeness), new oak laden, where alcohol and glycerol was the answers to the best kept secret of wine. On the opposite side, which was previously led by Clive Coates and currently well succeeded by Allen Meadow's Burghound that embraced the important of acidity, which on the physical side, give wine the stability (inhibiting the growth of microbes like brettanomyces, volatile acidity, which is commonly found on wine that belong to school of acid precluded, with wine generally high in pH in addition to the excessive of oxygen contact during the wine upbringing without properly combat by sulphur dioxide), color redden and in the perceive of taste, give wine the freshness, purity, elegant, delineation and the exclusive, "sappiness".
Despite Parker has continue his emphasis on his belief of physiologically ripeness. However, much of his favorite wines tend to head towards dehydrated ripeness rather than phenolical ripeness. His description such as Amarone-like, port-like are the living prove of his preference. Those sweetness one detect from dehydated ripeness can be very appealing, however, it was not the real "ripe fruit sweetness" but rather coming from alcohol, glycerin and residual sugar (the balance grape sugar that has not been metabolized by yeast. It is very common with high-alcoholic wine, where function of yeast was ended by the risen of alcohol during fermentation - yeast cannot survive in a alcohol level much higher than 13/14°). Quoted from Benjamin Leroux of Comte Armand, "the real fruit-ripeness, are sweetness with sappiness. Sweetness than finish with cleansing acidity rather than palate staining, syrup-like stickiness".
Parker often referenced such legendary Bordeaux vintages like 1947, 1949 as his quality yardstick, which was in fact, all coming from an extreme heat-wave, water-stressed, drought years. Especially during the harvest months of August/September, with such scorching heat could effortlessly burn all the natural tartaric acid through rapid respiration. Such extreme heat years also pushes the vegetative circle (often resulting earlier than usual harvest), preventing the accumulation of natural acidity in grape. Those wines frequently marked by high alcohol and frightfully low acidity. Occasionally, when the grape suffered from skin burned or baked, a more exotic, raisiny, pruney characters will be results and made rather blurry wine (terroir indistinctive).
I have recently read about a viticultural technique called PRD (partial root drying) and some of Parker's favorite winemakers at downunder has already adopted such hi-tech practices. Like most of the dehydrated sweetness wine favorite by Parker. They are mostly coming from stressed vine. PRD uses the drip-irrigation to manipulate the water-stressed in vine. All plants have their natural self protection against water stresses. When the roots signal the drought, it will alert aerial bits of plant that hard times are on the way and they stop growing, closing stomata (small pores) in the leaves (stopping photosynthesis) and keeping canopy growth restricted in order to prevent further risk of water loss. PRD enable to give such false signal to the plant by using dual-drip system that vine vigor is reduced and thus, potential grape quality is enhanced. Sparky Marquis once told me, such PRD system enable him to produce high quality grape from young vine with economically viable production size. His belief has totally defeated the traditional logic of all great wines are made out of old vine, low yield vineyards. What do I think of such steroid enhanced technique? While, try decant those new sensational for 2-3 hours and see, if there is anything left beside those sticky, mouth coating sweet-oak and alcohol. The truth lies beneath.
Like minerality in wine, sappiness is underpinned by natural acidity (malic or tartaric). However, those acidity has nothing in common with those acidified (mostly citric & tartaric) practiced mostly by the new-world or warmer wine growing region. Many of those acidified reds does not have the cleansing finish, but instead showing ripeness, sweetness on one end, with sharp grapefruit-like acid on another. They are less harmony on the palate.
Sappiness is almost exclusively used in describing red rather than white (to me, it required certain outline dryness from tannin) and generally refer to red grapes that having sounding acidity. Like Pinot Noir, Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo...etc. Grape alone, does not contribute to sappiness, very often or so, we need the climate, or vintage, like the classical Burgundy vintages such as 2001, 2004, or even 2002, where the vegetative circle is prolong and better natural acidity is preserve. When the weather is extreme, or grape suffering from drought, like the case of 2003, sappiness will be as rare as a winter white truffle. The skillful winemaker in this case also play an crucial role. He can either amplify the present of sappiness or simply demolish them. Excessive contact of oxygen during elevage, or lavish used of new wooded treatment are the case.
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