Wine Wisdom – Wine Snob

In 1868 something begins to ravage France’s vines. After some digging—pun intended—it is discovered that a plant louse/ aphid known as phylloxera (phyl·lox·e·ra) was enjoying the roots instead of the wines in which they produced. Although it is somewhat debated, the phylloxera mite is thought to have come from America sometime in the 1850’s. Back in Missouri Charles Valentine Riley, Missouri’s entomologist recognized the affliction in Frances plantings and wrote French botanist Jules Émile Planchon in 1870 to inform him that he too had observed this louse, feasting on the leaves of American vines, and not on the roots—his letter was quickly dismissed. After some persistence, Riley visited France in 1871 and a argued that American rootstock was resistant to the aphid since the two had evolved together. He was correct! Then in the winter of 1872 George Husmann—The Father of the Missouri Grape Industry in Herman, Missouri—also a scientist, educator, and writer—sent nearly 400,000 cuttings to Montpellier, France. In spite of some French resistance to using American root stock the project was successful and the so-called la défense began. To this day, all vines with few exceptions are planted on this Missouri bred rootstock in France and America with a local exception—our Astral Cabernet Sauvignon. To this day Astral remains one of the few California Cabernet’s not reliant on disease resistant stock, due in large part to Happy Canyon’s lack of humidity, and the presence of sandy soil! ~ Dierberg * Star Lane

Not long ago I reviewed the Astral Cabernet Sauvignon by Dierberg * Star Lane. I had been wanting to explore this wine since my visit a few years ago and it did not disappoint (see link to my post just above). Shortly after, Dierberg shared the story behind this vineyard. I found it very interesting and thought you might enjoy reading (posted with permission). Read more about my first visit to Dierberg * StarLane here. Explore more Dierberg Star Lane on WineSnob.

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I was recently asked what a flabby wine was. Needless to say this is a loaded question but let me try to summarize it.

Flabby is a negative term typically used to describe a wine with low acidity and high PH resulting in an unbalanced wine that is not very enjoyable. However I would like to add a bit more context and dimension.

Aside from its [the wine] nuances – specific to the Vineyard and winemaker – a wine (and its varietal) has a certain profile of generally expressed characteristics. Think, tannin, acid, fruit (berry, plum, etc), terroir, and such. When the expression of these characteristics fall far short and out of balance of the expected and/or combine to create a noticeably unremarkable experience on the palate, the wine is often described as flabby.

It is a very noticeable if not glaring lack of intensity (zest) within the wine. A lack of dimension. An absence of complexity. This is usually a sign that the winemaker was trying too hard. That is, tinkering, altering with or grossly overcompensating for some characteristic(s) within the wine such that little dimension is left. This can also be as a result of the grapes not being great to begin with.

I’ve made an extremely flabby wine before. It is so painfully underwhelming. Which is why it boggles the mind why anyone would actually bottle a flabby wine and expect it to sell.

Nonetheless I hope this has helped advance your application for a good wine. Here is an exercise in extreme contrasts for you:

Stop by the gas station and pick up the cheapest Merlot or Pinot Noir you can find ($2-5). Then stop by a reputable wine store/shop and pick up a Bordeaux from Margaux, 2012 (7 years) or older ($40-100). Take them home and do a side-by-side tasting to experience first hand what a flabby wine tastes like… LOL.