I have remarked to my peers a number of times in the last year or so, as well as to winemakers from both this country and others that we, Americans, are starting to really understand how vineyard sites matter. Now I know that those of us in the trade, as well as serious wine lovers know that. We know you can neither switch out a Suchots for a Beaux Monts just because they both say Vosne Romanne, nor a Rabaja for an Ovello because they both say Produttori on them. However, for many wine drinkers, even fairly serious ones, that might not be so obvious.

However, I have noticed that guests have been ordering wines from my wine lists by the vineyard name, "I'll have the Shea Vineyard," or "a bottle of the Savoy Vineyard please." This gets me excited. It tells me that as a wine a drinking nation, more of us are catching on that site matters. I recognize that some people may not be thinking about terroir, when they pick their wine, but they are connecting a taste memory. They remember that they had a Vineyard X wine before, and they recognize that it offered them something they liked. It is true that some might not even realize it is from an entirely different producer making a Vineyard X wine too, but that familiarity leads them, to try it. In 2008 some of the famous vineyard names are accumulating a real history, Pisonoi Vineyard is over 20 years old, Bien Nacido is over 30, and To Kalon vineyard was first planted over 100 years ago. These are vineyards with recognizable traits, and wine lovers, both beginner and advanced are appreciating this.

I have one worry about all this. That is that some people are gravitating to some of these vineyard names because of the name and not the unique attributes that the vineyard lends to the wines. I worry that some of these vineyard names are becoming mere labels that assure sales and push the prices up. I worry that some wineries with deeper pockets are scrambling to get their hands on fruit from some of these famous vineyards and pushing out smaller wineries that may have made the "name" for some of these vineyards.

I guess you have to take the good with the bad....