A word on terroir

"The mentality of terroir is not uniquely Burgundian although it reaches full expression there. It more rightly could be considered distinctively French…. France more than any other country viewed its landscape from the perspective of terroir. It charted its vineyard distinctions with calligraphic care. Indeed, calligraphy and Cru are sympathetic, both the result of emotional yet disciplined attention to detail. Both flourished under monastic tutelage...

But in France there exists, to this day, a devotion to terroir that is not explained solely by this legacy of the Church. Instead, it is fuelled by two forces in French life: a long-standing delight in differences and an acceptance of ambiguity."

Matt Kramer, Making Sense of Burgundy

A terroir is never "discovered": it is made by men. This is the difference between the grape, an agricultural product, wine, a commercial product and a great wine that is, above all, a cultural product.