What Grape(s) Do NOT Reflect Terroir???

So…I’m a bit confused here.
It has long been “known” that PinotNoir, particularly in Burgundy, expresses terroir…is transparent to the vnyd…translates the vnyd directly into the wine, better than any other grape. That is a “known fact”.
However, the lovers of Piedmont Barolo/Barbaresco insist that…no…it’s Nebbiolo that is most sensitive to the grapes terroir.
Yet the lovers of German riesling would have us believe that…no…it’s Riesling which best expresses terroir, particularly in Germany.
Several months ago, Heimhoff insisted in his blog that Cabernet, particularly in the NapaVlly, is the grape that most reflects its terroir.
I’ve asked numerous winemakers (of those varieties) what it is about their grape that makes it so expressive of terroir? The answer is usually given w/ a lot of handwaving, no small degree of BS, and essentially saying “because it is”.
Now I read in LoamBaby that JeffPatterson/MtEdenVnyds believes that Chard, particularly in the SantaCruzMtns, is most expressive of terroir. And in the very next article, BradBrown/BigBasin believes that Grenache is most transparent grape variety in the SCM region.
OK…let’s assume that all these winemakers actually believe what grape they feel is most “transparent to the vnyd” and it’s not just marketing BS to sell you a btl of wine or tell you a good tale. Even though they don’t (as best I can tell) have any idea why that grape is such.
So…let’s turn that question around:
What grape least reflects it terroir and why does it do it the least??
Anybody have any idea???
Tom

Concord??

Pointo Noir

Pink Catawba??

Yeah all those toast and peanut butter additives pretty much mask the natural terroir. If ever there were a call to natural arms, it is the plight of the concord grape.

Petite Verdot. Not sure if the grape gets fully ripe anywhere in the world. In the cellar, its kind of a fear factor type event when someone asked to barrel sample it. But it is light magic fairly dust for Cabernet based blends. Amazing to see the difference even 1-2% makes in a blend.

Tokay

BTW what do you do with Petite Verdot by itself? I was gifted a bottle and the only thing I could think is let it sit for a while and pair it with the heaviest of roasted meats

I’m kind off OZ, but this has been very good in some years:

PV and a nice ribeye. Decant the night before if less than 10 years old, maybe always. I like the stuff.

Concord is probably a good answer, Henry. Or maybe Muscat. The intensity of the varietal character is so intense
that I suspect any nuances of terroir would be obliterated.
Tom

Thompson Seedless?

Bruce

I’d say Chard. Except a few obvious (historic benchmarks) exceptions.

If you are asking specifically about vinifera grapes (rules out concord), a pure guess would be muscat. I only say that because that’s a grape that can be enjoyed eating straight off the vine. It’s innate fruitiness may put the terroir far in the background. Of course, the grape doesn’t flourish everywhere…

You beat me to it. We might as well add Norton.

On the other side of the spectrum, I’ll vote for Cabernet Franc as the one that best expresses terroir. Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache are all pretty good too, which explains (to some extent) the appeal of Rhones.

Why, yes. The inside of each oak barrel has its own terroir.

Funny.

I always thought the same thing, but last year Alpha Omega made a 100% Petit Verdot that was just flat out fantastic. I remember Jean Hoeflinger writing something to the effect that Napa Valley is a unique place in its ability to produce a great Petit Verdot.
Here were my impressions of that wine: 1/25/2012 rated 93 points: Terrific wine. Very dark reddish-black color. Nice nose of black fruits, flowers, and spices. It is an immense wine on the palate. Very complete from attack to finish. Especially nice and full in the mid-palate. I expected big, harsh tannins from a Petit Verdot but, to me, the most surprising thing about this wine is the suave and supple texture.

Cab.

It always tastes like Cab.

Today I tasted a bunch of wine. Some of them tasted like Cabs.

They were.

Doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing. I actually like it. But I defy anyone to taste say, 12 Cabs, and identify where they’re from. And when I say Cab, I include Merlot.

In fact, one of the reasons Cab is so successful is that in many parts of the world, it can produce pretty good, and sometimes really good, wine.

Not that anyone can identify the source of 12 Pinot Noir’s either, or 12 Rieslings, but Cab is usually Cab.

Well, hell, Riesling too. Good in many places. Hard to tell where it’s from.

Too bad there aren’t more grapes grown in many places.

Is that a rhetorical question?

The first thing that came to mind when I read that question was, “What wine has fooled me into thinking the grapes were from a different region than I deduced from all I could gather from the sensory properties?”. Or, in other words, what grape does not disclose the wines origin?

My answer to myself is that I can’t think of any that infallibly point me to the origin, but there are degrees.
Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah seem to really reflect terroir, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Riesling come close.
Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot reflect degree days, oak, and the wine maker.

P Hickner

I would suggest Baco Noir but then I have not tasted any from the east coast…only Ontario.