Another excellent article and accompanying blog from Eric Asimov in the New York Times - this time about Napa Cabernets that are going for restrained, even austere cabernet flavours rather than the 'fruit bombs'.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/dining/20pour.html?pagewanted=2&8dpc&_r=1
An example:
'Many producers of the big, modern style assert that up-to-date vineyard practices, improved grape clones and vastly more sophisticated winemaking techniques dictate the style of their wines. They point to current notions of physiological ripeness, that is, judging the ripeness of a grape not merely by its sugar content but by when the tannins and seeds are no longer green. Sometimes achieving the desired level of seed and tannin ripeness requires far more “hang time” on the vine, resulting in much sweeter grapes than in decades past. Years ago, cabernet grapes might be harvested at 23 or 24 on the Brix scale of sweetness. Nowadays, producers of ultra-ripe cabernets routinely harvest grapes at 28, 29 or even 30 Brix.
But to get more restrained cabernets, producers find ways to insure full ripeness at a much lower sugar level. Many strictly limit irrigation. In fact, Frog’s Leap, Dominus, Mayacamas and Smith-Madrone are fervent proponents of dry farming, with no irrigation, just as most Napa vineyards were farmed before the 1970s. They also harvest earlier for fresher, livelier flavors.Yet, regardless of questions of ripeness and California sunshine what it really comes down to is philosophy and taste. If you want to create a restrained, elegant Napa cabernet that emphasizes flowers, red fruits and a touch of the herbal, instead of a rich, plush cabernet of high alcohol and oaky sweetness, you can.'
Of course he is not just making a simple comparison with Bordeaux cabernets, that often naturally have that sense of austerity and restraint, but it's an obvious leap to say that these more subtle Napa cabernets may be more appreciated by a typical Bordelais palate.
