Reserve What Does It Mean On 6 May 2006 01:43:08 GMT I don't think it has any legal meaning in France -- varies between a marketing term and an actual designation of a better cuvée that might be more age-worthy, as you stated. The one that gets me is "old vines" or "ancient vines" or "antique vines" or why not "distressed vines." No meaning what so ever. There was a time when in the Rhone you could expect such a designation to mean over 80 year old, more or less. But it seems to have been hijacked by marketing types. How old are Cline's "ancient vines" anyway? 30 years? :) Does anyone know? On the subject of grown vs bought grapes: I don't believe there is any legal meaning to "Estate," although I could be wrong. Certainly Jeff's interpretation is logical enough; by why not have it mean "that's what we drink around the estate," analogous to reserve? As Mark pointed out there is an important difference between negociant (buys the grapes) and eleveur (grows the grapes) in France. Although there are some very fine negociants one finds on average that the eleveur-viticulteur, because of the additional control in the process, produces higher quality. (I know there are exceptions both ways, but that certainly is accepted wisdom). I remember going to a rather silly vineyard on Cape Cod, with most impressive rows of vines growing out front. When pressed, they admitted that all the fruit came from California! That's a "why bother" if I ever heard of one... :) -E -- Emery Davis by removing the well known companies 
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