Parcel Separation: When It Makes Sense – and When It Does Not

The standard

A documented parcel difference is a difference that points in the same direction across several vintages and recurs in tasting.

Criteria

• The difference repeats across vintages instead of appearing once
• It is recognizable in the glass, not only justified on the soil map
• The separate handling runs unbroken from harvest into the vessel
• The separation remains reversible if the difference fails to appear

Distinction

Parcel separation ≠ microclimate: a deviating local climate explains a difference, it does not document it. Parcel separation ≠ terroir: terroir is the interplay of the factors, parcel separation the decision to handle it separately. Where a documented parcel difference is absent, the separation remains an administrative boundary.