Jared called for harvest on Wednesday, the 28th of October. I should remember that I cannot make any plans from the middle of September until late November... I should remember. Note to self: Don't make any plans from the middle of September until late November!
Well, the Pinot Noir harvest was certainly going to be done by now! I was certain of it! We were going to be in the middle of the lull between the Pinot and the Syrah. With my plans to head out to the Caribbean with Elizabeth and friends after Thanksgiving, it's the perfect time to take a quick jaunt to San Diego in order to get Elizabeth's scuba certification! We'll leave on the 27th, drive down to stay with my friend, Rob, in Oceanside. Rob has recommended a dive instructor, and the water is warmer down there. Elizabeth has arranged to have her Mom stay with Laura, Elizabeth's daughter. We'll drive back up on Friday, the 30th...
I told Jared that we'll pick Friday night. He's okay with that.
Whew!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Green
Jared Souza and Matt Trulli, the two principals of MJ Lords Wine Cellars, are concerned about the Pinot. They've contracted to buy seven tons, and are having second thoughts.
Out here in the Petaluma Gap, there is a green bloom that appears on the ripening grapes. I saw it first many years ago, and was likewise concerned. I brought in a pest control advisor to assess the growth that was apparent. It looked like pennicillin, but what do I know? Rot? Is there something that I can spray? My advisor told me that it was benign; he said not to worry. So I didn't. I've made my wines every year with "the green".
Duncan Meyers, of Arnot-Roberts, buys a portion of the Syrah, and has joked with me about the Petaluma Gap Green. I have no qualms about the fruit and know that it will make delicious wine.
As I think back, I am reminded of the 2007 harvest, when I had contracted to supply fruit to Scott Rich, of Talisman Cellars. I set aside some of my best fruit for him, reserving as much as I reasonably could for myself. My own portion has made some of my most delicious wines ever. Early on, I was very pleased with the results, and I called to check on how Scott was doing with the fermentation. He told me that it was the worst fruit that he had purchased, and that he did not want to pay full price! Such a vast discrepancy in our assessments has mystified me until this year.
Jared and Matt don't have the benefit of my experience with "the green", and are understandably terrified. They've tasted the wines and they see the grapes, and there's a disconnect. The wines are beautiful and the grapes aren't. They've worked out a deal with Drew to take the grapes and make the wine, but if a problem develops, the wine is Drew's - they will not buy it. At least I know that we'll be picking the grapes one way or the other. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised.
Out here in the Petaluma Gap, there is a green bloom that appears on the ripening grapes. I saw it first many years ago, and was likewise concerned. I brought in a pest control advisor to assess the growth that was apparent. It looked like pennicillin, but what do I know? Rot? Is there something that I can spray? My advisor told me that it was benign; he said not to worry. So I didn't. I've made my wines every year with "the green".
Duncan Meyers, of Arnot-Roberts, buys a portion of the Syrah, and has joked with me about the Petaluma Gap Green. I have no qualms about the fruit and know that it will make delicious wine.
As I think back, I am reminded of the 2007 harvest, when I had contracted to supply fruit to Scott Rich, of Talisman Cellars. I set aside some of my best fruit for him, reserving as much as I reasonably could for myself. My own portion has made some of my most delicious wines ever. Early on, I was very pleased with the results, and I called to check on how Scott was doing with the fermentation. He told me that it was the worst fruit that he had purchased, and that he did not want to pay full price! Such a vast discrepancy in our assessments has mystified me until this year.
Jared and Matt don't have the benefit of my experience with "the green", and are understandably terrified. They've tasted the wines and they see the grapes, and there's a disconnect. The wines are beautiful and the grapes aren't. They've worked out a deal with Drew to take the grapes and make the wine, but if a problem develops, the wine is Drew's - they will not buy it. At least I know that we'll be picking the grapes one way or the other. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!
When I checked the sugar on the Pinot two weeks ago, we were sitting at 21-22 degrees Brix. I'd like to harvest at 22.5-24. Since checking, the weather has been on the cool side, and last Tuesday we had some unseaonably torrential rains. We sprayed a preventive application of a fungicide to protect the grapes from rot in advance of the storm...
I did a small sampling yesterday, and the sugar was a half-degree LOWER!! I figure that the rains caused the grapes to absorb water, reducing the sugar concentration. I was hoping to harvest early this week, but you know the saying: "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." (Actually, the saying is adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”)
This morning, Matt Trulli, with MJ Lords Wine Cellars (where I'm doing my custom crush), came by to do a more comprehensive sampling. We'll run more thorough tests, including Brix, pH and Titratable Acidity (T.A.). MJ Lords is buying seven tons of the Pinot, and I'm hanging on to ten tons. I hope that their numbers are more accurate on the upside, of course.
We've got a forecast of a seventy percent chance of rain tomorrow, then sunny weather after that. Come on heatwave!! The Syrah is looking very iffy on getting ripe enough this year, and is currently sitting well under 20 degrees Brix. Thanksgiving Harvest, anyone? Ay Ay Ay!!!
In a little while, I'll head off to pick up Cathy, Patrick and Christopher, and we'll attend an Eagle Court of Honor with our Boy Scout Troop. I've got the kids with me for the upcoming week, starting tonight. Gotta get the house clean NOW.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Fermentations!
We've started the fermentation on the Chardonnay!
We racked off juice into 6 barrels: 4 neutral whites and 2 nearly new Ramonds, whose wood came from the Allier forest in France. This amount of juice represents about 20% of the total, and will go through malolactic (ML) fermentation before being blended back in with the rest of the Chardonnay, which will be cold-fermented in stainless steel. This amount of ML will contribute to the mouthfeel, as will the small amount of oak. Still, the wine should retain a crispness and good acidity to complement the tropical character of the grapes.
We did the racking and the inoculation on Friday. Kristin came with me to the winery and shot some footage. This is all new for her, and it's great to have her enthusiasm around!
Meanwhile, on the home front, it's quickly getting to be time to file my 2008 taxes! Yay!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Crush 2009 Begins
We harvested our Carneros Chardonnay early Tuesday morning. The pickers arrived before dawn, and began the harvest as the sky began to glow. Moving quickly, they sliced the bunches and dropped them into picking lugs.
Picking is hard work compressed into long days. From my own experience, the opportunities for repetitive motion stress injury are plentiful. These guys pick for the big operations at first morning light, and often will do another night shift for us little guys, sleeping in the day if they can. Everybody wants the fruit to come in cold.
By 11AM, the picking was done and the grapes were loaded in 1/2-ton macrobins onto the back of a large flatbed truck. We took delivery of the grapes at Balletto Winery in Sebastopol right at noon. I pulled into the winery just behind the truck. The bins were offloaded and weighed. Our expected 10 tons became 11... the bins were all quite heavy.
Two bladder presses were loaded with whole clusters, and as the sweet nectar gushed, it was pumped directly into a waiting tanker. After several hours on the pad, we had about 1750 gallons of pressed Chardonnay juice ready for transport. From Balletto, the juice was delivered to MJ Lords Wine Cellars, where I'm making my wine this year. We pumped the juice into two stainless-steel tanks to settle for a couple of days. We'll rack the juice and pitch the yeast later today.
This Chardonnay will be about 20% barrel fermented and will undergo a partial malolactic fermentation. I'm looking to preserve the delicious fruit character at lower alcohol levels (12-12.5% vs. 14+) and to avoid the "butter and wood bomb". This juice will make lovely wine!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)