Vintage 2012
From John, November 4th, 2012As the last clusters of grapes rattled through the destemmer and precious berries rolled down the shoot into the fermenting vessel, we all breathed a sigh of relief: la fin de la vendange, the end of harvest. Though in reality this signaled only the finish of work in the vineyard; the work in the cellar continues unabated.
Red ferments are monitored and the cap (skins that rise to the surface of the tank) are punched down into the frothy, ebullient must (fermenting wine). Juice recently pressed from white grapes is allowed to settle its sediment in stainless steel tanks for a few days and is then racked (moved) to barrels. In most cases the yeasts emanate from the skins of the grapes, the source of fermentation therefore being the vineyard from whence the fruit comes. As red wines finish fermenting, they are pressed to tanks for a few days of settling before being “barreled down” (racked to 220 liter oak barrels). And as the white wines approach the end of fermentation, they are topped up and will slowly finish as the cellar heads to winter.
On a quiet day with no other activity happening around the winery, the cellar is a magical place to be. Fermentation locks on the tops of all of the barrels gurgle and sing to each other throughout the dimly lit subterranean chamber. Aromas waft by…at one moment grapefruit rind from a white ferment, at another leather and blackberry from a red.
I find myself smiling. Another vintage under my belt; I have lost track of how many, but in a world that lives on comparisons and analogies, I know that this is one is special.
Recent News & Rants
A Primer on Pinot noir Genetics
Pinot noir is well known for consisting of a multitude of clones, which over the generations have been selected for desirable characteristics. In the 1950’s, agricultural science decided to “sanitize” the genome of many of these clones. The result was vigorous vines with large crops and wines with less character. The controversy over the use of indexed vines continues.
There’s More... >Introducing 2014 Massale!
May we also suggest one of our 2015 single vineyard wines and or Nebbiolo for your holiday table?
There’s More... >Jackson Pawlick 2001-2017
It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our best dog ever, Ms Jackson Pawlick.
There’s More... >