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SOPHIE'S MERLOT.
An update on the 2007 harvest while I have a moment. Harvest is halfway underway, more on that in a minute. But the exciting thing that drops me on the floor at sunbreak is that I am making a Merlot wine this year from Larkmead Vineyards that will be named after my dog, Sophie.* Last year, 2006. I made a Syrah, from a hilltop vineyard in Healdsburg which was home to a wonderful German Short Haired Pointer. I've decided to name that wine, Toby, after the dog. So, you can see a theme emerging. Toby will be bottled in December, although, I would prefer to hang on a little while longer for development purposes; but, to be honest, money is tight and I need the barrel for Sophie's wine. At the moment, the Syrah is showing a brooding nose of brewed coffee and cured meats. And barrel infused vanilin. As it opens, it has (stereotypical, California Syrah) violet accents. The wine was made from diseased vines - nutrient deficient vines - so it needed a little acid to help fend off any bacteria taking over. Well, young winemaker mistake No. 1. I added a little too much acid. But, sadly, that's chemically correctable. Overall, I made this wine in a Brute (plastic garbage can). So, the effort is applaudable. And the plonk will be drinkable. A photo essay of the process will be available upon release in early 2008. Vintage 2, 2007. Sophie's Merlot. Another sad story about the grapes. We selective harvest, that means, leave under performing fruit on the vine (or on the ground, to be stomped under foot or under tractor to wither and die) because it is not of the quality that befits Larkmead wine. Well, when we finished harvesting Merlot two weeks ago, our vineyard crew did a quick pass through the Merlot blocks and collected the unwanted fruit. I made the decision that this was not to Larkmead's standards, and we cellared the clusters in our barrel room as I was deciding whether or not I wished to make my own wine from these grapes. After three days in the cold room, I opened the bin and was floored by the intense plumy aroma that knocked me down. I looked around the room to make comment about the grapes, but found noone but eight hundred odd barrels, stacked high, staring down at me and saying you should do it. SO, here goes. This wine is trading up from last year and is being made in a plastic picking bin. But once again, no fance, no pants kind of wine making. There was a total of 500 lbs of grapes, and after destemming, and kick starting the fermentation, things are progressing nicely at the moment. Larkmead Merlot has the unique characteristic of being Cabernet-like in its power and structure. I am excited about the prospect of this wine, and maybe it will fall into the category of new-wave St. Emilion style, a la garigiste. We'll see. As for the Harvest 2007 update. Mother Nature has played some significant games with Napa winemakers this year. A lack of water (i.e. rain) and a late summer heat wave (seven straight days of 100+ degree heat) shut the vines down. And put us all in a late August panic. However, a successive string of colder days, even cooler nights and some morning fog has reyhdrated smost vines and they are progressing towards phenolic (taste) maturity. However, this did not stop us from picking a fair amount of the vineyard early on, about 30% of it. Currently we have Merlot, Syrah and some Cabernet finishing fermentation and our Sauvignon Blanc is basically in that awkward stage of going "dry" and will be blended and prepped for a long winter's (wine development) nap. We are very excited about our SB this year because we are trying out some new fermentation and development techniques which include a more significant New French Oak presence as well as aging some of the wine in stainless steel barrels. The former will help add some depth and richness to the wine's mid-palate, while the latter will help retain the racy acidity on the finish. A much more complex wine than we have produced in 2005 and 2006. Over the next two weeks, we'll harvest the remainder of our grapes. Starting the next two days with back-to-back 15-ton efforts. Thirty tons of Cabernet means I am staring at about 30 hours of work over that same period. So, wish me luck and when I get up again, I will write more about what's happening on the vineyard. Also, like most things in life, art or business, you create a point of reference. Throughout this growing season (even the ups and downs) we have likened the year to 2004. On a good note, Wine Spectator just released some of their Cabernet ratings from the 2004 vintage, and I am proud to say that our 2004 Solari Reserve garnered a 94 point rating. The most appreciative part of the rating is that all the wines rated above us, at our level, and even a couple of points below us, have a price per bottle anywhere from $100 to $350. The Larkmead wine retails at $75. Hands down, a QPR TKO. However, I know that is out of price range for basically any of us, including yours truly, but if you promise a visit, I promise to share a bottle with you. * Note: Dog and wine fetish. Please don't stereotype
me on this one. DuMOL names their reserve wines after
their children, and the name of the winery itself is a
combination of the names of the founding winemaker's
children. I don't have kids, and I definitely don't
subscribe to Dog Fancy. SO. I'll stop defending
myself. And go to bed.
Post - September'07 Back to home...
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