Wine Education
by Leslie Hennessy
Sauvignon Blanc 2007
As I am writing this article I am heading up to the Sonoma winery Robledo to work on our next wine project- the Leslie Hennessy 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is in a stainless steel tank at their winery awaiting the refrigeration to be turned down to 38 degrees. Left at that temperature for about two weeks the cloudy state that the wine is in now will precipitate to the bottom of the tank. That will render the Sauvignon Blanc clean and ready for bottling. We may run the final wine through a millipore filtration to render it . That is to be seen after the Sauvignon Blanc has finished its clarification. Many thanks go out to Jim Charleston our colleague on this cuvee. Stay tunned.
What does all of this rain do to the grapes? It really is just fine.We are at the exact amount of rain to date. Compared to last year we are right on schedue. This is the dormant time for grape vines. As they hibernate through this winter time the ground is storing up this needed water for the upcoming hot season.
The 2007 Harvest in California
In the North Coast counties of Napa , Sonoma,
and Mendocino the following grapes are down in quantity as follows:
Sauvignon
Blanc and Chardonnay down 10-20%,
Pinot Noir down 30%
Cab,
Merlot down 10%
In the Paso Robles and /Santa Barbra areas -down 15-30%
Monterey County - just plain erractic
The Barrels
The cask of wood is a Gallic creation used to keep barley beer about 2000 years ago. From IIIrd century, its use became widespread throughout the Roman Empire where it was used to stock and transport wine. Barrels were made of different woods, especially acacia and oak, two strong woods, which could be curved and transported. Hooping was made of chestnut, a wood more flexible and very lignous. Later, iron replaced wood for hooping.
Thanks to this purely practical use of the barrel, we discovered its aromatic and founding properties. Acacia wood which is less rich, has been replaced by oak. However, the use of the barrel for its aromatic properties dates only back to XXth century.
About wood, there are different types of oak:
-Type sessile french oak (Quercus Petraea) is predominant in center of France, Vosges, Allier and particularly in the exceptional forest of Tronçais, planted by Colbert. Those extremely denses forests favor a slow growth of the trees, which produce fine-grained wood, a garantee of quality. It gives oakyness and subtle aromas to the wine, with spices and vanilla nuances.
-Type Robur or Pedonculated french oak (Quercus Pedunculata), called “Limousin” because of its predominance in that region. Its wood is more tannic and used to age brandy.
-American oak (Quercus Alba), native of Missouri, Minnesota or the Appalachians, is quite rich in aromas but quite poor in tannins. It will be used in weak proportion only to increase aromatic complexity of the wine.
-Eastern oak comes from Hungary or the Caucasus. It is a type of sessile oak but its affect on the wine is lighter.
The cooper chooses woods according to his markets, then he makes stavewoods which are dried for 2 years in open air to eliminate coarse tannins of young wood.
For cooperage, barrel heating is an essential stage. The first one, known as “bending toast” which gives the barrel its special shape: water and fire give flexibility to the wood. The second newer one, known as “burning toast”, helps to develop aromatic potential of the barrel and favors creation of toast aromas. During heating, the barrel is put on a brasero and gets calorific supplies: radiance (especially for white wines) and convection (red wines).
From the XXth century, the barrel is used for its 3 major interests:
1.Mecanical supply: refining, cleaning, thinning of the wines; separating the layer of sediment with the braumnian movement generated by the shape of the barrel. Natural and slow micro-oxygenation: flexible and so porous, the barrel is breathing.
2.Tannic supply: tannins of wood (ellagitannins) help to fix anthocyans and structure wines by pushing fruit intensity and by making the finish in the mouth more persistent (especially for cabernet sauvignon which is less tannic than merlot). The polymerization, which “fuses” wood tannins with fruit tannins, makes them rounder in mouth by increasing the molecules size. And with barrel heating, the deterioration of the wood tannins gives wine an intenser color (brown tints).
3.Aromatic supply: wood is naturally rich in aromas as for instance vanillin, but aromas generated by the barrel depend on intensity of heating. A medium toast will reveal aromas of vanilla, coconut, spices and fresh oak, whereas a heavier toast will favor more mineral overtones, put together under the term “toasted”: toffee, toasted bread...
An additional contribution to the quality of the wine is the well-known “angels share”, this natural evaporation of alcohol and water which concentrates wine is also a qualitative element.
Conclusion:
A great wine, especially
to be kept, is a wine aged in a barrel. Chips of wood and other substitute products
give volatile flavoring but don’t produce wines to be kept and will never
replace the virtues supplied by the oak barrel
ORGANIC WINES
Organic wines are a bit new to the wine scene. Very few
West coast wineries are boasting about organic. The reason is that most small
wineries (producing less than 10,000 cases annually) already enlist organic grape
growing and wine making techniques that are considered organic. There seems to
be a negative concept about putting organic on labels amongst many wineries. They
think they are perceived as 'health food' department products.
The big organic
conversation is about using Round Up. This is a chemical found in most garden
shops and used quite extensively to kill weeds. Most small grape growers know
that it does more harm than good. In fact in laboratory studies it causes cancer
in rats. To get around its use most farmers simply mow their weeds and mulch them
into their vineyards.
Another big subject of concern is IPM. IPM or Integrated
Pest Management has been taught at all the Universities in California for many
years. It basically adheres to letting nature take its course in the removal of
nasty pests. For instance if your have the grassy sharpshooter attacking your
vines (mostly near river beds) you are advised to plant Oliander bushes. They
attract the other bugs that eat sharpshooters because they are attracted to the
yearly flowering of the Oliander.
I don't see this category becoming a big
marketing idea, but when it comes to what the public wants, you never know. Les
Hennessy
More Pinot Noir Talk
It is absolutely true that there are 200 clones of Pinot Noir. Its no wonder that there are so many variations of it. It is perplexing to me how so many wine critics and writers are so far off the money when they comment on a wine that has so many variations.
Thankfully, that all is changing. As I walked through the two latest big Spring tasting's this week I came across Au Bon Climat Winery. As I always ask what clones make up each individual Pinot Noir that I taste, I found these guys whipped them off like baseball scores. This one 2003 Knox Alexander Pinot Noir was made of clone's 113, 114, 115 and the Swan clone. It rendered a graham cracker body with the astringent French Pinot Noir finish. What a nice wine. And, what nice comfort that the industry is starting to give us more information.
The Origin of The Zinfandel Grape
Its a great idea that Senator Carol Migden wants to make the Zinfandel the State of California Grape. The only problem is that its not from California. Recent DNA testing by the University of California at Davis Professor Carol Merideth has positively traced this ubiquitous grape back to the Dalmatian coast of Crotia. Its ampelographical name is Crjenak/Kastelanski. It is sold under the varietal name of Plavac Mali in the old Yugoslavia from restaurant to wine shops. You can find it everywhere. This humble author imported said wine in 1976. It was sold at the Price Cutters stores throughout the five borough's of New York City as Plavac Red for a mere $1.17 per bottle. That was then and this is now. No one person can really trace how it got to California because it was brought over as many other grapes such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and just about every other grape by either Count Harazthy from Hungary or Captain Gustof Niebaum. How it became to be known as Zinfandel is the next mystery to unravel.
The 2005 Grape Harvest
The 2005 year started with rains in the spring and early summer, creating vigorous vine growth and potential mildew pressure. New viticultural techniques and innovations in how vineyards are planted now help curb these concerns. For instance, winegrowers, working in tandem with winemakers, manage water and fertilization through drip irrigation systems and cover crops, and more handwork in the vineyards, trimming the shoots, leaves and fruit, help mitigate the vine vigor. Along with proper canopy management, new trellising systems allow more air circulation and sunlight to control mildew pressure, and vine row orientation also takes advantage of the best wind and sun exposure. The combination of cutting-edge viticulture and the artistic skills of the winemakers, allow the grapes to reach their full expression in the glass.
State Agriculture officials estimated the harvest at 3.15 million tons of wine type grapes in October, which would make it the second largest crop ever for California behind the record 3.32 million tons harvested in the year 2000.
“This year’s crop yields are generally 10-15 percent larger than normal, produced from a cool year that is being compared to the outstanding 1997 vintage,” said Robert Steinhauer, consulting viticulturist for Foster’s Wine Estates Americas who is finishing his 39th harvest in California’s wine industry this year.
Francis Mahoney
An update on Francis Mahoney. Francis Mahoney is whom we consider the Godfather of the Pinot Noir grape in the complete New World of grape growing and wine making. He was the first winery (at Carneros Creek Winery) to accept the offer of the Davis University of Cal to plant all the the then known 38 clones (varieties) of Pinot Noir. He has made 27 vintage's of Pinot Noir.
The latest on the tainted cork goes like this. A nasty microorganism named TCA or 2-4-6 tricloroanisole causes that wet wood smell in a wine. Basically, it is driving all of us nuts because no one knows where it comes from. An institute in Portugal has developed a procedure named "Symbios" that when boiled with cork bark it develops a harmless mcroorganism instead of TCA. Lets hope it works!
The movie 'Sideway's" could not have come at a better time. Winemakers and vintners have been seriously researching this ubiquitous grape for years trying to get to the perfection they have achieved today. You have to thank Francis Mahoney from Carneros Creek Winery for his undying experiments with the 20 separate clones of Pinot Noir. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay that have just three types of grape clones, the true French Pinot Noir has over 38 separate and different clones. With the help of the University of Davis Viticulture Department Francis planted and experimented with 20 clones in 1974 on his property in Sonoma. The results of those first three years of growth have somewhat cleared the differences between the clones. Add to this confusion are the new root stocks that have been planted to relieve us of the dreaded Phyloxera disease that wiped out most Napa vineyards in the 70's and 80's.
The 2004 harvest in Bordeaux was huge. Look for some values to FINALLY arrive as the Euro still continues to ride a high wave. Barsac and Sauterne 2004 look to be very limited in quantity. This will inevitably raise Sauterne prices.
Mondavi Corporation sells to Constellation and Chalone Group sells to Diageo of Great Britain. These are BIG changes in our industry. The Chalone sale means that Chalone Wines, Acacia and their boardroom of other wineries will now be available in numerous international markets. The Mondavi sale is a bit more complicated. First and foremost Michael Mondavi has landed at Hambrecht and Folio selling Belveder wines. As to the 300 layoffs at Mondavi in Napa this month, look for a lot of people looking for work in Napa. Stay tuned!.
The 2004 harvest is under way. Pinot Noirs are just picked and about finished, while Napa and Sonoma Valley floor Cabernet Sauvignon are just about to start.
Prices Per Acre Soar
Its official, vineyard land in Napa has just sold for over $350,000 per acre. In a bold move Francis Ford Coppolla has just paid that sum per acre for the most premium Cabernet Sauvignon acreage in Napa to date. Also for sale is a 5 acre parcel just behind Sequoia Grove for $2,000,000!. At $400,000 per acre for planted Cabernet land it will take 10 years to pay back that amount. There seems to be lots of money out there paying new prices that are unheard of. 7/28/04
OXYGENATION
In visiting with John McKay, a consulting eonologist at The Napa Wine Company, he just turned me on to this new wine making process inhancer. There are two types of oxygenation- structuralization and harmonization. The general rule of wine making is that after the primary and secondary fermentation , its a good idea to age wine in oak barrels. The only problem is that barrels have skyrocketed to $800 a barrel. With a three year usage, you can see how a $10.00 Chardonnay can become a $12.00 Chardonnay overnight. The reason we age wine in barrels is to allow some oxygen into the wine. This allows the wine to throw off unpleasant odors and just plain bad flavors. By keeping the wine in large stainless steel tanks, winemakers can trickle 60 PPM ( parts per million) of oxygen into the wine, thereby achieving the same oxidation results as barrel aging. In the early stages of oxidation one is changing the structure of the wine. This is called structurization. Once the wine is stable and you have pretty close to what you want, there is a 6-9 month harmonization of 1 PPM of oxygen trickling. During this time oak chips may be added to add just a dash of wood flavor to the wine. Oxygenation- just another tool the winemaker can use to save a few dollars and produce a well made wine.
I just came from a winery in Northern California that seems to be indicative of the upcoming fallout in this industry. This guy has dropped $5.5 million into a beautiful 40- plus acres and is in Chapter 11! This is only the beginning. I also talked to two very prominent wineries in Napa and Sonoma, simply looking for extra wine in bulk to feed our private label program. Both wineries said "plenty of extra juice, how much do you want?" Look for prices to continue to fall.
Who were the great wine people of the past that founded our industry? The most prominent one person that really pioneered the industry was Alexis Lichine. As Eisenhower Aide d Corps he was able to visit and help save the wine regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux, France from the Germans. After the War ended he started importing wines into the US under the name of "An Alexis Lichine Selection" That business prospered. But, his most important contribution to the wine world was his book- Alexis Lichine Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits. This book is an absolute for the serious wine collectors.
If your had ever wondered what
terms we use in the wine industry like wet dog, sulphur, blackberry's, we have
the perfect web site for you. Professor of Oenology (study of wine making) A.C.
Noble at the University of California Davis has spent her career teaching all
of the mulitude of terms to explain those sometimes strange and sometimes wonderful
bouquets and tastes. Go to http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/acnoble/home.html. Then
type in the Aroma Wheel, send professor Noble $6.00 and you are on your way to
becoming wine connoisseur.
A Votre Sante!
- Leslie Hennessy
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