2004 Wines
Last year, while living in San Francisco, I made three California wines. Unfortunately, I lost most of my notes in my move to Toronto (another reason to keep this journal), so these abbreviated descriptions will have to do :
- Syrah, Santa Lucia Highlands CA, Fairview Road Ranch
- Viognier, Sunsui Valley CA
- Pinot Noir, Carneros CA, Las Brisas Vineyard
Syrah: Santa Lucia Highlands CA, Fairview Road Ranch
Kirk Williams, the grower at Fairview Road Ranch, had some extra Syrah come harvest time, so I piggybacked off Eno Wine's order with an additional 200 lbs. We co-fermented the entire lot and then Eno bled off 15 gallons for me at the end of fermentation. The Syrah was aged about 14 months in a Lost Coast beer keg in my hallway in San Francisco, and roughly a pound of French oak cubes was added in the 3rd month. The wine did not undergo ML. I bottled in December of 2005 and blended in 5% Sunsui Valley Viognier to add aromatics and aim drinkability.
it was bottled in December 2005. Only 8 cases made.
Viognier, Sunsui Valley CA
The Viognier was sourced in January 2005 from Brehm Vineyards as frozen juice. I made 5.5 gallons using a white wine yeast (can't remember which, sorry) and TA was adjusted to 0.7g/100ml with an addition of tartaric acid. Fermentation lasted roughly two weeks at 13 ºC with a twice-daily stirring. The wine was then aged 8 months in glass with 1/4 lbs of French oak cubes.
Tasting notes: Fairly boozy, but aromatics cover this up if you drink at warm temperature. The wine has intense aromatics typical of Viognier, including apricot, pear and melon; though this will change after about 20 minutes in your glass into more pronounced melon and key-lime. Delicious.
IIt was bottled in December 2005. Only 2 cases made.
Brix:25.6 — pH:3.75 —TA:0.51g/100ml — ~15% alc by vol.
Pinot Noir: Carneros CA, Las Brisas Vineyard
My Pinot Noir was also sourced in January 2005 from Brehm Vineyards as frozen must. I bought 11 gallons of clone 115 and fermented using Assmanhausen yeast over 5 days, punching down the cap twice daily. Extended maceration lasted just two days, and I aged the free-run in a 6 gallon carboy and the pressed wine in a 1 gallon jug. Both were aged for 8 months in glass with an addition of 1/2 lbs of French Oak cubes.
Unfortunately, I didn't add enough DAP during fermentation, so the free-run had a considerable amount of H2S after 8 months. Surprisingly, the pressed wine did not have any H2S at all. 2ppm of copper sulphate was added to the free-run which remove the smell and it was left to settle an additional 2 weeks.
This wine ended up fairly thin and full of typical Carneros funk, so a fair amount of blending was required to make it palatable. I added 16% Eno Wines 2004 SLH Pinot Noir to fill out the mouth and boost mouthfeel and 4% ENO Wines 2002 RRV Pinot Noir to add strawberry & cherry flavours and notes. I haven't tasted it since bottling, but will provide more detailed tasting notes at a later date.
It was bottled in December of 2005. Only 2 cases made
Brix:23.8 — pH:3.33 — TA:0.85 g/100ml — ~14.5% alc by vol.