Another Vintage has come and gone, whewwww! 60+ hour weeks of gruelling work has come to an end as the last wines were put in barrel.
This vintage; I crushed 5 tons of Merlot, 5 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 tons of Petite Sirah, and 3 tons of Zinfandel. All of the grapes were just destemmed with very minimal crushing as I was looking for more fruit forward wines. This type of fermentation is called Carbonic Maceration (it sounds real technical, but isn't!) All of the grapes were from my family's "Lambert Bridge Vineyard" except for the Zinfandel which came from Alexander Valley.
I would have to say that so far I am most impressed with the Petite Sirah. Two Rhone yeasts were used on this wine and the lots were blended together and put in French and American Oak barrels. This wine has the classic deep ruby color and is already well balanced with tannins and acidity. Tons of ripe blackberry fruit, and earth. This wine has an alcohol of 15.4%, PH 3.7, and a TA .62.
This Merlot should be a good one as it has concentrated flavors and bright natural acidity. It is tasting youthful at the moment, but as with the Merlot last year it should improve with 15-20 months in the barrel. I used two different yeasts this year, including my favorite which is called BM45. One of its main attributes is polysacharides which is mouthfeel in layman's terms. Who doesn't like a red wine with mouthfeel?
The Alexander Valley Zinfandel- Ohhhh where do I begin...... This wine is actually still fermenting as I type this and it is February. I think it is going to be called the "112 Day" Zin although at this rate it could be the 200+ The finishing alcohol on this wine could pack more punch than a long island ice tea but even at this stage (near dryness) I am not getting a ton of alcohol on it. I plan on blending a little Petite Sirah with it but will do this in roughly a year.
The Cabernet Sauvignon seems to be even more fruit driven than last year which is an anomaly for a cab and I am not complaining. I used the same yeasts as last year and also am happy with the results. I think it will be a good vintage but would be surprised if it is better than the 2006.
2 comments:
Hey Chris, your wines are amazing. What stores in southern California are carrying it these days?
Thanks for asking. If you live in San Diego- North County Wine Co. in San Marcos. In Los Angeles- Flask Liquor, and in San Francisco- Gallery Market in Union Square. If you do not live near one of these stores or they do not carry the wines that you are interested in, you may contact me at chris@ccvwines.com or by phone at 760.579.2800.
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