Mid-Harvest Report

Wow...this year started with anticipation of an early harvest due to a hot August month on the West Coast.  However, September arrived with an abrupt cool down and grape ripening of many varietals & regions slowed to a crawl.  I was literally gnashing my teeth as I was waiting for grapes to arrive.  Well, be careful of what you ask for! 

The surprise of the season was that the first juice to arrive was actually pinot noir from Westport Rivers Vineyard here in Westport, MA.  Yes, certain varietals grow well in MA along the southern shores of Cape Cod.  This pinot noir is destined for a light rose style that will be released in May of 2014 just in time to enjoy for summer.

A full 10 days later, I finally had the first of my West Coast grapes arrive...and then the deluge descended!  Within 4 days, over 2 tons of grapes had been crushed and were fermenting away.  Petite sirah and cabernet sauvignon from the Suisin Valley just to the southeast of Napa Valley in CA.  Merlot & viognier from Knights Hill Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA of the Yakima Valley in southeast WA.  The red grapes were destemmed & fermented in open vats while the viognier ended up being barrel fermented in a new French oak barrel.  I'm only planning on completing the alcohol fermentation & MLF in the barrel & then move to a SS tank to provide just a touch of oak for creaminess & palate roundness.

So far, I'm very impressed with the fruit this year.  The winery is full of big fruity aromas--blackberry from the petite sirah, raspberry from the cab sauv, & blueberry/mulberry from the merlot.  The viognier smells like honeyed peaches & floral blossems as it bubbles away.  As you can imagine, the winery is a little busy at the moment! 

But we're not done yet!  Chardonnay juice from Westport Rivers has just arrived and will also undergo barrel fermentation.  Tomorrow, the Durell Syrah from Sonoma County arrives as frozen must (to capture the flavors & aromas straight off the vine).  This weekend I go down to RI to pick merlot & cabernet franc for the limited production of "Merrimac Left Bank".  I'm told the WA cabernet franc & Paso Robles petite verdot will arrive towards the end of next week.  And last but not least, the Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel will be custom crushed & frozen for me so I can wait to deal with that in a month or so.

Lots of fermentations going on.  The petite sirah and possibly merlot will be pressed on Saturday so a little space will be freed up for the incoming grapes.  The cab sauv is undergo a very slow but steady fermentation--the color extraction due to the low temp extended fermentation is simply out of this world!

And on top of that, there's the Carm-ah that's almost ready to bottle.  A winemaker's job is never done...and man do I love this job!

Cheers!
Noel

Still Alive, A 15 Year Anniversary, & New Course Addition

Hello again world. It's been too long since I last posted an entry. Somehow, finding the time to write more than 50-75 words about my winemaking activities has been challenging so I've been doing most of my updates on Facebook. Find and follow Aaronap Cellars on Facebook for all of the last minute details on the fun that goes on in the cellar, especially as I start filling out paperwork for the commercial licenses in the coming couple of months.

But I'm celebrating a little anniversary this month. It's been 15 years since some good friends introduced me to wine in grad school (I'm looking at you Bruce, Randy, & Sonja). Hard to believe that just a short while ago, I was a wet-behind-the-ears country bumpkin that hated the only glass of wine I had ever tried. I still remember that very first chardonnay tasting at Bruce's apartment where I showed up with a beer mug when told to bring a glass! Boy, times, tastes, & glass collections have changed!

While thinking back over the past 15 years, I've been amazed at the sheer variety of wines that I've tasted along this adventure. French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Greecian, South African, Chilean, Argentinean, Australian, New Zealand, and the myriad of US wine regions--whew! Makes my taste buds purr with pleasure just thinking about it. In recognition of the adventure that I've been on, I thought I would chronicle my tasting adventures over the next year and document all of the different wines that I taste (or at least as many as I can). I'll still keep writing updates on my winemaking, but will somehow figure out how to keep a rolling record of all the wines.

To start, on Wednesday 10/12, I had the privilege to attend "The Brilliance of Burgundy Tasting" at Brix on Broad in Boston's Financial District. I was a little underdressed for my tasting peers, but we enjoyed a number of showcase wines from France's Burgundy region.

Whites (Chardonnay):
2009 Vocoret Chablis ($27): OK, this ain't from Burgundy, but was a great greeting wine to get people into the spirit. Crisp, fruity, & full bodied. Very nice Chablis.
2009 Domaine Andre Auvigue Pouilly-Fuisse ($33): Apricots, aged flowers, & almonds. Rich, round mouthfeel. No oak. AWS scores: 3/4/4/2/2 = 15 (out of 20)
2009 Domaine Matrot Meursault ($52): Dark straw yellow. Earthy nose, not as fruity. Round mouthfeel, some light vanilla, and actually some tannins provide structure with a crisp finish. AWS score: 3/3/4/2/2 = 14
2008 Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru "Maltroie" ($72): Light straw yellow, fruit forward with some earthy notes for complexity, caramel & butter, huge mouthfeel. AWS score: 3/5/5/2/2 = 17

Reds (pinot noir):
2008 Domaine Tollot-Beaut Chorey-Cote-de-Beaune ($40): Light garnet, bright cherry aromas. Perhaps a little pencil lead. Tart, tight finish. A simple pinot noir. AWS score: 3/3/3/2/1 = 12
2008 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne Romanee ($67): Light garnet with some bricking. Black cherry, smooth nose, a little earthiness. Smoother finish but a little more tannin. Short aftertaste with raspberries predominating. AWS score: 3/4/4/2/1 = 13
2008 Domaine Pierre Gelin Gevrey-Chambertin ($50): Dark cherries with a complex earthy nose. Good breadth of flavors with a rich mouthfeel and a lingering finish. AWS score: 3/4/5/3/2 = 17
2008 Domaine de Courcel Pommard Premier Cru "Epenots" ($102): Sharp menthol aroma, low fruitness. Cinnamon, pine, and green pepper on tongue. Very rough tannic & tart finish. AWS score: 3/3/3/2/1 = 12

And to top off the evening, they poured the best wine I've ever had to date. Completely blew my mind and set the bar for all future white Burgundies (and chardonnays everywhere).

2006 Philippe Colin Chevalier-Montrachet ($265): Smooth fruity nose with mellow caramel notes that just slides over the tongue. Silky smooth with a slightly "sweet"-tasting finish. Lingers long after the sip is gone. AWS score: 3/6/6/3/2 = 20.

Salute,
Noel