The 2008 Cabernet
Sauvignon was bottled on March 20, 2010. We bottled 22 cases, including 6 cases of magnums. We also bottled
two Jeroboams and 4 gallons containers. At harvest, the berries were ripe, with an average Brix of 25, but
did not produce as much juice as in 2007. The result was a concentrated wine. It was aged in new American
oak 8 months, then racked into a neutral barrel where it continues to age. French oak chips were added and then
removed after 2 weeks. Petite sirah from the Briggs/Childress Vineyard and produced at Pamo Valley Winery
has been used exclusively to top, adding some color and texture to the cab.
The
2008 Estate Syrah was our first from our own vineyards. Since this fruit came from our initial
small vineyard of about a quarter acre, and was from the second leaf, there was not much wine - only about 6 gallons!
The Brix were at 25, with a TA at .80. We put it in a small oak cask, and aged it there for about 5 months. The
color is inky and the taste intense. Half of this syrah was used to blend with some cabernet sauvignon, merlot and viognier,
that John made over at Pamo Valley Winery. Both the blend and the straight syrah are settling down into some very good
wine. (How does he do it??). Both wines were blended and bottled on March 20, 2010 and labeled Heritage.
We bottled 3 cases plus 10 bottles of special hand painted bottles for our family and special friends.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested in mid-September. The fruit was the best
ever this year, but once again there did not seem to be as much juice as we expected. As a result we took a second harvest
a week after the first. The first batch (1100 pounds), came in at 25 Brix, with a TA of .57. The second batch
(around 300 pounds) came in at 27.5 Brix. Tartaric acid will be added to bring up the acid level. After pressing
and settling, the wine will be racked to a new American oak barrel for initial aging.
The
2009 Estate Syrah was the first harvest of the year on September 7. The Brix measured 25, and the TA
1.08 (whoops).. We only picked from the small "Paula's Vineyard" again this year. The rest of the vineyards
are only in their 2nd leaf. The fruit in Paula's Vineyard looked very good - ripe and juicy. We got 400 pounds
out of the 100 plants, and made 22 gallons of wine. 15 of those gallons are now aging in a new 15 gallon American oak
barrel (courtesy of Peter and Denise Clarke - a gift for making their wine at Altipiano Vineyard). The wine is dark
and very fruity, albiet somewhat tart, but is expected to evolve very nicely. It has a distinct white pepper note
that is very pleasant on the palate.
The 2009 Hellanblanc is a new addition
to the winery portfolio. It is a blend of 50% viognier and 50% chenin blanc from a tiny backyard vineyard in Ramona,
called "Stick"! John made wine from this vineyard last year, but used most of it for blending. The vineyard
yielded around 250 pounds of grapes, ending up with 13 gallons of new wine. The wine was fermented at cellar temperatures
and finished at .6 (that's point 6) percent residual sugar. Half of the wine was subjected to malolactic fermentation
and a little french oak, using chips. We bottled this wine on March 20, 2010. It turned out very nice, with lush
notes of apricote and tropical fruit.
2009 "Special Projects".
John is colaborating with Joey Hollacher, president of the San Diego Amatuer Winemakers Society, on a special project that
involves petite sirah from the Chinook vineyard. The plan was to produce 30 gallons so that we could use a barrel of
that size. Unfortunately, we were only able to produce about 23 gallons (less after settling). The wine has picked
up substantial oak as of March, 2010, and was racked to a stainless steel tank for more aging on March 27.
We also decided to make merlot from a small Ramona vineyard owned by Vince Balesteri. This effort also
produced a relatively small batch of around 10 gallons. The merlot is "soft" and light, with a TA of .63.
The color was difficult to coax out of the skins despite extended masceration. We put the wine in a small, used 10
gallon cask. It was subsequently racked to carboys. The wine has a peculiar flavor that hints of something other
than merlot. We wonder if perhaps some of the grapes come from shoots derived from the root stock.
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled on December
10, 2008. We bottled 11 cases of 750ml bottles and 7 cases of magnum bottles.
The grapes came in at 25 Brix. After 5 months in a new American oak barrel, the wine was racked
to an "almost neutral" French oak barrel. The barrel is considered a "2 1/2", meaning that it did
not have wine in it for very long during the third use. The resulting wine is excellent, with good varietal characteristics,
dark color, and pleasing complexity. The wine continues to develop in the bottle. It won silver medals in the
2008 and 2009 Lum Eisenman Wine Contest. As of March 27, there are only 3 cases left, 4 magnums and a Jeroboam.
