Bottling the last 2007's
We bottled the last of our 2007 wines today at Handley Cellars. Other than a box of low-fills (where a malfunction on the line happened and they bottle didn't get the entire 750mls it's supposed to get), which we took home with us for personal consumption along with the "firsts" and "lasts" (the first and last few cases for quality control), everything went smoothly. We got 178 cases of the 2007 Charles Vineyard Pinot. If I do say so myself, it's tasting pretty darn good.
Next year we have three 2007 Pinot, which is up from this year's one Pinot. Here's how they'll differ:
1) Clone 05 Pinot - 100% Pommard Clone, 50% new oak (more than our norm because the Pommard actually likes oak - it complements this clone). Only 100 cases made via selecting the four best barrels of the Pommard lot. Wild yeast, wild ML, unfined, unfiltered.
2) All In - A blend of all our Pinot clones, 777, 114,115, Pommard. 33% new oak. A complex wine made with all the components from our estate vineyard. Mmmm... Wild yeast, wild ML, unfined, unfiltered.
3) Charles Vineyard Pinot - 20-25% total oak (mostly 2nd-year barrels), No new oak. The fruit really can shine through here - tastes like spice and fresh, crushed red berries. Wild yeast, wild ML, unfined, filtered.
These are all going to be spectacular wines. We kept a ripening chart last year when we berry sampled, which we transposed into an excel graph to note how acids and sugars were corresponding. Because of our diligent work, they came in at a perfect 24 brix with great acids and fantastic flavors. We're REALLY looking forward to them. Now we just have to figure out how to price these babies.
Next year we have three 2007 Pinot, which is up from this year's one Pinot. Here's how they'll differ:
1) Clone 05 Pinot - 100% Pommard Clone, 50% new oak (more than our norm because the Pommard actually likes oak - it complements this clone). Only 100 cases made via selecting the four best barrels of the Pommard lot. Wild yeast, wild ML, unfined, unfiltered.
2) All In - A blend of all our Pinot clones, 777, 114,115, Pommard. 33% new oak. A complex wine made with all the components from our estate vineyard. Mmmm... Wild yeast, wild ML, unfined, unfiltered.
3) Charles Vineyard Pinot - 20-25% total oak (mostly 2nd-year barrels), No new oak. The fruit really can shine through here - tastes like spice and fresh, crushed red berries. Wild yeast, wild ML, unfined, filtered.
These are all going to be spectacular wines. We kept a ripening chart last year when we berry sampled, which we transposed into an excel graph to note how acids and sugars were corresponding. Because of our diligent work, they came in at a perfect 24 brix with great acids and fantastic flavors. We're REALLY looking forward to them. Now we just have to figure out how to price these babies.
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