Fall 2008 Newsletter
With the harvest and the election
both behind us, I can begin to
reflect on what a strange year it has
been. While there were a few high
notes, much of it was not the type of
year I want to repeat. In May I lost
my brother to cancer. In October we
lost our little friend Pappi. Up until
the end he still took his job of being
the official greeter seriously and
came to the winery whenever he had
enough strength. In between we dealt
with some of the strangest and most
inconsistent weather I have ever seen.
From the beginning it was one for
the record books with almost no rain
after February. Dry soils in the spring
often bring early bud break as the
soils warm more quickly. If we have a
warm spring that can be a good thing
as it often means an extended growing
season. This year it was not. We
had the worst, and latest, frosts since
1971. Temperatures dropped into
the mid 20's night after night. None
of the vineyards we farm have frost
protection. In fact, the only vineyards
we get fruit from that do are Saralee
Kunde's. In the past this has not been
a problem. This year our luck ran out.
Mancini Ranch was devastated, with
about 80% of the vines hit. Our Estate
vineyard was hit hard as well. We lost
all of the chardonnay and most of the
south block of pinot noir as well as the
lower third of the block by the winery.
Many growers with frost protection
did not escape unharmed. Some that
relied on reservoirs for water to spray
on the vines to protect them from
falling below freezing simply ran out
of water. Some, who have less water
available and use micro-sprinklers
(such as Trenton View next door) saw
the water lines freeze solid when it
dropped into the 20's. Others found
that the temperatures sometimes
dropped so fast that by the time that
they got the water on, the vines were
already damaged. In any event, the
vintage started under a dark cloud. The
next big problem was during bloom
and set. In some vineyards the weather
during bloom was fine. Others were
not as fortunate and heavy wind and
other weather problems caused incomplete
fruit set and fewer than normal
berries in the clusters. In addition, the
clusters overall were generally smaller
than usual, meaning yet another reduction
in tonnage. But the horrors were
not over. Wild temperature swings
from freakishly hot to very cool took
their toll as well. About all that was
missing was the proverbial plague of
locusts.
Due to the dry spring, low crops
and heat spells, harvest began early.
We brought our first fruit in on September
2 and rushed to pick as much
as possible. For a while it looked as
if it would all be over with by the end
of September, and, for some wineries,
it was. However, after the initial mad
rush to get fruit off before it went from
being ripe to raisened, the weather
cooled again. Harvest came to a complete
standstill. We had time to assess
what we had brought in and I was not
very happy. Higher than usual sugars,
mostly lower acids and higher pH's,
very small clusters and not much tonnage.
Great Oak had dropped from its
usual 1 ton per acre to half that. Our
Estate pinot noir was off by 2/3 from
2007. Trenton View (next door) was
down considerably as well. Saralee's
Vineyard pinot noir was a mixed bag.
Four of the lots we get in their entirety
were down while the other clones
that we share came in a little heavier
than expected. We had lots of unused
fermenters (which certainly beats the
alternative). Then things began to pick
up again. We brought in our white
grapes including some chardonnay
from Saralee's to replace the Estate
chardonnay we had lost. Next came
the pinot gris from Trenton Station.
We had hoped to bump up production
a lot but the block we picked yielded
half of the six tons we expected. The
gewürztraminer was down as well. In
order to get close to what we normally
get, Saralee's crew had to selectively
pick random ripe clusters from an
adjoining block. Then came the syrah
from Great Oak and our Estate. Again,
very little fruit. The Trenton Estate
syrah was also light but we decided
to produce rosé from it (no reflection
on the quality, I was just desperate for
something to make rosé from). For a
bit of a twist we included a very small
amount of marsanne and rousanne,
two Northern Rhone white varietals,
in it. We are referring to it as Rhosé as
a result! Unlike the earlier grapes, all
of these came in at moderate to lower
than usual sugar levels. The acidity
was generally a little lower than I prefer
but not as low as the early grapes.
Then came the oddball. We harvested
Stellwagen zinfandel. The fruit
was the most consistent and best looking
I have ever seen from that vineyard.
The numbers were also textbook
perfect. But the real surprise was that
it was also the biggest crop we have
ever gotten off of that vineyard. It
seemed that it had responded well to
all of the weather problems that had
hammered our other vineyards!
The rest of the harvest continued
in fits and starts. In late October Saralee
Kunde called to tempt me with
another lot of fruit (as she often does
during harvest). And, as is always the
case, I said yes. We brought in a small
lot each of marsanne and roussanne.
What we do with them remains to be
seen but I have always been a big fan
of the J.L. Chave's Hermitage blanc.
There is not the chance of a snowball
in hell that we will make a wine like
that but one can always dream!
The third week of October we
finally harvested Zeigler Vineyard
zinfandel. Wonderful fruit but not
much of it. Frank Mancini was watching
out his window (the vineyards are
across the road from each other). He
called me a few days later wondering
when we were going to harvest his. I
explained that due to the frost damage
in his vineyard it was set back
about three weeks, which is not good
as we often pick it at the very end of
October. The weather looked good and
the vines were in remarkably good
shape. Then came an ominous weather
forecast. Rain, and lots of it, was on
the way. I walked the vineyard and
decided that a miracle had come to
pass. The fruit was actually ripe and at
low sugar levels to boot! I called the
crew to tell them we needed to pick.
Bad news, they couldn't pick until
Saturday, which was projected to be
the worst of the worst, storm wise.
Just when all appeared to be lost, they
managed to rearrange their schedule
and could pick on Friday. Still, we
were in a deep hole as it usually takes
us 4-5 days to pick this vineyard (lots
of walking for not much fruit). Then
miracle number two came to pass.
Saralee Kunde offered up a tractor,
trailer, three bins and one of her crews.
I hauled all of our FYB's (35# yellow
plastic lugs) to the vineyard and
walked it one more time to see how we
were going to manage to pick this very
difficult, uneven ripening vineyard,
which one year took 8 separate picks
to get everything at maturity, a vineyard
where you usually have to look at
every vine and sometimes every cluster
to make sure that it is ripe. Miracle
number three! The fruit was amazingly
consistent. There were no pink berries,
very, very few raisins and no rot! All
we had to do was to go in and get it
out. Halloween day, after enough rain
the night before to make it a muddy
mess but not to hurt the fruit, we started.
At 8 that night I hauled the last of
the grapes to the winery but even with
the heroic efforts of all of the guys, we
couldn't get it all. Our projected 5 tons
had become closer to 11 (including
the Côtes du Rosa grapes). We had left
the fruit on the highest ground, as it
would best be able to handle the rain.
Saturday it poured. Sunday the guys
went back and picked the rest and we
processed it. The fruit was perfect and
the numbers the same as the rest of the
pick. I am cautiously optimistic that it
will turn out to be a very fine wine!
That afternoon, with all of the
fruit in (including all 320 pounds of
Estate cabernet sauvignon), I decided
to taste through the barrels of the lots
that had been pressed. Tom Fredericks,
our neighbor and grower, joined me.
What we found astonished me. Lot
after lot was impressive. The white
wines were aromatic and complete.
The pinot noirs were full of pure fruit,
darker than usual, but delicious. Even
the first lot of syrah that we had just
pressed was a delight. The wines are,
however, very different from each
other except in one very important
way - they all seem to have amazing
balance! I have no idea how it happened
but it looks as if this is going
to be, despite all of the angst, a very
fine vintage! I, for one, certainly need
some good news. It is a long way until
the wines are finished and in the bottle
but we seem to have survived everything
Mother Nature could throw at
us. I guess once in awhile we just get
lucky!
I often joke that there is a reason
we put a number on the label. The
number I am referring to is the vintage
year. Vintages are supposed to
be different from each other but that
doesn't mean that they are necessarily
better, just different. I believe that
vintage charts are one of the big lies.
They just happen to be a convenient
tool for those in the trade to sell wine.
Good rating, high prices. Lower rating,
"but it is really good for the vintage."
How anyone can give a score to
an area as large as California or even
smaller areas like the Russian River
Valley is beyond me. Vineyards just
a short distance apart can have bud
break and bloom at times that are just
different enough to make a huge difference
in crop levels and the quality
and character of the resulting wines.
Farming practices can mitigate or accentuate
problems. The crop loads you
carry and when you harvest have big
impacts. However, you usually can
come up with some broad generalizations
about the general character of a
given year. This year, however, I have
no idea how to characterize the wines
we have made, or, for that matter, why
they are the way they are.
- Rod Berglund
New Releases
2006 Pinot Noir - Great Oak
Great Oak is a vineyard across the
Russian River from us. It is planted to
several clones in several small blocks,
all on Franciscan formation soils (essentially
fractured shale and sandstone
held together by a very small amount
of soil). Production was a minuscule
one-ton per acre.
Although not as dark as usual it is still
very dark for the vintage. It is fun to
put it alongside the 2006 Saralee's
which is probably the lightest colored
pinot noir I have ever made!
The nose is still a bit backward but
with a bit of aeration it opens to reveal
the typical Great Oak black and
red fruit mélange (black raspberry,
cherry and a bit of pomegranate). In
the mouth it is moderately rich but in
an old world, restrained kind of way.
There is a good bit of tannin, and
excellent acidity, which will allow
it to stand up to such foods as duck,
sausage and lamb. Tonight I am trying
it with some spicy grilled sausage.
Although it doesn't demand age I expect
it to open and soften over the next
couple of years and to gain additional
complexity for several years beyond
that. 123 cases were bottled.
2004 Syrah - Trenton Estate
I think that one of the great tragedies
of the day is the apparent lack of interest
in syrah. I know of several vineyards,
world-class vineyards, in our
area that were grafted over to other
varietals this year because the wineries
buying their fruit had trouble selling
the wine. I spent years tilting at
the pinot noir windmill and am very
pleased to see it has finally become a
fashionable wine but I am perplexed
why syrah has not taken hold. Perhaps
it is because the well was poisoned by
the success of Australian shiraz and a
lot of consumers have never had the
pleasure of experiencing the glories
of the wines of the Northern Rhone
Valley of France, where there is only
one red grape allowed - syrah. And,
although we are 5500 miles away,
we have a lot more in common with
the Northern Rhone than we do with
Australia. Cool climate, long growing
season, ripeness with good acidity and
moderate sugar levels, and wines that
truly speak of their terroir. I was first
inspired to grow syrah by the success
of Tom Dehlinger (our friend and near
neighbor) and Dick Arrowood, who
produced a Robert Parker chart topping
syrah from two year old vines
grown by Saralee Kunde! Both vineyards
are about a mile either side of us
so it seemed to reason that we would
have some success as well.
The 2004 is a bit of a departure from
the rich, almost fruit bomb 2003. Vintage
difference. Big time. It is more
rustic and a bit more restrained than
the 2003 but still shows that core of
almost sweet fruit, aromas of lavender
and violets, lush mouth feel, rich,
sweet fruit (cherry-berry). Soft tannins
and just enough acidity to keep it
bright. Good today, better tomorrow,
even better in a few years. As much
as I hate to say it, there
are times when pinot
noir just won't do. But
that is ok since there
is always syrah!
173 cases.
2005 Syrah - Great Oak
If anyone needs proof of terroir, all
they have to do is to taste our Trenton
Estate and Great Oak syrahs side by
side. Granted, they are from two different
vintages but the differences are
the same year in and year out. The
Estate is about elegance and floral perfume
wound up in beautiful pure fruit.
Great Oak is about the wild, sauvage
side of syrah. While there is always
loads of fruit, it always has more apparent
tannin and that gamey, English
saddle leather, roasting meat side to it
as well. This year is no exception. It
is a little more racy and refined than
usual (again that vintage thing) but it
is still all Great Oak.
Aromas of ripe plum, bacon fat, leather
and sage. In the mouth quite rich
without being ponderous. Nice purity,
good acidity, moderate tannins. Hard
to resist now but will reward a few
years of age.
A note on why we release Great Oak
before the Trenton Estate: while a lot
of conventional wisdom would suggest
releasing more elegant wines first,
I have found that, generally speaking,
our more elegant wines take more time
to show what they got! Both of these
syrahs will definitely continue to age
well; - however, the Great Oak is generally
showier and more generous in
its youth. 122 cases bottled.
2004 Mourvedré - Russian River
Valley
Although it seems to go against my
general belief that vintage characteristics
tend to be overrated or at least
relied upon to too great an extent, our
2004 wines did share a common characteristic.
In general they were more
rustic, rougher around the edges and
less refined than some other vintages.
The Mourvedré was no exception. In
fact, I was beginning to wonder when
it would
finally get through with finishing
school and be ready to make an
appearance. Well, it finally has.
It is quite dark, even for this vineyard.
Liquid black pepper and plum fruit
typical for this vineyard dominate
the aromas, although they are deeper,
darker and less flashy than usual.
The rough-and-tumble tannins that
were present for so long seem to have
melded into the rich flesh of the wine.
It is very dark in flavors as well as aromas.
It is quite rich in the mouth, and,
although totally dry, the fruit still gives
a slightly sweet impression. Although
it is still pretty primary, I am not sure
how much more development is possible.
Although it should drink well for
quite a few years, it is showing well
now and I can see no real reason to
wait. Only 20 cases were bottled!
2004 Zinfandel - Stellwagen
Vineyard
The short, warm growing season of
2004 certainly imprinted this wine.
The nose is one of berry confit. There
is a slightly sweet raisin quality as
well. In the mouth the flavors echo the
aromas. It is exceptionally rich with
a perceptible hint of sweetness in the
long finish. Tasting it, I imagine what
a table wine version of those wonderful
Australian show reserve muscats
would be like. It is definitely more about
the vintage than about the vineyard
For me, this wine would be perfect for
the cheese course (if we still did that
sort of thing!) but will also work well
with stews and other rich, hearty winter
dishes. For those who eschew food
and wine pairings and prefer to drink
wine on its own, there is no better candidate!
168 cases bottled.
Upcoming Events
November 22 & 23, 1pm-5pm: Futures pick up party. Karen (and the rest of us) will be on hand not only to give you
your futures but to share a glass and a bite with you as well. The new releases will be open for tasting.
Next Release: February 2009. 2006 Trenton Estate Pinot Noir and other goodies!
January 17-18, 2009, 11-4 both days. The 17th annual Wine Road Winter Wineland
in Northern Sonoma County.
Although we won't be participating, it is a wonderful event. If you are in the area, make sure that you stop by. We will
open until 4:30. For more information go to: http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/1.
March 7-8 and 14-15, 2009: Barrel Tasting! We will once again be pouring both weekends (and the preceding Fridays
as well). More information to follow. The list of participating wineries will be posted on The Wineroad website sometime
after the first of the year.
June 17-27, 2009. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Passion Cruise! Join us along with Papapietro Perry Winery, Moshin
Vineyards and the owners of Hawk Hill Vineyard (who supply grapes to Lynmar and Williams-Selyem) for 10 beautiful
days on the Mediterranean. We sail from Rome, end up in Barcelona, and hit a whole lot of cool ports in between. The
line is luxury, the ship is small, and the fun will be immense. With the weakness of the dollar and the high price of
airfare, it is a no brainer with rooms prices beginning at about $3,500 including airfare! At this point there are still a few
slots available. Even better, the reservation deposit is only $100! For more information contact Food & Wine Trails at
800.367.5348 or email them at info@foodandwinetrails.com.
Wishing you all the best, Rod and Lynn Berglund, Karen Guenther, Cody Sapieka
Back to Newsletters
|
