The Vintners Voice

Bloom began early in the week of June 8^th and appears to have concluded sometime over this past weekend. Though a bit early to say for sure, it appears as if fruit set was good. Cluster size looks quite large so we should have plenty of fruit, much of which will end up on the ground after a green harvesting.

Bloom this year came about 2 weeks earlier than the last couple of vintages putting the potential picking window somewhere in late September to early October; if we respect the old burgundian rule of picking 100 days post bloom. The more experience I get the more I believe the rule. 100 days seems to be the minimum amount of time it takes to get fruit to the point of physiologically mature and tasting great.

The advantage to a late September pick is that it greatly increases the chances of getting fruit off before the inevitable autumn rains arrive. I also think there is a possible disadvantage, though I am sure many of my peers would disagree. The style of Pinot I most enjoy is the result of slow ripening, developing concentration and intensity on a lighter and more elegant frame (at moderate alcohol levels). To this end I believe that the last three weeks of ripening are the most crucial and the weather at this time can have a tremendous impact on wine style. In the later half of October I can be almost certain that we will enjoy moderate temperatures with very cool nights. Late September can still be quite warm and the nights less cool, rapidly advancing ripening.

In Oregon we must balance two opposing desires; the desire to pull our fruit from the vineyards dry and without the dilution caused by rains and the desire to have grapes ripen slowly, evenly and completely. I for one will take the risk of rain head on and prefer to have grapes ripen slowly during the cool, short days of October instead of potentially warmer days and nights of September. I know other growers feel very differently, we all have our own ideas about what constitutes the perfect vintage.

One unique thing about bloom this year is that, at Patton Valley Vineyard at least, it took nearly two weeks to finish. That means that on a given cluster there could be up to a two week difference in age from one berry to another. This could lead to some very uneven ripening. Good vineyard management, early leaf pulling and meticulous fruit thinning, can minimize some of this risk. Regardless, it will require winemakers to be very careful in their picking decisions. In winemaking knowledge is power and knowing now that some of these issues might arise allows me to make better decisions in the vineyard. My potential success as a winemaker is dependent upon my being a successful vineyard manager first.

Already the 2009 vintage is looking as if it is going to have its own unique set of challenges. I revel in the opportunity to overcome them; god I love this job!

Spring is around the corner and in my cellar that means it time to get my Rosé of Pinot Noir bottled. Since Patton Valley Vineyard is, for the most part, a Pinot Noir producer I take great joy in the difference in mindset Rosé production demands.

That mindset is very important to the style of Rosé I produce. I have been told by many winemakers, consumers and sommelier’s that my Rosé is among the best in Oregon (some say the United States) and, not to be arrogant, I have to agree. Again, it is the mindset.

First of all I see Rosé as a confused wine. It doesn’t know if it is supposed to be red or white, it sort of suffers from issues similar to those described as “transgender”. This is especially so of Rosés of Pinot Noir. In my opinion Pinot Noir, more specifically its phenolic and color profile, is poorly suited to Rosé production. The key to good Rosé, in my opinion, is minimizing bitter phenolic compounds. The problem with Pinot Noir is that if you want color you must extract it and when you do you get bitter phenolics. Most Rosé of Pinot Noir is made by red winemakers whose job is to maximized phenolics; minimizing phenolics just isn’t part of their skill set. In addition the vast majority of Rosé is a byproduct of red wine production, the result of Saignée or the bleeding off of juice from red wine fermentations to increase their concentration. And let’s not forget the tendency to bottle Rosé with significant amounts of residual sugar. Rosé therefore is like the red headed step child of the wine world (Disclaimer, I AM a redheaded step child).

The way I approach Rosé, my mindset, is to focus on what the final wine should be and work backwards. At Patton Valley most of the Rosé we produce is not from Saignée, it is not a byproduct. I designate certain blocks of the vineyard to be made into Rosé and farm them accordingly. I also strive to minimize phenolic compounds. I do this by keeping skin contact to a minimum; instead crushing the grapes and pressing them immediately. Though this sacrifices some color, it creates a wine of purity, a more than fair trade off in my opinion. The wine is then settled until clear and fermented until dry, bone dry. I think another thing that sets my Rosé apart isn’t what I do but what I don’t do. I employ no malolactic fermentation and never stir the lees; this maintains fruit intensity and acidity as tight as a piano string. Once fermentation is complete I sulfite the wine and let it rest on the lees for 3-4 months; this keeps the wine fresh and creates some weight and roundness. The result is a pure and crisp wine that drinks well cool, goes great with foods and better with friends. What I am going for is the perfect sipper for spring and summer.

Interested? Stay tuned to the website of Patton Valley Vineyard for the Rosé release!

I've made several cellar visits since arriving in Beaune.  Some of the producers' wines I have tasted previously, none of them would I describe as "woody" or "oaky".  My impressions after the visits remain the same despite my learning, though conversations with winemakers,  that most are using 30%-100% new wood.  Again I just don't find it in the wines which surprises me considering the restrained nature of the fruit here in burgundy.  The wines I have tasted have been very detailed and elegant, for the most part, and I am baffled as to where the wood goes, it certainly isn't balanced out by rich fruit characters.

To me this confirms a suspicion I have had for years:  French coopers are saving the best wood for french winemakers.  In a few cases Domains are aging there own wood and having barrels custom made.  I just can't believe, after tasting, that we new world winemakers are on equal footing with our old world counterparts in terms of the quality of the wood we receive. 

I cannot say that I am surprised by this.  Burgundian winemakers have the coopers in their own back yards, literally.  Some of the producers I have spoken with have indicated that not only are they good friends with the cooper but so where their fathers and their fathers before that.  Producers here have the opportunity to work closely with coopers to customize the toasting process to better fit their style and sites.  Whereas we in the new world only have the coopers general style to select from to create wines specific to our desired styles.  Our approach is therefore much more ham-fisted than that of the Burundians.

In addition to being surprised at the level of new wood producers are using I am also surprised at the relative lack of microbial flaws in the wines, all of the wines I have tasted on visits I would describe as clean.  This suggests that like myself, Burgundian producers consider the scars left by Brett and other spoilage organisms to be a more dreadful violation of "terrior" than New Oak. 

I have to point out that I am not crying foul play here.  Though I wish I had the opportunities to work closely with coopers to perfect the match between barrel and wine, and also wish that I could gain access to the same quality of wood as Burgundian producers, I also realize there is something else at work here.  Tradition.  It isn't just the knowledge of a vineyards character that is gained through 1500 years of wine growing.  Relationships are, I believe, just as an important tradition for Burgundian producers as the knowledge of "terrior".  

The best I can hope for then is that my great, great, grandchildren will bennefit from the first steps I take to developing relationships with coopers here in Europe.  Tradition doesn't happen in a single lifetime.

As many of you may know, and most do not, I recently got married.  While most newlyweds seek out exotic locals for thier honeymoon's we, both working in the wine biz, took a more esoteric approach.  Instead of Cancun, Jamaica or the Bahama's, we embarked on a pilgramige to  the Mecca for Pinot Noir producers; Burgundy.

Though I have yet to visit a cellar or walk the rows of sacred vineyard ground, I do believe that I should of been born here instead of the USA.  I have often dreamed of a culture that valued food produced by craftsmen.  In Beaune there seems to be not just a bakery but also a charcuterie shop on every block and apparently it is just fine to have a beer at 10am.  I wish I could make McMinnville a little bit more like Beaune.

I will, hopefully, be posting my impressions and experiences in the restaurants and cellars of Burgundy while I am here so please stay tuned!

I managed to sneak out of town for a couple of weeks over the holidays. I missed out on a monster snow storm (by Willamette Valley standards), got married, got the flu and enjoyed fog and rain in San Diego.

It isn’t as if the winemaking just stopped, it was still happening while I was gone. My red wines were going through the Malolactic Fermentation (MLF). This is a crucial step in the process and MLF is quite misunderstood by the wine drinking public (and in some unfortunate cases, the winemaking community as well).

The MLF is a ‘fermentation’ carried out by bacteria that convert Malic Acid into Lactic acid. Malic acid is the acid of green apples and has a very tart character. Many variables can impact levels of malic acid in grapes, notably climate, vintage, varietal, canopy management, picking decisions. Lactic acid is milk acid, is much softer and rounder than Malic acid and therefore has a ‘softening’ effect on the wine. Another important feature of the MLF is that as the Malic acid is converted to Lactic acid, the pH of the wine shifts upward ( the more Malic acid present the greater the shift, which further contributes to the softening effect but also has some other potentially undesired effects as well. This shift can also reduce color of red wines and may create an environment more favorable to spoilage organisms.

The MLF can be carried out by a vast number of bacterial species. Oenococcus is the preferred bacteria of conducting MLF and is the bacteria that is contained in most, if not all, commercial malolactic bacterial cultures. Native or Wild MLF’s may be carried out by Oenococcus or other bacteria such as pedioccus or Lactobacillus. In addition to the conversion of malic to lactic acid, the bacteria can also produce a great assortment of other molecules that may or may not impact the organoleptic qualities of the wine. One such molecule is acetic acid, the acid found in vinegar. Diacetyl is another; it generally imparts an odor commonly described as ‘buttery’. Some of the ‘wild’ bacteria produce molecules such as putracine and cadaverine, which as the names imply may not exactly be the sort of thing one wants in wine. Another class of compounds, the biogenic amines, are similar to histamine and have been known to contribute to hangovers or allergic reactions.

The concept of Malolactic fermentation entered the consumer jargon a number of years back when the Napa Valley style of Chardonnay came into prominence, the fat, buttery character of the style heavily marked by the MLF. Now many chardonnays are being touted as “no-malo” because inhibiting the MLF can maintain a brightness and edginess that would be lost if MLF were to take place. So weather or not MLF takes place in a white wine is an important winemaking descion. Generally speaking most red wines, those produced via carbonic maceration excepted, are put through the MLF to round and soften the acid-tannin structure of the wines.

Though I utilize spontaneous primary fermentations for my pinot noir, and find great returns for the risk, I do not employ spontaneous MLF’s. Part of what I attempt to do in my winemaking is reflect a sense of place, a feature easily covered up by VA (acetic acid) and the various compounds generated by the spoilage organisms that can flourish during MLF. By knowing what bacteria are conducting my MLF I feel I produce a cleaner wine that is more reflective of place. In some cases, my Rose for example, I feel are best when the MLF is inhibited. I love the zippy, tight acid structure for that wine and want to preserve it.