Well it has been quite a while since my last post, but geez, there is nothing going on during the summer and I did not have much to talk about. I have done some bottling of the 2009, but that is about it.
Today we kicked off the 2010 vintage. Myself and a friend crushed about 3000 lbs of Cabernet Sauvignon from Portteus Vineyards. Good shit baby! The tech specs came is similar to last year. Here are my notes thus far...
My numbers at the tank are
22 degrees Brix (I thought it would be closer to 23) so that is about 12.3 alc (last year I was at 23-23.5). I may recheck this a couple of times..although..I have already..I will recheck with a hydrometer as well and get a S.G. It is no big deal, the flavor and acid is nice...so the grapes are ripe.
Ph 3.65 (last year 3.56)
TA 0.66 g/L (last year 0.75 g/L)
The flavors are good, the seeds are really spicy compared to last year and not as tannic in the mouth as a whole berry. However, with all of this must in one 48S bin, I will extract the shit out of it and get lots of skin contact. There are NO pyrazines (bell-pepper or green flavors) that I taste and the stems look ripe and mature. These grapes looked better and taste better than last year all around. A little less black currant this year, more spice and fruit. However, I can taste Portteus house flavor and once I start to press, I get a better picture of the flavor profile. Last years grapes seemed a bit smaller and much more tannic and concentrated in cherry and currant flavors.
I will process Syrah and Merlot next Thursday. The vineyard numbers on those grapes are looking similar to last year from my Pasco grower, Burgess Vineyards.
Things are a bit crowded in the cellar, but looking good.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
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