Morning Ya'll,
Well, harvest will re-commence this morning. We have had a little hiatus as we have wanted to ride out this most recent batch of nice weather. Jim and the guys will be going in to pick Syrah. This is the latest Martha Clara has ever picked Syrah, but the fruit that is on the vine is quite nice and will make a beautiful Syrah. We will also be picking the little bit of Viognier that we have left out to be co-fermented with Syrah. The most recent 2007 Syrah is a blend of 93% Syrah and 7%Viognier that was also co-fermented. This is classic blend that is used in Cote Rotie' in the Rhone region of France. I am very excited to be continuing this tradition in the 2009 Syrah. Patience is a virtue in the wine industry and it will be at the least two years before this 2009 Syrah is ready for release.
Speaking of releases... The wine club is gearing up to receive their December shipment. We will be hosting a wine release party for Wine Club Members on Friday, December 11th. This will be an "action packed" shipment! It will include the 2007 Syrah, 2007 Malbec and the 2008 Estate Reserve Chardonnay. All three of these wines will benefit from cellar time and will most certainly raise eyebrows and garner awards of all types when media and competitions gets their paws on these beauties... 2007 was a stellar vintage yielding concentrated wines of rich, ripe fruit balanced with elegant tannins and great acidity that makes these wines a delight to have with food. The next possible release for Malbec will be 2013! We will not be producing any of this varietal for the 2008 nor the 2009 vintage. So, this is truly a special and rare offering that quite frankly... Rocks! I am willing to admit a small amount of bias, but this is the most limited production wine that I have ever made and at only $24.99 it is an absolute bargain for Wine Club Members. Recently I was chatting with another local winery owner, (who shall remain in nameless infamy) and he informed me that they would be producing a Malbec as well for 2007. The price for their Malbec will be well over $100 a bottle!!! You may as well put your hands up when buying that wine because you are being robbed!!! "Oh, but it was hand picked..." So was ours. "Oh, oh, but we used new barrels..." So did we. "Oh, but it was harvested by nubile virgins on the full moon..." Yeah, I can't say we did that, but if were up to the JuanMaker...
In any event Harvest continues to move forward and we will be bringing in the Merlot starting next week and it will yield beautiful wines. It is late for us this harvest, but It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to the finish line in the wine industry, it just matters that you get there! I don't like to talk before the Fat Lady has sung, but I feel this vintage will certainly be well above average teetering on exceptional. It is not the way that I would write an above average/exceptional vintage to occur, but we are still getting to the same end point. The only thing for this vintage is that the yields will be extremely low. Fat Lady, start warming up those pipes!
Cheers Ya'll,
- Juan.
