MCV FARM NEWS - 11.6.09 - Let the Picking Begin!!!

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.   

MCV FARM NEWS - 10.16.09 - Bazooka Jim.

Morning Ya'll,

 

       Okay, well it was a big week.  We picked a lot of fruit this week and I am happy we did.  Originally when Jim and I were discussing to pick we were under the impression that the weather was calling for a chance of a few showers over the weekend.  We had no idea or thoughts that a mini-'Noreaster was on its way!  I am pleased to say that we picked a lot of fruit and I am even more pleased to say that its awesome!  This week saw the remaining Chardonnay picked, Viognier, Riesling, and Merlot for rose'. 

       Jim and the guys came out to the vineyard at the beginning of the week to pick grapes and chew bubblegum, and they were all out of bubblegum!!!  So they picked grapes and they picked lots of them!  As the week went on the forecast began to indicate rain being more and more iminant.  However, it was not until Wednesday night that the weather people began to even mention 'Noreaster for Friday.  Boy, I hope they do better jobs with hurricanes!!!  Also, they discussed the rain starting later on Thursday, but by 9:30am yesterday the drops began to Fall.  Luckily we were just about done with the pick when the rain started!  We had the last 3 tons of Riesling to pick yesterday and the last few picking baskets got a little wet. 

      This is the time of year where I have to make many decisions regarding our wines.  However, there was a lot of work put into the grapes getting to me in the winery.  Based on the quality I am seeing on a year that has offered its fair share of challenges I am very excited about the wines we will have to offer next spring!!!  All of the hard work and decisions that have been made in the vineyard through the growing season have paid off!  I cannot wait to offer a third year of awesome white wines!!!   

      However, the job does not stop with me.  I know this time of year is also a busy one for everyone in the tasting room.  There is no, "I" in team and wine is most certainly a collaborative effort.

 

         Cheers,

 

                   Juan.    

MCV FARM NEWS - 10.9.09 - Will Work for Sugar.

Morning Ya'll,

 

       Well, Fall is most certainly here!!!  Everywhere there are signs of the cooler temperatures and shorter days.  We have several things in the winery and fermentations are in full swing.  Thus far we have Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and some Chardonnay in the winery.  We will be gearing up to pick some more on Monday and Tuesday.  We will be picking Merlot for Rosé.

       This is the time of year in which I call into action my kind friends, yeast.  Yeast are the little guys that make all of the magic happen.  Fermentation is the consumption of sugar by yeast, yielding alcohol and carbon dioxide.  The addition of yeast to juice is called, "inoculation." Yeast come in a dried form very similar to that used for making bread.  However, bread yeast vary greatly from the yeast used for winemaking.

       Most of our wines use yeast that is purchased, but our Estate Reserve Chardonnay employs local yeast.  I allow the E.R. Chard to be fermented by yeast that come in with the grapes.  This is what we call a spontaneous, natural, or "wild" fermentation.  Half of the E.R. Chard is inoculated with a yeast that I have selected and the other half is allowed to go spontaneous.  The natural/spontaneous fermentation is slower, but offers a nutty complexity and fuller mouthfeel.  The commercial yeast offers more of the pear and apple apple characteristics.  The two combined offer a more complex wine that has both attributes.  I like to define our Estate Reserve Chardonnay as Burgundian in style, but North Fork in attitude!  Burgundy is the home of Chardonnay.  Many of the worlds most coveted Chardonnay's come from Burgundy, a region in France.  I utilize many of the Burgundian techniques, but seek to make a wine that is balanced with a bit of acidity to make it a great complement to food!  Keep a look out for the New Release 2008 Estate Reserve Chardonnay!!!  Spoiler alert... It's Awesome!  In any event let me know if you are interested in checking out the pick and/or the winery!!!  Talk with ya'll soon!

 

       - Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9.29.09 - Harvest Cometh...

Hey ya'll,

 

       Well, it is that time of year again!  Thus far we have safely in the winery some Sauvignon Blancand Pinot Noir.  We also have all of the Pinot Grigio.  This upcoming week we will finish picking the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.  The remaining Sauv. Blanc and Pinot Noir look awesome!!!  I am really excited about the Pinot Noir this year.  The other whites are hanging nicely and will possibly hang for another week or two!  The flavors thus far are great and I am very excited about the quality of what has been coming in. 

      The reds are hanging nicely and have at least another month or so before they come in.  I am hopeful that the reds will come around in the next month or so.  Flavor development is starting to happen in the reds, but we just need more sun to help finish them out in the coming weeks. 

      One of the most common questions asked is how we decide when to pick?  Well, the JuanMaker has some words about that...  Check out his latest non-sense at www.youtube.com/juanmaker.  Till next time...

 

       - Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9.11.09 - 2013: A Wine Odyssey

Morning Ya'll,

 

      It certainly is a windy and dreary morning on the North Fork.  Things are moving along nicely in the vineyard as the vines are all netted and the guys have been spending the past week cutting what I like to call "Greenies".  These are the clusters that are the late bloomers.  Okay, what do I mean?  Well, when the red wine grapes turn from green to red this is called veraison.  However, this process in not like a light switch being turned on.  Some clusters start veraison earlier than others, why?  This is a question that is still not fully clear to professionals in the wine industry.  The fact of the matter is that when we get to around 75-80% Veraison you can clearly see the clusters that are ahead and those that are behind.  The guys will go through the vineyard and cut the "late bloomers/greenies" from the vine.  In a week or so we would not be able to discern which was ahead or which was behind.  This small amount of effort can make huge differences in the quality of our wines.  Typically this decision is an easy one to make, but in a year like this in which yields are already so low it means that we are purposely reducing the crop again.  This is a quality minded decision, rather than a quantity minded decision.  Not all vineyards/wineries make this effort, but in the long run it is the best for wine .

      Marth Clara Wines will be on the move and headed South for the Winter.  We have been recently working with a new distributor in Florida called Tag Wine Group.  Should any "snow birds" come into the tasting room please let them know that we can get wines to Florida!  This is pretty exciting as Florida has such a large concentration of people from New York.  I like to call Florida... South New York.   Please send people to tagwinegroup.com. 

      Some of the 2007 Reds are starting to hit the shelves.  The three that are out are the Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Syrah.  I am very excited about these three and we will continue to see more of the 2007's released down the line.  These wines will be sure to turn heads in the wine industry both for wine quality and the fun new packaging that we have selected.  These wines will also have incredible longevity, and will certainly benefit from years of aging.  One of the wines that I am most excited about is the 2007 Malbec. It is stunning and it is for wine club members only!  We will NOT be making this in 2008 and 2009.  The next chance we have at this is 2010.  The next time this wine could be available for sale is 2013.  That is a long time, so this wine is truly special and limited.  In any event that is the news for now, stay dry!

 

                 Cheers,

 

                        - Juan.   

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.21.09 - It's All About the Seed...

Morning Ya'll,

 

        Well, things are moving right along in the vineyard.  The crew is busy applying nets to the vines and tying them at the bottom all in an effort to thwart off our avian (a.k.a. - birds) friends.  The vineyard looks awesome and the berries have begun the all important process of veraison(pronounced veh-ray-sohn).  Veraison is the point in time in which grapes change color.  All grapes start off as green and ultimately will change in color depending on the variety.  Most of the whites turn a golden color, with the exception of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.  Gewurz turns a subtle purple-ish color and the Pinot Gris turns a light grey.  Gris = Grey.  Okay, how many of you just had that, "Ah, I get it" moment? 

        The vine has its own agenda, which is quite different than ours.  The vines agenda is to see that it can pass on its genes via seeds.  When the berries first form in the early spring they lack seeds.  These seedless grapes to the eye are as green as the canopy (fancy way of saying the leaves) and are loaded with acidity (think lemons).  Once seed development occurs the grapes will now start to change color as to differentiate from the canopy.  This signals other species of animals to take notice of the berries because they are no longer camouflaged.

       In addition to changing color the tart acidity begins to decrease and in its place sugar is now found.  As the berries continues to mature the acidity continues to drop and sugar increases.  It's an inverse relationship for those of us that remember all of that junk!  This is a process that completely fascinates me. 

       In any event we have had some big news as it relates to two of our wines.  Our 2005 Five-O Red received DOUBLE GOLD in the Best-of-Appellation Program through Appellation America.  This wine is defined as one that demonstrates the potential of the North Fork.  So, it is a big honor to have this.  Additionally, we received BEST SAUVIGNON BLANC in New York State at the 2009 Wine and Food Classic for our 2008 SO VIN YON BLONK.  I just loved reading that spelled out in the email I received informing me of this accolade.  So, we have two more great selling points to offer our customers in addition to the many others! 

     The wine club is being prepared for shipment and in the fall wine club the all new 2008 Syrah Rose' will be included (96% Syrah, 4% Viognier).  This is a wine club exclusive and just this past week we bottled the 2007 Malbec another wine club exclusive that will be available in the Winter wine club shipment.  The Malbec promises to be a gem!   Talk with ya'll soon!

 

        Cheers,

 

              Juan. 

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.1.09 - Spoiler Alert...

Hey ya'll,

       Well, I apologize for my recent weeks of silence.  In any event lots of things have transpired since my last email.  The vineyard is in full swing.  Jim and the guys have been doing a great job of managing the canopy.  One thing is "for true"... the yields will be quite small this year.  One of the benefits of having a large vineyard is that we have lots of vines which yield fruit.  On a typical year we sell fruit to other local growers.  On a year such as this we either don't sell or reduce the quantity that we do sell.
      This year we will only be selling a small amount of fruit, so we will be able to meet our needs in the winery.  Quality is a question and concern of many people I speak with this year.  To be quite frank mother nature has been....hmm...how can I say this...a bit challenging is a nice way to describe her behavior.  However, as of late we have been quite sunny and warm.  Sure, we have been getting rain, but this has been occurring at night maximizing sun during the day.  
     Because the yields are so small the vine will have less fruit to ripen.  So, even though it has been a cooler year historically speaking the yields in the vineyard are quite low.  I am hopeful that this will balance out in the long run.  We have a lot of hang time left and I am hopeful that we will see this year turn around. 
     The winery has been busy churning out bottles of the 2007 reds.  These babies are going to be nice.  Spoiler alert...these wines are AwEsOmE!  The combination of sexxy new packaging and great wine will be sure to have people talking about Martha Clara.  I am quite excited to have these wines hit the market.  These will be the first red wines that I have created fully as a head winemaker!  These are the nicest wines that I have been involved with in all of my years in the industry.  I know there has been much abuzz about the 2007 and 2008 whites, well the 2007 reds will follow that trend when they are released!  I cannot wait!
     That's the news for now... Talk with ya'll later!

      Cheers,

         - Juan.