Tasting Grapes

Posted 10/24/2006 at 08:29 AM by Dirk

I have been out in the vineyards with our winemakers. Sure it is fantastically beautiful, but we are spending most of the time concentrating on the vineyards, the state of the vines, and mostly on the grapes themselves. Although we're finished with Chardonnay, most of our Cabernet is still out on the vine.  We are asking ourselves what do the grapes taste like and will these make the best wines? Is it going to rain? Do we have enough tanks...and pickers? And...what is the air velocity of a swallow? (If you don't follow Monty Python, there is no point trying to explain that the proper answer is another question: "African or European?")

Have you ever tasted ripe wine grapes? They don't have anything to do with those bland water bags called grapes that you get at the supermarket. Where table grapes may be at 18% sugar, ripe Napa Cabernet is pushing 25%!  It is sticky, but tastes fantastic. The flavors are explosive and give a clear indication of what we should see after fermentation.  Yes, we take samples for analysis in the lab, but we are tasting to see if the flavors speak of ripe and bright fruit flavors, if the tannins are starting to melt on the palate rather than being harsh, and if the vines and clusters are healthy enough to hold out for more.

What are the grapes saying now that it is nearly November?  I can tell you. They are gasping, "Pick Meeee!"  We are getting full ripeness as the vines are turning yellow and losing leaves. It is time to pick while the sun still shines.

I may be overly sensitive to the lateness of the season because yesterday my son called from college to point out that it was snowing on him, and that he was on his way to watch their hockey team. I don't normally make an association between hockey and harvest. (They won; St Lawrence 3 - Potsdam 1...I am sure you were wondering.)

When we are concerned about the weather (all harvest long), we check all sorts of weather sites. That usually leads to fear, extreme confusion and mental paralysis. We have a few rules about the weather:  don't trust forecasts, but if you must, never look further ahead than three days. Weather maps such as those at http://www.wxmaps.org are easier to understand than written weatherman techno-jabber.  Don't assume that other wineries understand weather any better than you.  Most of what the weather can do this late in the season is BAD, so it is OK to consider panic as a reasonable response.

Far Niente started picking its Oakville Cabernet last Friday and may well finish in little over ten days. Nickel & Nickel has already received some of the earlier-ripening vineyards and will bring in the remainder over the next two weeks as well. After tasting the first tanks, I think that the resulting wines are showing more depth, layering and complexity than we would have guessed from just tasting the fruit. What a wonderful surprise.

When it is all picked, the wineries will be stuffed with some outstanding lots that I think will be a testament to patience in a long, unusual, but ultimately excellent, season.

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