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January 30, 2005
Barrel Tasting
Last night we visited neighboring Windham Winery for a barrel tasting. Our friend/consultant Doug Fabbioli, winemaker for Winham hosted the 6pm event. Seemed to be about 24 people there, which considering the weather (wintry mix) isn't bad, plus there was an 8pm session which was delayed because of an accident on the road heading to Windham. Anyway the tasting was quite interesting, consisting of four flights of four different wines. The first flight was the Sauvingnon Blanc with two 2004 barrels (one each from vineyards 2&3) and the 2003 and 2002 vintages. Very interesting to smell/taste the differences between the two barrels from the different vineyards (same grape varietal in different soils and microclimates == different wine.) The 2002 was particularly nice, even being slightly past it's prime, while the 2003 was crisp but with noticeably less fruit.
The second flight was the Chardonnay, but to be honest the nose on the first wine (2004 new French barrel) affected us so much we were basically unable to do much with the other three Chardonnays. At this point in the winemaking process (I believe Doug indicated it was in the middle of malolactic fermentation, the process by which malic acid is converted into lactic acid) a very strong chemical compound results which basically smells like burnt rubber. Very close to the smell when your vaccuum cleaner gets stuck and burns up the belt - that's what this smelled like. It was one of those compoinds that just sticks in your nose, but accepting those compounds along the way and knowing that the wine is being transformed is part of the challenge of the process. Scared the shit out of me though - I think the first time I smell something like that come out of one of our barrels I'll pour it in the pond to kill the algae...
Next up was the Cabernet Franc, highly anticipated by Shannon and I due to being one of our first acres in a few months. And we were not disappointed! Very nice wines these Cabs - especially the second 2004 being aged in Hungarian barrels. Such a smooth texture, much different than the American barrels which had a bit of a bite to them, although Doug indicated this is important to the final blend, taking characteristics from each to create the final wine. This is going to be a great wine, we'll be getting a case of it upon release.
The final flight was the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2003 and 2002 Vintner's Reserve, and a port which Doug is experimenting with. Obviously the 2004 Cab was quite young (and a touch vegetal I thought...) but the Vintner's Reserves were nice and the port, considering it is the first attempt was quite enjoyable. Not nearly as nutty as a Sandeman's or other Oporto port, but still nice.
Perhaps even better than the educational experience of the barrel tasting was the new people we got to meet. Doug mentioned a few times during the tasting that Shannon and I are new growers and that got some good conversation going with the other two couples at our table, both from Middleburg. Actually one of the guys, Stirling Young, is the vineyard manager at Boxwood Winery, the new venture of John Kent Cooke. Stirling and his friend Andy were great to talk with, and we chatted about vineyard startups, labor, etc. Looking forward to dropping in on him at Boxwood soon.
And the funniest moment of the evening, was when Shannon spotted Dave Collins, winemaker at Breaux Vineyards with a Jars of Clay hat on. Funny because I toured with Jars from '96-'97 and we had just seen the band the weekend before at a close friends' wedding. So we tapped Dave on the shoulder and told him about my association with the band, and had a wonderful conversation. Dave has been making wine in Loudoun County for nearly 20 years, having planted the first vines at Breaux long before they even owned the property. He was very interested in our venture, and knows the area and will drop by sometime. I told him I'll be getting him a picture signed by the band and he was really happy about that!
Posted by
Stephen
at
January 30, 2005 11:14 PM
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