The Sat. (Jan 13th) Barrel Sample Tasting was great. Thanks to everyone at Cruspad for all their hard work to organize it. We started with the Sauvignon Blanc since it was a first vintage for Crushpad and then moved on to sample the other whites at the table – Chardonnay, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier. The rhones are my favorite white varietals.
The Pinot Noir table was filled with a variety of vineyards, from Amber Ridge to Wentzel. One particular winemaker had used a submerged cap, which was obvious due to the intense color of this wine when compared to the other pinots. I was partial to the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot (Santa Lucia Highlands).
The Syrah table was the most exciting for me. It was fun to compare the Syrahs from warm and cooler climate vineyards. Flying Wine Cellars made a White Hawk Vineyard Syrah in both 2005 & 2006 and it was exciting to taste my wine and then sample another from White Hawk vineyard noting that they could be very different from one another. I’d seek out the winemaker and ask questions about his style: “My Syrah has herbs and white pepper, yours has bacon/meat….100% crush or whole clusters? What type of yeast? Which oak treatment?” Since we all love to talk about OUR wine, it was a great way to meet new people!
Talk around the Cabernet table was equally stimulating. “Did you try the one with extended maceration? it has a caramel flavor.” “Is the Regusci still available for adoption? How much?” “Can you taste a difference between mountain and valley fruit at this point?” I have a bias to mountain fruit, but all the Cabs were showing quite well even at this early stage.
Since most of us are only making a barrel or two at a time, this was the perfect way to sample the effect different styles have on the grapes/wine. Not just a tasting, but a real learning experience!
