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June 23, 2005
Walking into my work...
I recently asked, Cary Gott, our very talented winemaker, to jot down a few thoughts for the Vintner's Journal. Here's his first post.
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Walking into my work...
In an interesting lifetime of making wine from lots of vineyards at many different wineries (Inglenook in 1969 was the first) I have learned to entertain myself with a few special experiences I get to enjoy as a winemaker. Some are in the vineyard and usually relate to driving tractors in the spring. Another is the design phase of a new winery when the architect in me puts a new design on paper, a cellar where I would like to make wine. There is always the opening an old bottle from my winemaking past and enjoying again the work I did many years ago. And there is one at the conclusion of a winemaking project that occurs just a few times a year...
Last week I created the blend of the Match Vineyards 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. In the caves at Rombauer two different lots of Cabernet and one of Merlot were racked from barrel, blended and returned to barrel (my unique mix of mostly new French oak barrels). Eleven barrels of clone 15 Cabernet, nine barrels of the clone 7 Cabernet and three barrels of Merlot. All three, very, very nice wines and just eight months old. I always worry that a new blend might not be as expected after the work is done. Maybe something unexpected happened or it just doesn't go together as planned. Usually about a week after the blend is made I make myself go taste the wine, usually with a little fright in my mind but also there is excitement to see what I have created (especially when I'm working with wines as interesting and complex as the 04 lots from Butterdragon Hill).
I waited until the end of the day when the winery was closed. It was a rather warm day, the first day of summer. Beautiful outside, cool in the winery. I found a wine thief and a glass in the lab. Next, a zig zag walk through a room packed with barrels to the shut cave door and a fumble feel along the wall to find the light switch once inside. Lights on and the winemaking fun begins. The floors are shiny wet, everything is damp, the smells are a heavy complex mix of wood, cave walls and years of winemaking. The walk between two rows of barrels seems to be a gliding-on-water experience that does not require effort, just absorbing what is around me. Two turns into other tunnels and now here are the Match barrels that were just racked. My random selection machine is turned on and a barrel is chosen to taste. Bung out. I always amaze myself (I guess it is from doing this so many times) that I am able to to get the thief to go in the bung hole without hitting the sides since I cannot see the hole as it is hidden in the shadows of the barrels stacked above.
Half a thief-full is slightly splashed into a rather large bowl glass. One big swirl. I'm not concerned about the color, just the nose and the taste. I'm by myself with a wine I just made. Talk to me. I never had a large learned vocabulary of words to describe a wine. I have few friends I use all too often, but they work so well for my purposes. Big, rich, full, elegant, deep, stylish, long-finish, complete, nice, wow!.
After a smell and a taste (with a well executed and accurate spit, a fun talent) and then one more taste, I'm thinking this wine is better than I expected. All of those words I so often use are this wine. And now I say out loud in a rather large voice, "wow, this is great wine". I'm speaking to the cave. I'm speaking to the other barrels of the wine. I do a 360 in place and have a last taste. I am so pleased. Do I take the credit (in my mind)? No. It's the vineyard. I just finished the vineyard's work. Great wine. Thank you vineyard.
Then I do a quick tasting of the 03 Cabernet. Just as expected the nose is getting spicier, complex and the body is silky and elegant. A wine doing its thing correctly and beautifully. But I was really here to taste the new blend of 04 and give myself peace of mind on the work we just did. Touchdown ! I now have two great wines aging.
I don't remember my quick exit from the cave. Later I try to remember if I turned the lights off, I can't. What I remember is the first smell and taste of what I think will be an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. Big, rich, full, elegant, deep, stylish, long-finish, complete, nice, wow!.
2004 Match Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Butterdragon Hill.
Cary Gott
June 23, 2005
Posted by matchvineyards at June 23, 2005 03:32 PM
June 22, 2005
Tasting: 2003 Robert Foley Charbono
A unique offering from this talented Napa Valley winemaker. Dark color, hot brambly, earthy aromas. This wine is tart with high acidity and lends itself well to spicy, bold tomato sauce dishes. Flavors of sour berries, pine needles, grilled red peppers. A bit dull or flat on finish. Wait until the food is served and pair it with southern Italian cuisine. You won't be disappointed. $35 from the winery.
Posted by matchvineyards at June 22, 2005 08:13 PM
June 16, 2005
Tasting: 2002 Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Navarra
Dark color, throwing a significant amount of sediment. Fun, "peasant" style wine with hot nose. I like it. Sturdy oak with fresh berry fruit, cedar, tar, firm bite of tannins and alcohol. Rough around the edges but takes one on a trip to the country. Shoud be enjoyed out of a tumbler, not a Reidel. Look for this Tempranillo and buy it cheap.
Posted by matchvineyards at June 16, 2005 10:26 PM
June 10, 2005
Tasting: 2000 Louis Guntrum Riesling Spatlese "Yellow Fantasy"
Brilliant golden orange color. Fresh peach with subtle petrol aromas. Crisp, pleasant bite of acidity keeps the sweetness from feeling flabby. Oily texture. Lemon peel, lychee nut, and peaches. Quite good but got even better when paired with a spicy thai curry. Recommended.
Posted by matchvineyards at June 10, 2005 04:27 PM
June 08, 2005
2003 and 2004 Barrel Report
I tasted our 03 and 04 vintages out of the barrel a couple of days ago and thought this would be a good opportunity to report how these vintages are shaping up for us. 2003 will be the last vintage when we produce only one wine as 2004 will see the debut of Baconbrook.
2003 Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (final blend)
03 was a head scratcher – it was really a story of two vintages. An extremely hot September caused the vines at the bottom portion of Butterdragon – where the soil is thinner – to start to shut down. We were losing a lot of grapes to dehydration. Dimpled grapes or “sad faces” were starting to predominate. It was either harvest or loose the crop so we brought in about ¼ of the vineyard earlier than anticipated. The rest we gambled that the weather would break and it would make it until we felt the grapes had reached full flavor ripeness.
That “early” lot made pretty good wine, but it never fit in with what we’re trying to do at Match so we decided not to include it in the final blend. Fortunately, our gamble waiting to harvest the rest of the vineyard paid off and the September 2003 heat gave way to some perfect ripening weather in early October.
The final 2003 blend from Butterdragon – to be bottled September 2005 – is showing remarkable complexity with mature fruit, more earthy characteristics than our 02, and a touch of eucalyptus. The tannic structure indicates that this wine will probably require more patience to reveal it potential.
2004 was a great growing season, but as I’m starting to learn, abnormal is normal in farming. Everything moved up 3-4 weeks in 2004. Spring was early followed by an even, pleasant growing season culminating in hot weather during early September. Many vineyards, including ours, were ready for harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon in early to mid September. It’s still so early, but it looks like 2004 will be a blockbuster year for us at Match.
2004 Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Our 2004 wines have not yet been blended, so these are comments on the components that will eventually become our 2004 release.
Merlot - Of the 90 rows at Butterdragon, 3 of them are Merlot. 2002 gave us just a tad of Merlot. Those grapes were “field blended” – harvested and fermented in the same tank – as the Cab. In 2003 we got a bit more merlot, fermented separately, but ended up blending in with the Cab. We’re really liking the way about 3% Merlot can soften and round out a Cab.
In 2004, we’ve again kept the Merlot separate up to now. It’s a pretty wine, very floral and bright and would stand nicely on its own. Still, since we have so little of it, we currently plan to use most if not all in the final blend of our 2004 Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 7) - Dark fruits, big mouthfeel, really big aromas of berries.
Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 15) - Brighter fruit, more acidity than the Clone 7, more oak and tannin evident.
We’re really excited about what the above three wines are going to do when they join forces to become our 2004 Match Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Baconbrook Cabernet Sauvignon
Ah the newcomer… but it’s not arriving quietly. The 04 Baconbrook is going to be a monster. Ever time I try it, I like it more. The pieces are coming together wonderfully with incredibly complex dark fruits, leather, and a huge tannic structure for this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cary Gott has described this wine as being more like Howell Mountain than its own appellation, Spring Mountain District. This is one of those wines that stains the glass and makes you brush your teeth afterwards. It may be a 20+ year wine.
Posted by matchvineyards at June 08, 2005 06:03 PM
June 05, 2005
Match in the Piedmont Post
From our local newspaper, the Piedmont Post (5/11/05):
2002 Match Vineyards Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Complex French style nose of vanilla, earth and berries coupled with typical California power and lush fruit on the palate. Soft tannins and a long finish. This wine will improve with a few years aging and should last 15-20 years. (5 Stars)
Posted by matchvineyards at June 05, 2005 08:25 AM
June 02, 2005
Tasting: 2001 Bressler Cabernet Sauvigon
I'd like to chime in on this wine. I opened my first 01 Bressler last month and immediately reinserted the cork until serving. Bob Bressler's recommendation was to do this 24 hours prior -- I only had 12.
This wine is far more approachable than many 01's I've tried. By the time we served, it displayed a lovely complex nose and flavors of cassis and spice with really pretty, light oak notes. It also had a wonderful coffee with cream texture and flavor. It is not a huge cab, but rather more subtle. (What was the blend?) I did not find it "hot" at all. In my opinion, this wine will improve for 3-5 years and I see no reason why it won't age for many more. Excellent wine.
Posted by matchvineyards at June 02, 2005 01:04 PM
Photo: Bottling line
Freshly bottled 2002 Match Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon march along the line towards the labeling machine.
Posted by matchvineyards at June 02, 2005 09:15 AM
