Advice for FLU sufferers

While I sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for Louis to send the results of the samples we sent to France I’ve noticed, via the addiction known as facebook, that many people have been ill with the flu.  I thought I would share some French medical advice that has served me well in my time of need.  The image is from L’Assiette au Beurre (july 27 1907) : Les Poivrots.  This issue of the satirical magazine Les Poivrots was devoted to drinking…of all sorts.  Viva la France.

N'écoute pas les médecins; rien de tel que le cognac pour couper la fièvre... "Don't listen to doctors; there's nothing like Cognac to stop fever"

 

RR’s University Education

I’ve been very lucky as my education in this business as been essentially all hands-on.  I often say I went to the Kermit Lynch University of Wine.  I would spend 2 weeks a year, for many years, in France with Bruce Neyers (a legend in his own right) traveling around and tasting Kermit’s producers offerings.  Sometimes up to 200 wines in a single day and somewhere close to 2000 in a single trip.  Do that for 8 or 9 years and you are bound to learn something!

Below is a link with an interview with the man himself – Kermit Lynch.  It is not only about Burgundy but also gives some insight as to how he views wine and the wine world.   I listen to him and just nod because what he says is so grounded in truth and has helped shape my world view on wine.  It is also an interesting aside that Louis works with Kermit on several “special” bottlings and Louis’ regard for Kermit is equally as great.  He has done more for the idea of wine (notice just not French wine) in the US then most know – he is a remarkable fellow.

A very old hand painted picture on a cement vat in the Loire Valley

The interview:

http://kermitlynch.com/blog/2012/01/25/the-bourgogne-sessions/

Riesling Update

The Elite Squad of Hector Barrel Protectors...armed and dangerous, protecting the Riesling.

Traditionally in the Finger Lakes, Riesling is produced in stainless steel tanks.  This is a great tool, as it allows very good control (relatively) over the wine since wine in stainless is a bit more predictable.  It is also easier to cool and heat, and for a host of other reasons it just makes perfect sense to nearly everyone.  All that being said, of course we had to go and try something new.  Something that would totally separate us from everyone else.  You know, put our stamp on things because that is what we are told we have to do…be different and edgy!  What is this new, cool, edgy and never-tried technique?  Making Riesling in barrel!  That’s right we are turning the wine world on its  head.  This is gonna put us right on top of the heap.  Straight to number 1 baby…

Actually, I am blowing smoke!  Blowing smoke in a big way…Riesling being done in barrel has been around a heck of a lot longer than anyone at Forge Cellars.  In fact, take this simple little test and ask yourself, “Before stainless steel tanks were around, what did they keep wine in?”  So no, we are not trend setters.  Have you ever seen how the three of us dress?  If anything we are rolling back the clock a bit.

Louis and I had a conversation about this some 3 or 4 years ago while sitting in Gigondas.  We were talking about “cool climate” wines, wines that are often coveted for their fresh, searing, laser-like acidity.  We both were commenting how wonderful acid is and then he started to tell me about experiments he had done with high acid whites in barrel and how wonderful they turned out.  I thought it all made sense because if you look at all the cool climate regions of the world, using barrels of different sizes was the norm before the stainless steel manufacturers showed up.   So from early on, we decided we would “work” in a different way by using OLD barrique for our rieslings.   I say OLD because it is almost a prerequisite to explain that using barrels does not mean using brand new just-out-of-the-coopers’-hands barrels that end up imparting toasty, buttery, vanilla flavor to your wines.  Besides, who the hell can afford that?  Great barrels are $800 to $1000 apiece.  Mind you, a barrel holds 25 cases of wine…do the math.  The idea of hammering helpless little white wines with new oak is well, lets just say, not for us, but the idea of letting a high acid, fresh, laser-like riesling “relax” a bit in a nice aged barrel could make a whole bunch of sense.

Thus far, I think the wines are showing great promise and are responding in a way that I think is consistent with what we thought.  They feel more mellow, less edgy and honestly, I have a hard time not drinking them now!

Thieving Pinot

Samples for France

We (Justin and I) sent our first batch of samples to Louis in France.  That was to say the very least… painful.  Really, it  took 1.5 hrs to set up the shipment.  Shipping internationally is not as easy as sending cookies to your aunt in Minnesota.  The upside is that the samples showed up and in good condition.  They will not only be analyzed on the taste side by Louis but also by our enologist who will be running all the lab tests to make sure our little darlings are “stable.” When you do things as natural as possible (no fining, filtering, experimenting with natural yeasts and so forth) you better be REALLY diligent about the chemical make-up of your wines.  If not, well, lets just say that this is what keeps winemakers up late at night with worry and really pisses consumers off when they get an “off” bottle.

Back to Pinots (next post is on Riesling).  They are showing the evolution that I would expect right now which means currently they are harder to taste and not so forgiving as when they were just a couple months old.  Aging is a funny thing that way…

We have essentially two different wines from 3 different parcels, with a pile of different barrel combinations.  We also have our free-run and our press juice separated.  We call the single vineyard, all coming from one grower, Pinot #1 and then it is either FR (free run) or PR (press).  Free run juice is the wine that was never pressed and tends to be softer, richer and overall more pleasurable.  Press juice is the from the grapes that had a little squeeze at the end of their lives. On its own, press wine typically has less color and finesse but it still can play a role in the blend as it can bring a bit of structure or grip to the final wine.  We also have Pinot #2 and this comes from 2 vineyards that were harvested on the same day.  Right now, Pinot #1 is fairly dark and brooding, the color is amazing and rich and the aromatics are of the earth and dirt.  Pinot #2 is lighter and more fragrant and smells like flowers, roses to be exact.  I always view #1 as the masculine and #2 as the feminine.  I hope we keep them together as they really do play off each other nicely.  What is that saying about “behind every great man is a great woman?”…this is the case when you blend the two, they create a nice harmony.   If for some reason over the next year we decide we like the wine better without the press juice then we have the option of making a nice “little” Pinot.  This is a fairly typical thing to do and the quantities would be small, maybe 25 cs or so, but it is a nice option to have and could give a 3rd wine to the line-up.  For now, we wait, taste and ponder…..

This picture is of me “thieving” Pinot.  What is “thieving?”  It is the device you use to take wine out of a barrel, usually glass or plastic and kind of looks like a turkey baster.