As things quite down in Cedar and the slower pace of winter sets in, we reflect on the superb quality and sheer quantity of the 2011 harvest.
The vineyard crew hand-picked and the winemaking team processed almost 140 Tons of grapes from mid September until the first week of November. About 70% of the grapes harvested in 2011 were white wine grapes and 30% were red wine grapes. The tonnage of key varieties we picked is as follows:
- 35 Tons of Pinot Grigio
- 20 Tons of Chardonnay
- 18 Tons of Riesling
- 17 Tons of Pinot Noir
- 11 Tons of Cayuga
We picked out heavy on almost all of the varieties, which turned our small cellar into a chess board of what juice to put where and when. We even had to order some additional barrels last week because we reached full capacity.
Overall, for the tremendous 2011 crop, the sugars were high, but so were the acids. An unlikely combination, but one we are very excited about because the high sugars will translate into a good amount of alcohol, but high acids will give the wine a great backbone and staying power. Charlie Edson, proprietor and head winemaker, is most excited about the Pinot Grigio, professing that “the fruit driven flavor profile and crisp acidity of the Pinot Grigio will be a star of the vintage.” While Kevin Uhl, production winemaker, is excited about the bubbly cuvees per usual, given his fixation on all things sparkling. Cristin Hosmer, ubber part-timer in the cellar (because of her baby, Dylan), is pumped about the Auxerrois and the expanded use of neutral barrels on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The last reds wines were pressed off their skins this week and we have begun racking the wines that have finished fermentation. We will soon begin building our complex blends as we try to tackle the monumental task of tasting each batch of wine and scheming the right moves so that we end up with the perfect amount of each wine to bottle and an empty tank. We will begin bottling the white wines from 2011 in early spring of 2012.
But wait….don’t forget the 6 rows of Pinot Grigio we left hanging in the vineyard. Yes it is true; we are making an ice wine this year! The nets and electric fence, we hope, will keep the critters at bay just long enough to reach 40 brix sugar, a requirement to call it ice wine. Over the next few weeks we are looking for freezing temperatures and very little precipitation so that we get a nice concentrated juice with very little botrytis.
Cheers to a great vintage~
Cristin
