2009 Vintage Report

This summer was unseasonably cool, extending the growing season later into the fall. As harvest approached, early rains forced many wineries to bring their grapes in earlier than preferred. Fortunately, we were able to still get the higher sugar levels we look for on both the petite sirah (26%) and the petit verdot (27%) grapes. The petite sirah was harvested on October 21st, the petit verdot on October 28th.

Both grapes came from the Heringer Vineyards in Clarksburg. The vineyards here are basked with warm, dry sunshine during the days, and are cooled by the Sacramento Delta breezes coming up the river at night. The Heringer family has farmed their land for 5 generations. They are proud farmers and are excited that their vineyards were designated both organic and sustainable starting with this vintage.

The grapes were hand-harvested in the early morning hours and delivered to our cellar cool. We crush immediately and added dry ice to the must to delay the on-set of fermentation. This allows us to extract as much color and fruit character as possible before the native yeasts start their work.

After “cold soaking” for two days, fermentation began and picked up speed as the must warmed up. When the sugar levels reached approximately 8%, we pressed using our one-of-kind foot press to separate the seeds and skins from the juice. After pressing, we fortified the wine with our unique wood-aged fortifying spirit, killing the yeasts and stopping the fermentation. The average age of the fortifying spirit is now over 3 years.

The wine settled for several days prior to racking (separating the port from the initial sediment created after pressing). We barreled the wine in 60-gallon neutral oak barrels where it will rest for a minimum of 3 years before bottling.

The finished alcohols and sugars for our 2009 ports are:

Typically the petite verdot is the darker of the two grapes. This year, it was the petite sirah that had incredibly dark color and fruit extraction.

-- Bill

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