Winemaker's Notes

July 2008

This weekend Joan and I bottled the wine we plan to sparkle – Chardonnay and Nebbiolo Rosé. For you wine geeks, the process is interesting, taught to me by my late cousin Michael Manz (www.mountaindome.com), to whom this vintage is dedicated. The base wine is made from grapes that under ordinary circumstances would be considered not quite ripe. When just right these 19 degrees of Brix grapes produce a low alcohol, tart, even slightly sour still wine that nonetheless has fruity and pleasing qualities.

In order to carbonate the wine, it needs to undergo a second fermentation under pressure, so that the carbon dioxide does not escape and instead becomes dissolved in the wine as the famous sparkling wine bubbles. Wine yeast does not like alcohol and does not like to grow under pressure, so over about two weeks specially selected Champagne yeast is grown in a wine/sugar mixture that gradually increases in alcohol content. The base wine is then sweetened with an exactly measured amount of sugar and the now alcohol-tolerant yeast is added to this mixture. After a period of time the wine is bottled in a reinforced bottle (that’s why Champagne bottles are so heavy) and closed with a crown cap (beer bottle cap).

If the closure is sound, the yeast ferments the added sugar, the carbon dioxide pressurizes the wine, and voilà, in a month or two the wine is carbonated. It still needs time and a few more steps before it is drinkable. Steps I plan to perform so that some will be available this coming holiday season.

June 2008

The 2007 Nebbiolo Rose and Chardonnay are bottled and tucked away. They will need time to recover from the bottle shock that always occurs when wine is stuffed into a 750ml container. It always feels a little cruel to take a large volume of stable wine and cut it up into small pieces. It’s amazing to me each time it finds a new balance in the bottle. The 2007 vintage served up some Nebbiolo grapes that have become a lovely rose. It is 11.9% alcohol, dry, and a lovely pink color, but deeply tannic and refreshing as only Nebbiolo can be. It is from Sweet Sunrise Vineyards.

About half of the Chardonnay from Arizona Stronghold Vineyards went through primary fermentation in new Radoux Eastern European Oak barrels. My plan was to keep it there for a month or two, but at the time our 2006 unoaked Chardonnay was selling like gangbusters and Kathryn said it was the first Chardonnay that she liked, so I needed to “get it out of those barrels”. I did after just shy of 2 weeks and the result is a fruity, subtle Chard. It weighed in at 13.4% alcohol. They will both be available in July.

May 2008

On Memorial Day weekend, while we honored the men and women who put their lives on the line as soldiers of this country, I prepared the Whites and the Rosé for bottling over the next couple of weeks. I took a break from the backbreaking work of planting and re-planting grape vines, and spent some quality time with the wines -- Chardonnay, Malvasia, Riesling and Nebbiolo Rosé. The Chardonnay and Riesling were made from grapes from Arizona Stronghold Vineyard and the Malvasia and Nebbiolo Rosé grapes came from Sweet Sunrise Vineyard. Both vineyards are south of Willcox, Arizona. A little taste of the wines prior to racking and combining the various batches together was a real treat. I think you’ll like them. Each one is very distinctive and delicious. I’ll update these notes as bottling proceeds.

April 2008

I've submitted the label designs for the 2007 Vintage Chardonnay, Malvasia, Riesling and Nebbiolo Rose to the Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for approval. As soon as we get the labels printed we'll be bottling these four wines, and after a period of time in the bottle to get over "bottle shock" they'll be ready for the tasting room. The process of bottling always introduces some air (hence oxygen) into the wine and it takes from a few weeks to a few months for the wine to rebalance itself. Remember we're using Zorks as the closure for the Chardonnay this year, so Joan and I will be very curious to hear your opinions.

March 2008

Two weeks ago, in the beginning of March, a group of us winemakers got together for a barrel tasting of our 2007 wines to compare notes and share opinions of each other's work. We tasted about 30 wines made from grapes sourced from Cochise County Arizona, various vineyards in California and of course our own vineyards in Sonoita. I was especially pleased that my estate wines got very favorable reactions. They will be very big wines. The unsettled question now is when to bottle and release them.

February 2008

I have successfully located a supplier for sparkling bottles and a supplier for the crown caps. The bottles and crown caps together are secure enough that they should work for the sparkling wine project this year. Last year the match between the two was not good and all the pressure of the secondary fermentation (the one that happens in the bottle and carbonates the wine) leaked out. A nice light youthful Chardonnay will comprise the bulk of the sparkling wine, but I’ve also reserved a barrel of the Nebbiola, which is very light in color, to make something I’ve never before heard of – Sparkling Nebbiola. The first release of these wines will be ready for the 2008 holiday season.

January 2008

Happy New Year! Sadly, the Estate Syrah sold out the first weekend of the month. I didn't expect it to go so quickly.

The good news is, next year I'll have four times as much estate wine, both Tempranillo and Syrah. I'm very excited about these two wines, as they keep getting better and better with each barrel tasting. Keep watching here for more progress.

December 2007

The Riesling has been in the bottle about 10 months now and the crisp tartness has moved to the background as the characteristic floral and fruit qualities of this variety of grape are emerging. I am delighted with its progress.

A few weeks ago a visitor asked how long I steep the Sangiovese with clove and cinnamon. Good question but not because I actually add those flavors. It's the miracle of winemaking. Somehow the characteristics of a particular variety of grape, the influence of climate and soil, the fermentation reactions driven by the yeast, the effects of aging in oak barrels, and other more mysterious processes all combine to allow the grape to manifest the range of smells, sights and tastes that are expressed in the wine.

This past weekend Joan and I pulled a barrel sample of the Sangiovese Brunello clone. I have to say I was skeptical that a particular subtype of any grape would be distinctive compared to another. The wine making classes I've taken have generally taught me that the farming and winemaking influences are greater than the differences accounted for by the clonal variation of the grapes. But this Sangiovese is unlike the current release or the other clone of 2007 Sangiovese that is also in barrels. This wine is exceptional, even at this young age it is brick red with notes of cherries and toasted cinnamon bread.

October 2007

The wines are selling very well in the Tasting Room. The biggest surprise is the Malvasia. I was not at all sure how a very dry but incredibly floral and fruity wine would play out. Well, it turns out. Visitors are surprised by the tasting experience of the Malvasia which starts out smelling like it’s going to be a sweet wine but ends up confusing the mind and mouth with a piercing dryness and palate cleansing green apple experience. Interesting. There are only about 14 cases left so it’s likely we’ll not offer it every weekend. If you are a regular visitor of our Tasting Room, or follow this web site and the Malvasia is not available for tasting, just mention this October Tasting Note and I’ll fetch some for you.

We are proud to offer wines made totally from Arizona grapes and that is what we
offered for our first month of business. The one exception is the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Eldorado County California. I had planned to have it out for tasting at our opening, but it wasn’t quite ready. Now it is and it is excellent. I’m eager to see what you think of it. We’ll have it available for tasting and purchase beginning in November.

Email us: info@canelohillswinery.com