Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

Not a Napa report but with the 2018 crush nearly over (we have 50% of our lots in barrel with the rest to be pressed off in the next 10 days) below are my thoughts on the vintage (from a Mendo perspective). I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of others. 1. Crop for our vineyard was somewha...

With the 2018 crush nearly over (we have 50% of our lots in barrel with the rest to be pressed off in the next 10 days) below are my thoughts on the vintage. I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of others. 1. Crop for our vineyard was somewhat lower than average. Mainly a result of a very c...

Casey Hartlip wrote: ↑
October 24th, 2019, 7:42 pm

brigcampbell wrote: ↑
October 24th, 2019, 7:38 pm
We don't get much lightening in California except the the high Sierra so every fire is man made. Unfortunate but true.
Not buying that statement.

The 2008 fires in Mendocino were caused by dry lightning.

Paul

D@vid Bu3ker wrote: ↑
October 24th, 2019, 6:24 pm
Alan,

Do you know how this one started?

It appears to be a PG&E high voltage line.

Paul

GregT wrote: ↑
September 30th, 2019, 6:55 pm
Larry - if it's the wine Paul poured for me a couple weeks ago, it's truly a most excellent wine. And it got even better as it warmed and opened slightly. It has plenty of acidity to support the richness. As Brian says, world class.

Greg

Yes the white wine we tasted when you visited us.

Paul

September is just about to exit. It was a couple degrees below average - our average hi was 72F and average low 53F. That compares to Cote Rotie historical September averages of 72F/54F and this year 78F/55F.

Paul

Curious about the acidity on this wine. The variety is known to provide wines with great texture and even a touch of tannin but not normally high acidity. Also, what temperature was it served at? To show off.its texture, I serve closer to room temperature. And did you save any for day 2, or 3? Chee...

Curious about the acidity on this wine. The variety is known to provide wines with great texture and even a touch of tannin but not normally high acidity. Also, what temperature was it served at? To show off.its texture, I serve closer to room temperature. And did you save any for day 2, or 3? Chee...

What a difference three days make - 95F for a high on 25th, 55F for a high yesterday (28th).
Measured our Syrah between 19.6b and 23.6b today. Needs another 3 weeks at least.
Forecast looks good - highs in the low/mid 70s from mid-week thru the Oct 9th - but would love a few days in the 80s.

Paul

Red Flag fire alert going tonight and tomorrow. Will be 100-103F and 15-17% humidity. PG&E lso looking to turn off electricity near the hills in Sonoma and Napa. My Moulds is 25.2, 5.3, 3.56. But I feel that flavors are behind brix. Wake me up when pH hits 3.70. Guessing 2 to 2.5 weeks. Use 50% who...

I love this alternating warm and cool. Just enough warmth (we will likely peak in the high 80s mid-week) to keep pushing the brix forward, but then nice cool spells to allow phenolic development without sugar increase. A week ago we had 3-4% of our Syrah clusters without full color. By Friday we wer...

I’m curious for the first few Napa picks to roll in. We thought we were in for another large 2018-ish sized crop. Then it ripped through veraison, which I took to be an indicator of something normal or slightly less. Cluster counts are good but cluster weights seem light, so as always, I know absol...

Our reds (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre) are 99% colored with just the odd straggler. Did a quick Syrah brix check today: the block of 174 that is always the most advanced is 21.5b. The Chave block that is always the lowest brix is 19b. With a cool 4-5 days ahead (highs in the 60s) looks we are around ...

The action of terracing is expensive and does lead to an erosion/slide risk the first couple years. Personally I think there is lower risk with rows up and down a slope with a permanent cover crop. Yeah, I was thinking what with that crazy weird California pseudo-soil (I always felt like it was jus...

Anyone got any older white barrels for sale? I need three.

Thanks

Paul

Is there just not enough rain in California to worry about erosion? Or do you get a particularly nasty El Nino every 15 or 20 years, which wipes out entire vineyards via mudslides? [And it's cheaper to replant from scratch than to have terraced in the first place?] Or are many California viticultur...

Does anyone know why they plant the rows in the direction of the erosion flow? Is it simply so that the tractors can work the hills more easily? You are correct. If the rows were to go across the face of the slope there would need to be terraces cut. The other consideration for row orientation is t...

I see many anecdotes of millennials who do not drink, who do not date, who are vegan, who do intermittent fasting etc. Wine is getting a bad reputation amongst folks on the Paleo diet. And all the carbs in these high-sugar California wines are not helping matters. Serious question: Does anyone stil...

We finished August with slightly higher than average temps on both the hi and lo - 81F/57F. For reference this August Cote Rotie averaged 84F/61F. We are just about 90% colored. Average temps the next few days should just put us over the top. Then it is forecast to cool down with highs in the low/mi...

What’s the different between the Alturas and the Elevacion syrahs? Just got the emailer and the former was not on the list and the latter was new to me. Robert Elevacion is 100% whole-cluster, 100% Chave clone Syrah, aged in neutral oak. Alturas is 50% whole-cluster, uses a mix of clones (some Estr...

What’s the different between the Alturas and the Elevacion syrahs? Just got the emailer and the former was not on the list and the latter was new to me. Robert Elevacion is 100% whole-cluster, 100% Chave clone Syrah, aged in neutral oak. Alturas is 50% whole-cluster, uses a mix of clones (some Estr...

Thunder and lightning Friday night along with a tenth of an inch of rain. I was hunting all weekend. Nice to take my mind off of work. Hunting thread over on Asylum. Pinot coloring up Fast. Sparkling folks are going to want samples soon I'm sure. Still holding to September 6 or so start date. By co...

Saw our first pink berry yesterday - Mourvedre leading the way as always. This is very close timing to last year. Lots of chicks and hens out there. Never seen so many seedless Syrah grapes. All down to that May rain I suspect. The Grenache shattered as we expected but left us with a good size crop ...

I scoured the vineyard but not a pink berry to be found. Maybe 7-10 days away, which would match last year.

Paul

July is a wrap and was a cool one - average high was 77F and average low 54F. These are 2-3F below historical averages. I am thankful I am not growing in Cote Rotie. Last month they had an average high of 88F and average low of 66F. Paul Roasted slope! Seems CA is cooler than the Rhone this year. I...

Tom It was great to connect and have a longer conversation than those usually brief words while dropping off wine. The Roussanne was a 2018, bottled in early July and our first estate white. Given it was picked October 29th at 19.5b we were a little concerned about the wine. Amazingly at 11.5% alc i...

July is a wrap and was a cool one - average high was 77F and average low 54F. These are 2-3F below historical averages.
I am thankful I am not growing in Cote Rotie. Last month they had an average high of 88F and average low of 66F.

Paul

I find it amazing that anyone would consider popping and pouring a young (15) Levet a good thing! Top of the list on how to get a wine to show poorly. [head-bang.gif] Gordon I brought the Levet and double decanted the morning of the tasting. This is similar treatment used ahead of previous N. Rhone...

It has been the coolest early summer I can remember. The last time our vineyard broke 80F was June 22! Average high since then is 70F. The next 10 days is forecast is a little warmer but with highs still below 80F.

Paul

Just finished flowering at Halcon. That is a little ahead of last year and exactly the same timing as 2017. Cluster counts look a little lower than recent years, likely caused by last year's persistently cold May. Just a little shatter on the Grenache but actual welcome as it means we do not need to...

Our Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache in full bloom. Syrah just starting. After a slow start we are pulling ahead of the last two years. Looking at the temp chart I am struck by by the similarity between this spring (Apr/May/Jun) and 2015. The big difference was 2015 had a much warmer start/earlier b...

I cannot comment on Napa but 2018 does look promising. If long hang-time means high quality then 2018 should be a banner year. Here are the days between full color and pick for our Syrah: 2013: 9/14-10/12 = 29 2014: 9/1-9/19 = 19 2015: 9/3-9/20 = 18 2016: 9/18-10/8 = 21 2017: 9/13-10/4 = 22 2018: 9/...

Lots of movement this week. The vast majority of buds leafed out and 4-6in shoots in the drier areas. After the very late start, the last week of low to mid 70s has put us slightly ahead of the last two years.

Paul

Todd

Your day two experience is consistent with my CT note from late June - "this is a more open vintage that drinks well now. I find best as a pop'n'pour or give it a couple days of air. A mix of the exotic character of 2013 Alturas and the structure of the 2014."

Paul

Thanks for the great review Todd! Interested to see how it shows today.

Paul

What is the alcohol % on these? The 2016 “Alturas” Syrah was 13.5%. The 2015 was also 13.5% and the 2014 was 13.3%, so pretty consistent. The 2014 has 13.3% on the label but is actually closer to 13% due to some last minute blending choices. The 2017 is 12.7% 2018 version will likely be around 13.5...

Clark VM dropped off the tractor with the tilling equipment earlier this week. Juan took a trial ride through, because he was afraid my vineyard would be wet, still, as many others are. Not mine. Whatever it is, that piece of land has amazing drainage. So Victor finished up the disk job, complete w...

Budbreak, finally. We are certainly heading to a later pick but warmer weather the next week we should catch things up a little. https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/57409172_10157332688544656_696227972641718272_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=1599669bdc51ac0f414099e1d152131a...

I've been following the rain fronts working their way across the Pacific, and I see no end to them yet. This year is shaping up to be another 2011 for the West Coast. 2011 was notable for a late winter/spring with many very cold blasts of Alaskan air encouraged by record cold water temps off the N....

Our buds are slammed shut. Not a sign of even a little popcorning.
This is our latest bud development ever. On the plus side there is zero frost risk. And nothing that a little warm in early April could not fix.

A little late to the party but here is my take on 2017: - Fortunately coastal Mendo (from where all our grapes originate) avoided any smoke effect. There was a little smoke for the first 24hrs but then the onshore winds cleared the air. There was a lot of survivor guilt in Anderson Valley. - The La...

A little late to the party but here is my take on 2017: - Fortunately coastal Mendo (from where all our grapes originate) avoided any smoke effect. There was a little smoke for the first 24hrs but then the onshore winds cleared the air. There was a lot of survivor guilt in Anderson Valley. - The Lab...

Snowed again last night. Turned to sleet and rain by midday. We are at 58in of rain for the season. That is our average for a full year. Finishing up pruning. Absolutely zero movement on the buds. Going to be a mid-April budbreak at the earliest. Paul What a difference a few miles makes! We have re...

Snowed again last night. Turned to sleet and rain by midday. We are at 58in of rain for the season. That is our average for a full year.
Finishing up pruning. Absolutely zero movement on the buds. Going to be a mid-April budbreak at the earliest.

Paul

We just hit 9in of rain from this storm. Still raining hard. I think that this is the most powerful two days of rain since we bought the property in 2003.

Snowed again last night. Snow level was around 2300ft. That is the fourth round of snow in the last 2 weeks.

Sean Devaney wrote: ↑
February 5th, 2019, 2:56 pm
Great pic Paul. Do you have to do anything special as far as vineyard prep?

No prep needed. Vines are in a deep sleep. No impact on them. We will be pruning at the end of the month.

Paul

A snowy day at Halcon. We get around half a dozen snow days a year but this was an especially heavy one. Close to 6 inches on the ground. Paul https://scontent-frt3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/51059165_10157154203244656_3717494984409088000_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-1.xx&oh=34b181e24f5448623...

Happy to extend these offers through the end of Friday (Feb 1).
Thanks to everyone that ordered over the weekend!

Paul

Cris Whetstone wrote: ↑
January 27th, 2019, 1:24 pm
Somebody value the Esquisto, Paul. The CT value was at $1131.00. Now that I've entered mine it has dropped to $856.25. Sorry.

I wish that was the value

P

Search found 503 matches