This is long overdue for us Swan fans! I’m going to try to do a better job of posting my swan related tasting notes to this thread.
Also, new releases!
Joseph Swan Vineyards Newsletter Spring 2018
My hope was that after last year’s extremes, we would have a ’normal’ year in 2018. Well, maybe the new normal is that there is no normal. Last years record rain has been replaced by another very dry winter. In a ’normal’ rainfall year we would have in excess of 40 inches. At the current time we have received just over 14. We still have time but our usual wettest months are behind us. The current forecast calls for on and off rain over the next week or so which is good news as there still is chance to recharge the rooting zone of the vines in time for bud break and early growth. In the last few weeks we have had record heat and record cold (for specific days). We even had a recent bout of hail that was persistent enough to leave large patches of white for several hours. Odd indeed. What does it mean for this years crop? Not much at this point. During the heat spell we began to fear very early bud break but so far have dodged a bullet, as the mid 20-degree nights that followed would have been disastrous. We always prune the estate vineyard late in order to delay bud break, hopefully until after the last freeze, but the warm weather had prompted bud break in some warmer vineyards in the region. Thankfully, not ours. One positive of the dry weather is that we were able to get into the vineyard with our tractor and cultivate under the vine rows and mow the grass. Both of which will help keep the temperature of the vines above a little higher on cold nights.
I mention all of this because I am often asked how this vintage looks. The reality is there is still much weather ahead. If we dodge the frost bullet there is still bloom when wind, rain or high temperatures can affect fruit set. After set the vines will be pretty much on cruise control, but the quality and nature of the maturing fruit will depend greatly on the weather. So, the short answer is, I have no idea. I am always cautiously optimistic but other than the few things we can actually control (thinning, irrigating if necessary, controlling mildew and botrytis, etc.) Mother Nature still calls the shots. As with wines, no two vintages are ever the same. Here is to hoping that our 50th anniversary vintage is a truly wonderful one!
Along those same lines, I, and many others, were more than a little worried about what the 2017 vintage, a year of extremes, would produce. Although none of the wines have been bottled, what we are tasting from the barrel is pretty exciting. 2017 may, in my mind, go down as the miracle vintage!
Upcoming Events: Barrel Tasting
I know that the notice is late but we have been so busy in the vineyard I forgot to look at the calendar! It is Barrel Tasting time along The Wine Road! This weekend, March 2-4, we will be closing our doors to all but ticket holding attendees of the annual Wine Road Barrel Tasting event. We will be open from 11-4 all three days and will be pouring four 2016 wines along with a selection of bottled wines. The next weekend we will be pouring the same wines but since we will not be an official participant, we will not require a ticket to attend. We will have our usual $10 tasting fee, waived with a bottle purchase, in effect. So, if you don’t like the crowds or have chosen to attend the second weekend of barrel tasting, don’t worry, we will still have the same wines and be offering futures. For more information, go to: www.wineroad.com
New Releases!
Just in time for spring we have some exciting new wines to release!
Shop Shop
2016 Viognier Catie’s Corner Vineyard
It took my wife (Lynn) and Saralee Kunde several years to convince me to make a Viognier. I say ’a’ as I had no intention of doing it more than once. We made a small amount from Saralee’s Vineyard and I was so impressed with the quality that I assumed it was a fluke. Two years later Saralee convinced me I needed to make one from one of their other vineyards, Catie’s Corner. Surprise. It was even better. Given the opportunity to work with world-class fruit doesn’t happen every day so I committed to continuing to make it. I am very glad that I did as each year the Viognier from this vineyard is absolutely wonderful.
We endeavor to harvest the fruit at the precise moment when it has developed its wonderful floral/tropical flavors but before it has a chance to lose its acidity and brightness. We seem to have hit the nail on the head in 2016. The fruit was gently whole cluster pressed (no de-stemming and crushing, just gently pressing the whole fruit to eliminate virtually any skin contact), settled and then racked to 55 gallon stainless steel drums for fermentation. After the completion of fermentation the wine was allowed to settle naturally to attain clarity. The wine was racked and then gently filtered with course pads to remove and still suspended lees before bottling in February 2017. 74 cases were bottled.
Tasting notes: Aromas of honeysuckle, white nectarine and orange blossom along with a hint of South Asian spice. Less heady than riper styled viogniers, it nonetheless has plenty of body. A common plight of viognier is its tendency to be a bit flabby and low in acid. Not with this wine!
2014 Zinfandel VHSR-Redux
Back in the early 1990’s we made wine from an old block of zinfandel vines on nearby Vine Hill School Road, part of what had once been a fairly large vineyard that had been subdivided for house lots. The owner planted some chardonnay on the site as well and when it came into production decided that he didn’t like having to pick at two different times. His solution? He grafted over the old vine zin to chardonnay. Many years later a neighbor of his approached us. When the property lines were drawn he ended up with a small area of the original zin plantings and asked us if we were interested. The obvious answer was yes! The bad news is we get about 1 ton (just over two barrels) each year.
Tasting notes: Classic cool climate old vine blackberry juicy goodness and a hint of black pepper balanced by brilliant acidity. Quite rich but not at all heavy. Very vibrant now but with the bones for several years of graceful improvement.
2014 Pinot Noir Cuvée de Trois
All of the characteristic dark fruit of the vintage is in evidence. Although a blend of all 8 of our vineyard designates. I found it impossible to pick out any of the single vineyards as it combines their unique characteristics into a singular wine.
Tasting Notes: At its core is cherry, and red apple with hints of spice a touch of bramble. In the mouth it bursts with juicy fruit, balanced by 25% new oak. And moderate acidity. It is long, rich and well balanced. Like all of the Cuvée de Trois blends, the emphasis is on creating a wine that drank well upon release but one that is surely capable of rewarding some cellaring. 2495 cases were bottled in the late summer of 2015.
2014 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard
Although less than a mile away, Ritchie is a dramatically different vineyard that those here on Laguna Ridge. All have Goldridge soils but there the resemblance ends. A blend of four clones, each of which contributed slightly different aromatic and textural elements.
Tasting Notes: Darker colored than as usual with our pinot noirs. Aromas of bright, dark red raspberries and cherries. This stuff is serious juice with plenty of tannin masked by deep fruit. Big but restrained with our usual textbook acidity. 118 cases 750 ml and 2 cases magnums bottled in September 2015.
2015 Pinot Noir Trenton Estate
We have been bottling this wine since 1972, far longer than any other wine that we make.
A very small crop year for most of our pinot noir vineyards. The fruit from the Estate, always small berried and small clustered was even smaller than usual, resulting in one of the darkest pinot noirs from here in some years.
Tasting Notes: The typical estate aromatics are always there although this year the wine is incredibly pretty. A mixture of cherries and red berries along with the classic oriental spice, black rose petal and brambly underbrush are persistent. In the mouth it is less tannic than usual but the density of the fruit and lifting acidity ensure that it will age as well as most and better than many vintages of the Estate. I hope to be around in 20 years to see how it is doing! 2013 cases 750 ml and 2 cases magnums bottled in January 2016.
