Mendocino Ridge AVA - Exciting as HELL!!!

[David_Bu3ker]

Sounds fantastic Jamie. Can’t wait to try it.

[Jamie_Kutch]

Thanks so much Russ and David. You two have graciously been along for the ride since the beginning and I am incredibly grateful. Cheers to you both.

[Mike_DiSalvo]

@Fred Scherrer

Jaime, I was at Greenwood Ridge as winemaker/vineyard manager for Allan Green in the mid-80’s. I share your love of the area. I wish I had had your commercial ability at the time as I had lusted after land up there and to the south but did not have the skills to put together the resources to make things happen then.

My destiny resided in Sonoma county. But there have been great viticultural things going at those Mendocino ridges for over a century. Every so often, they find their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.

Jed was probably the first person to regularly tame the searing, crazy acid balance of the DuPratt/De-Patie/Pronsolino vineyard and others like Pacini further south closer to Dooling’s place. Look up double-salt deacidification and you will see how some kind of judicious manipulation can unleash greatness. That was Jed’s Masters thesis at UCD.

The potential is not new. But its enthusiasm is renewed. Carry that banner, man.

Fred

I recall drinking some fantastic Greenwood Ridge pinots that were made in the early 1990’s. They were fairly inexpensive even back then, under $15 but really really nice with a distinct terroir. Would these Greenwood Ridge pinots back in the day be in close proximity to the vineyard Jamie is discussing?

[Drew_Goin]

Thanks for all the notes, gentlemen. I have had very few Mendo wines in the past few years and, even then, most were Zin or the like.

[Joe_Webb]

@Jamie Kutch

Joe, I think a comparison with the Russian Rivet Valley might not be the best as it lacks elevation and is much much warmer. Fortunately just yesterday we sent in a wide array of samples to ETS labs and my results are below. To explain to the layman reading, he malic numbers appear to be the same on the Sonoma Coast vs the Mendocino Ridges which I am estatic about.

Note: McDougall, Bohan and Hellenthal and he Signal Ridge samples were all in barrel for these tests

McDougall - L-Malic acid 2.29 g/L
Bohan - L-Malic acid 2.55 g/L
Hellenthal - L-Malic acid 1.51 g/L
Signal Ridge 115 Slope - L-Malic acid 2.29 g/L
Signal Ridge 2A - L-Malic acid 1.96 g/L

All wines were made with 100% whole cluster and no adds, native.

As for getting the fruit when we want, it was one of two reasons I left Anderspn Valley. The main vineyard manager up there couldn’t get my fruit off with 4 days notice and it rained on it. Also handshakes were welched on so… In terms of sampling and picking, like you I track. I like to begin tracking 3 weeks earlier and check weekly until it’s getting close or warm fronts are moving in. My goal after harvest is to build an excel sheet where inputs of both brix, dates, and temps (past, present and future) can be entered to get future brix projections. Geeky and not really necessary but it will be another tool and fun to build. Al that said, having the crew and ability to pick fast in some years is priceless. In my 12 years making wine, I have found that 1 day can make a pronounced difference. I pride myself n being a psycho hyper nut when it comes to sampling and picks.

Having a vineyard next to the winery that you have to walk through sounds like a dream! I am often driving 300 miles in a day.

Thanks for posting your numbers; the comparison is somemething that has always interested me. I dont think I have ever had a L-malic below 2 g/l. I usually see 2.5-3.5 and in cooler years like '11 a couple were above 4. We get some pretty big pH swings even if starting is 3.15-3.25.

Sounds like you got the authentic small guy AV experience. They book on a first-come first-served basis. I may have had a partial hand in you not getting fruit as in 10’ & 11’ i was calling picks 7-8 days out and booking 1 or 2 a day. I saw the weather coming farther out that most. The best attribute about being a skiier is I have been weather-obsessed my whole life and it seems to have paid off more than once in the wine biz. I did loose some chardonnay in '11 because they would not “pick any white untill all the PN was in.” I had 3 picks cancelled then they called and asked me if I wanted to make late harvest, um no.

You don’t already have that excell spread sheet going? Geeky yes, but a great way to remember the past and be able to reflect on it at a moment’s notice. I track all you stated as well as degree days now. The last couple years I added in irrigation dates and durations as well.

I am trying to live the dream! Winery, vineyard, and house all on the same 38-acre parcel. 300 mi in one day sounds taxing leading up to and thru harvest. I traveled a lot during my last job and was my least favorite part.

[Greg_Xu]

“Joe Webb” In wet years its not uncommon to approach 200" of rain up there, they usually get 2-3x what the valley floor gets.

With that much rainfall, do they use fungicide?

[Neal.Mollen]

I can read the joy in your posts Jamie. I hope everything works out just as you imagine.

[Brian_Gilp]

@Greg X.

“Joe Webb” In wet years its not uncommon to approach 200" of rain up there, they usually get 2-3x what the valley floor gets.

With that much rainfall, do they use fungicide?

Is there anywhere in the U.S. That doesn’t spray some fungicide? Obviously, some places require more but I am not aware of anywhere that goes without fungicides entirely.

[R_Frankel]

@Jamie Kutch

Note: McDougall, Bohan and Hellenthal and he Signal Ridge samples were all in barrel for these tests

McDougall - L-Malic acid 2.29 g/L
Bohan - L-Malic acid 2.55 g/L
Hellenthal - L-Malic acid 1.51 g/L
Signal Ridge 115 Slope - L-Malic acid 2.29 g/L
Signal Ridge 2A - L-Malic acid 1.96 g/L

This has been a really fascinating thread - thank you for sharing all this info.

As a non-wine maker I must admit ignorance though.

What do these L-Malic numbers mean? What do they tell you about the wine? Are they good or bad? relative to what?

[Joe_Webb]

Higher malics come from colder night time lows and will shift pH higher thru malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is malic acid being consumed and turned in to lactic acid by bacteria. It usually takes place in barrel over month to months.Malic acid is the main acid in Granny Smith apples, lactic is the main acid in dairy products.

Different numbers can tell you a something about the place and the season. In Burgundy (and most of france) right now there worried about too little of all the acids due to the excessive heat respiring the acid to fast.

[Frank_Murray_III]

Jamie, I dig your passion and you know how I feel about your wines, man. Keep going!

By the way, the Signal Ridge looks a lot like the proximity and orientation of your other site, McDougall.

For those of you who want to see what I mean, click on the link below and then run the tour of McDougall, which is about 90 seconds. Pretty cool.

Untitled

[Joe_Webb]

@Brian Gilp

@Greg X.

“Joe Webb” In wet years its not uncommon to approach 200" of rain up there, they usually get 2-3x what the valley floor gets.

With that much rainfall, do they use fungicide?

Is there anywhere in the U.S. That doesn’t spray some fungicide? Obviously, some places require more but I am not aware of anywhere that goes without fungicides entirely.

I not aware of any location that does not. Especially if you consider sulfur and copper as thats even used in organic applications.

The rain in this county tends to come in winter months when vines are dormant. 90%+ of the rainfall is from late October thru March. Where as in Europe they tend to get closer to equal parts rain all 12 months out of the year. Which is why historically they dry farm and the quality of the vintage varies greater than here. Though there have been numerous occasions in the last few years where emergency irrigation has been apporved.