This morning we got up at 5am to drive up to the Yorkville Highlands to visit Weir Vineyard. Shane Finley, the Associate Winemaker at Kosta Browne, is getting some fruit for a new label he is starting - a great coup considering that Williams Selyem makes a Weir Vineyard Pinot Noir! The seven acres of Pinot sit on a south facing hill slope to get maximum sun, but is cooled by the marine layer that is funneled through the Anderson Valley straight from the Pacific. The great Pinot areas in California all have this marine influence so I was excited to get out there.
Our job this morning was to "walk the rows" and to bring some samples back to the winery for analysis. The vineyard is planted to clones of Domaine Romanee-Conti, 2A, Pommard and Rochioli and Shane is getting them all except for the Pommard. The Domaine Romanee-Conti and the Rochioli clones tasted like Pommard which gives an elegant red fruit profile. The 2A is richer and darker with blue/black fruit, so they should mingle well in the finished wine. The grapes were getting close but they were still a touch "green" in flavor. Hopefully this cool weather we have will hold and they can get another week or so to hang!
1 comment:
Good luck to you on your journey. I am an assistant winemaker at Quady Winery in Madera, CA. We specialize in muscat dessert wines, port, vermouth and anything else that's of the beaten path. Your profile caught my eye because I too was once in the advertising game and left to study at about your age. You certainly have a lot of passion.
Cheers,
Darin Peterson
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