Kitchak Cellars - THE WINE MAKER'S WATCH

Wednesday October 6 - Do you know about T Bins

2011-10-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday provided more rain than we had hoped for. 1.25 inches, measured at the rain gauge in our vineyard. More than was reported at the official Napa Valley Ag weather stations in the Carneros and in Oakville. But we did get some sun today and things dried out a bit.

We moved some of our 2009 wine around to free up some small tank space and we kept watch on the Merlot which has already been picked.

The Merlot continues its cold soak, both in one of our large tanks and in a couple of T-Bins.

T-Bins with Temperature Control Apparatus attached.

T bins hold about 225 gallons and we can process about 8/10ths of a ton of grapes in each. I was surprised when I came to the Napa Valley how much wine is actually fermented in such tanks. Almost all of the small wineries use them to some degree or another. Some custom crush facilities have hundreds of them. We have only 8. They work well for small lots when we are only doing a single block or a small batch that we want to ferment by itself that might only be a ton or so of grapes.

We have cooled all of the Merlot down to 45 degrees and we are in the middle of that cold soak. Tomorrow, we will turn off the cooling, let the tank warm up and add yeast and the race will be on. Billions of yeast cells working furiously to convert sugar into alcohol. I think we actually have more yeast cells in one of our large tanks, the their are dollars in the federal deficit. Think about that for a moment.

It has been very interesting to watch the progression of color of the juice samples that we take during the cold soak. Initially it was almost clear. After a day, a lite pink. 2 days and it was a darker pink and by today, the third full day, we are starting to see real color. One more day and we will be ready to start the fermentation.

We also had another very interesting couple in our tasting room this afternoon, from Seattle. And, how the got to us is even more interesting. I managed to get some e-mail addresses from a wine shop in New Jersey that thought they might have some customers who would like our wine... which they couldn't get. One of their customers who lives in New Jersey, and a former owner of the shop, who we have never met, e-mailed an order. He liked the wines enough to join our wine club, which was, by itself, very satisfying because this guy seems to really know his wines. Yesterday's visitor visited as a result of that club member's recommendation and after a nice time in the tasting room, they too joined the wine club. Huzzah!

We continue to work on the Harvest Party for our wine club members this Saturday and we hope the weather will cooperate. More rain is forecast for Thursday morning, but it shouldn't be much. I have my fingers crossed.

I am getting excited. We officially release our 2008 Adagio on Saturday and it is a superb wine. Wine club shipments will occur around the end of the month and we really have to get going on putting those orders together right after the Harvest Party. No rest for the Farrmers.

Finally, while I don't usually comment on such things, I was saddened today by the death of Steve Jobs. He was truly the Thomas Edison of our time. And, isn't it completely refreshing to think about someone that was truly brilliant, who did his job, and who didn't have any agenda or political ax to grind. He just proved to be an extraordinary visionary. Wouldn't it be nice if we could find a politician, just one, on either side of the isle who we could say the same thing about. Someone who was brilliant, who did their job, who was just interested in producing great results for all of us to use and enjoy and as to whom we could feel like we got a fair deal in doing so.

Cheers and Take Care.

More real work tomorrow.

Peter

Tuesday October 4th - Its Raining in the Napa Valley - But no worries - yet.

2011-10-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Rain Rain go away.

I saw something on the national news that suggested that due to the rain, the Sonoma (and presumably with it Napa's) grape crop was in serious jeopardy. We got .33 inches of rain overnight and it hardly wet the soil. When we do our irrigation calculations to determine how much to water to use on the vines, we literally ignore the first .25 inches of rain because it gets used up immediately and absorbed by the dust on top of the soil. However, the real issue will be what happens over the next couple of days. We really do not expect it to be a problem.

Today we received the following special weather alert.
.
STRONG EARLY SEASON COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

A STRONG COLD FRONT...ESPECIALLY FOR EARLY OCTOBER...WILL MOVE
ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. A
BRIEF PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY WITH THIS FRONT...OCCURRING
TONIGHT IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA...AND ON WEDNESDAY MORNING
IN THE MONTEREY BAY REGION. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY STRONG AND GUSTY
WINDS ARE LIKELY ALONG THE FRONT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE COLD AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY SMALL HAIL.

But...only .1 inch of rain is forecast during the next 24 hours (as of 6PM Tuesday).

Not too much to be worried about.

Today some more barrels arrived and we only have about a half dozen left to get. We received a few Ermitage Barrels from France today and only one Canton Barrel of American Oak, made by the same company that makes Tarransaud barrels in France. Speaking of which, our Tarransaud barrels will be the last to arrive, but they should be here in plenty of time. I have probably mentioned before that almost all of the barrels we use are French Oak which costs 2.5 to 3 times the cost of American oak, but they simply make a more refined wine. We use a few American Oak barrels much they way you would use a spice in cooking; just a little bit to add some complexity to flavor.

We also received a dozen plastic barrels today from our friend Steve Zellar at Parley Lake Winery in Minnesota. Steve buys grapes from us to use in some of his wine-making. It is actually in interesting process. We pick the grapes and crush them in our winery, then we put the crushed grapes (called "Must") in the plastic barrels, add a little sulfur to protect them along the way, and by early afternoon the barrels are in a cold storage warehouse in Sacramento. The barrels are quickly cooled down to 35 degrees and then shipped nontop to Minnesota. In effect, Steve does his "cold soak" in a refrigerated truck. Once they get to Minnesota he warms up the must, adds the yeast and he is on virtually the same footing as we are when we start fermentation. The great thing about crushing the grapes before they ship is that we remove the risk of premature fermentation and spoilage of the grapes along the way. We will pick Steve's grapes within the next week or 10 days.

We also did a bit more organizing today. Our plan is to pick the grapes for our 2011 Scherzo Cabernet Rosato on Friday when we have a number of friends coming to help with the pick and crush. We are hoping to have those grapes "In the Tank" by the end of the day on Friday.

Our friends Ralph and Lindsay Bashioum also arrived. They are partners of ours in this wine adventure and are here to help with our harvest party on Saturday. We have a great harvest party for our wine club members each fall. If you are not coming this year, Join the wine club and come next year. Ralph is a cosmetic surgeon from Wayzata Minnesota and he has a very interesting and creative web site, check it out. http://nipntuck.com/http://nipntuck.com/.

So long for now, more tomorrow. Another day of organizing and getting ready for the big harvest yet to come.

Kitchak Cellars Harvest Monday October 3

2011-10-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is a quiet day in the winery. We do our first pump over to circulate the juice to insure that it is all being cooled evenly. We use a special pump that is big enough and slow enough so it will pump both the juice and the grapes without breaking the skins or crushing the seeds.
We finished up the cleaning that didn't quite get done on Sunday evening and take samples of juice out of our tanks for analysis and some new barrels arrive.The samples will get sent to ETS Laboratories and we will have the results by tomorrow evening. At this point we are primarily interested in the amount of yeast nutrients there are in the wine. Once we add the yeast, it needs amino compounds to be adequately nourished during the fermentation and if it does not have enough we will have a risk that the fermentation will "stick" before it is completed. So, once we have the results tomorrow evening we will report on that. Chances are we will add some "Superfood" and some Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) to make sure the yeast can complete its work.

New and full barrels sit side by side in the winery.

We still have quite a few barrels to get. By the time we get them all we will have around 30 new barrels, all but three of which will be French Oak.

I actually had time for a tasting today and we have 4 great people from Atlanta, Tripp and Jan Kay and Chris and Debbie Pike, in the tasting room in the later afternoon. They arrived around 3 and didn't leave until 6. A good time was had by all. And, Kitchak Cellars has two new wine club members. We have added 25 new members in just the last month.

The only downside of the last couple of days is that I have managed to wreck my shoulder doing something. It hurts like hell and will be a problem with tomorrow's activities, but all in all things are going well.

Except: It is starting to rain today. We are not overly concerned but will report back on the situation tomorrow. Contrary to common belief we would still be adding a bit of irrigation to the vineyard with 2 weeks to go for the Cabernet, so the rain may, provided it is not too heavy, save us the electricity we need to pump the water from our well for that irrigation.

So long for now.
Peter

Sunday October 2 - Harvest Begins

2011-10-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

We started to harvest this morning. 8 men from our venerable picking resource Servin Lopez vineyard management started before daybreak. Our goal today is to pick 5 tons of Merlot. At 8 AM the grapes begin arriving from the field and we start the sorting operation.

As the grapes arrive they are sorted first in a general sort to remove leaves and bad clusters and then in a very detailed sort where we sort every single grape. All of the grapes are picked in the little yellow bins you see above and below. Each bin is weighed and the weight recorded. By the time the day is over we will pick 5.3 tons of grapes. 327 Boxes!

36 Pounds 14 Ounces. This one box will make 12 bottles of wine.

As we begin the "crush" we "christen" the first load of grapes with a bottle of our very first wine made from our own vineyard. A bottle of 2006 Scherzo Cabernet Rosato.

Peter and Patricia celebrate the commencement of the Harvest.

The first step is to take the grapes of the stems. Destemming. The photo below shows how clean the stems are when the come out of the Destemmer.

Grape Stems in a bin as they fall from the destemmer.

As the grapes come out of the destemmer, they fall on to a "shaker table" where the sorting crew gets out every piece of stem and every bad berry. What an amazing crew we had today. They did a magnificent job. Thanks ladies! See the Video below to see how they work.

Watch our amazing sorting crew.

Patricia Kitchak, who usually mans the last spot on the line was busy planning our upcoming harvest party so she was unable to participate.

The tank is cooled to freezing before the gapes are loaded in. We are doing a "cold soak" where the grapes will sit quietly in their juice and soak for a few days before we warm the mixture up and start the fermentation.

Ice Crystals on the wine tank.

The patterns in the ice crystals are always beautiful and serve as a harbinger of the entire artistic process of making the wine.

220 V Power for almost everything

If the number of plugs for the equipment we are using is any indication, this is going to be a "powerful wine."

The grapes are then gently elevated into the tank - no pumping.

So as they say, "The grapes are in the tank" but the day is not over. We finished the sorting at about 5PM and we still have 4 hours of clean-up so we can start all over again in the next couple of days. Each piece of machinery, the destemmer, the sorting tables, the elevators and everything else will be spotless and sterilized before we hit the hay. A big day for us, but a real reward after a long season in the vineyard.

Wine Making Begins at Kitchak Cellars

2011-10-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

This morning, October 1, we tested these grapes. They are perfect and we are ahead of the rain that is forecast for this week. BRIX (sugar content of the grapes is perfect at 25.2. That should give us an alcohol level in this wine of about 14.8. pH of the grapes is 3.47 and the Titrateable Acidity is 6.2. Virtually perfect numbers.
The acid will go down as we ferment and the BRIX may go up just a bit because we can't really check the the amount of the sugar in the skins.

We will begin our pick tomorrow and will try to keep you up to date on what is happening and how. Hopefully we will be able to give you an update on the harvest and the development of the wine daily.

So, tune in tomorrow for the first day of the 2011 Harvest.

Getting Ready to Pick Sauvignon Blanc - We are getting close

2011-09-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

A Foggy Morning in Napa - September 6 - Temp 54 degrees

This is an amazing part of the world. At 6AM as the sun started to rise, it was clear. Now, at 7:05AM it is foggy and will probably stay that way for a couple of hours. Yesterday it was 85 degrees at the end of the day but the sun did not get completely "out" until 11AM. That is one of the reasons the Napa Valley is so great for grapes. Warm sunny days and very cool evenings, nights and early mornings. Everyday about 3PM the breeze from San Francisco Bay starts to blow, gently at first and then a bit stronger as we move toward evening. It is the diurnal temperature variation that lets the flavors and sugars settle in the grapes and that gives us the great wines that only the Napa Valley can produce.

Picking up Sauvignon Blanc (SB) barrels today and testing the glycol in the chiller and tanks.

We will pick up the French Oak barrels (from Demptos) for the SB today and get them ready for use.
We will ferment the SB at cool temperatures (about 55 degrees) in the french oak barrels and following fermentation we will rack off the wine, clean the barrels and age the wine in those barrels for about 6 to 9 months. Yesterday was spent adjusting and testing all of the tanks to make sure that we had the correct fittings, that the seals and valves worked and that they were clean. Spotless. We are getting close.

Picking SB on September 9.

The Brix was 24 yesterday so we will wait out this week but probably pick on Friday. Stay tuned. This is starting to get exciting as we move forward to harvest.

Getting Ready for Harvest -2

2011-09-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Preparation for Harvest in Full Swing at Kitchak Cellars.

We are back in Napa and getting ready for harvest. All of the grapes in our vineyards are now in their final color.

Testing BRIX.

Yesterday we check BRIX of the grapes for the first time.
BRIX is a type of measurement of of ripeness. BRIX is actually a measurement of the amount of sugar in a grape, and it is the sugar that makes the alcohol. Grapes will naturally produce at full maturity a BRIX of around 25 or 25.5. That means that the grape is 25% sugar or 25.5 sugar. At 25% BRIX, grapes will produce an alcohol level in the wine of 14.5%.l We get there by multiplying the BRIX by .58. That formula gets us very close and is very reliable.

Sauvignon Blanc Grapes almost ready to pick.
Notice the translucent yellow color

Yesterday the BRIX Sauvignon Blanc was 23. We are getting very close. The Merlot was 19 and the Cabernet was 18. Both have more than a month to go.

Great Color in the Cabernet Sauvignon on September 3, 2011.
Another month to go.

Bottling the Red Wines September 15.

On September 15 we will be bottling many of our Red Wines. So we have to get ready for that. We have already done all of the sampling and test blends so we will be getting tanks ready this week and getting the blend wines into the tanks for the blending and they will stay in the tanks until they go into the bottles on the 15th.That day we will bottle the 2009 Adagio, the 2009 Franc and the 2009 Piacere. You may not have heard about our FRANC or our PIACERE.

FRANC is a Napa Valley Cabernet Franc that we do a small amount of and sell in the tasting room. Cabernet Franc is regularly used as a blending wine in Bordeaux Blends and mixed with Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon. It is seldom used as a "stand alone" wine. But we are making a small amount and it has been quite popular in the tasting room. It is very interesting and sells for around $48. It is aged in oak and it gets the same high quality wine making and handling that our other best wines get. Is not presently included in any of our wine club shipments, but you can order it direct from the winery.

Introducing PIACERE (pea-a-chair-ay).

PIACERE is an Italian word meaning "to enjoy" or "to have pleasure." In music it is a phrase indicating that the piece may be played at a tempo in the discretion of the performer. Blended from estate grown varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, this wine has been made to enjoy now, or it will age for years...at your discretion. It is designed to be more approachable early than its big sister ADAGIO. It sells for about $45. Like the FRANC it is not presently included in any of our wine club shipments, but you can order it direct from the winery.

Tours and Tastings by Appointment.

We are open during the harvest season for Tours and Tastings; by appointment only. They are always private, one group at a time. We do 3 tours per day, one at 10:30, one at 1PM and one at 3:00. If you are a wine club member or a follower of our blog, just mention it and the tastings are complimentary. Call 707-225-2276 for an appointment or send an e-mail to tours@kitchakcellars.com.

Bring a Picnic.

We have a beautiful picnic patio on the shores of Lake Cynthia in the middle of our vineyard. It has picnic tables and overlooks the lake. Come for a 10:30 tasting, bring your lunch, buy a bottle of Kitchak Cellars wine and enjoy a picnic in the vineyards overlooking the lake under the spreading branches of a 200 year old Oak Tree. Or come for a picnic and follow it with a tasting at 1PM. Either one works. But, you need an appointment. Call 707-225-2276 for an appointment or send an e-mail to tours@kitchakcellars.com.

Getting Ready for Harvest - In the Alps

2011-08-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

Harvest is Coming

We are now getting ready for Harvest and plan to be much more regular about Blog entries from here on this fall. The grapes started turning color in early August and looked like this at the beginning of the first week.

By mid - August they had really started to turn color.

Count ahead 60 days and they will be ready to pick. Probably around October 15. The grapes in these photos are Cabernet Sauvignon and this year they are quite a bit ahead of the Merlot. We probably won't pick the Merlot until sometime near the end of October and we already have our fingers crossed, hoping that we can get them picked before it rains.

Training for Harvest in the Alps

The Kitchaks and the Bashioums (Ralph is our partner and Cellar Master you will recall) took a little time off to train for the all of the hard work Harvest is certain to bring. We decided a hiking trip in the French and Swiss Alps would provide some needed exercise and some real food so, off we went.

First stop was Chamonix in the French Alps.

Here we are, high in the Alps above Chamonix with Mt. Blanc in the background. L to R -Patricia, Peter, Lindsay Bashioum and Ralph Bashioum.

Kitchak Cellars was well represented and advertised as we traveled,

with both Patricia K and Lindsay Bashioum wearing their Kitchak Cellars hats everywhere. Surprisingly enough, a number of people noticed, we handed out business cards, added a number of people to our mailing list and had a few people tells us they would be sure to stop at the winery on their next trip to Napa.

During the trip, we, according to our normal practice when traveling, drank only local wines. While Swiss wines are probably not among the best in the world, they are interesting. The Swiss have actually been making wine since Roman times, long before anyone even thought of wine in the US. We drank a local Sauvignon Blanc, a Merlot and a Merlot/Cabernet blend. But even more interesting we drank a white wine from a grape called Heida (a clone of Sauvignon Blanc I think), and a red wine from the Humagne Rouge Grape. According to the Swiss Wine association's web site, the Humagne Rouge is a late-harvest and robust grape variety, whose cultivated surface has largely increased during the last 20 years. Its distinguished wines are not very tannic, have wild berry aromas and are an ideal accompaniment for game dishes.

The Beer is Better in Switzerland

But we also drank the local beer. Feldschlösschen or Cardinal. And, a fair amount of it. Frankly, after a long hike the beer was a much better accompaniment at lunch than wine. The photo below was taken at a mountain restaurant above Zermatt with the Matterhorn in the background.

This photo was taken about 2PM. We started hiking that day around 9:30AM and finished just before 6PM. With a great one hour stop for lunch. A formidable day in the mountains.

So...we are now relaxed, in shape; waiting for harvest and ready for all of the hard work we will have to do over the next few weeks to get ready. Stay tuned.

Tour de Bordeaux - What I learned in Bordeaux.

2011-07-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Trip is Over.
Our research trip with the San Francisco Chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux is over. First and foremost we need to thank our organizers, Kent Baum and Chuck Horn. They did an exceptional job of organizing and Kent had the sometimes thankless task of keeping us on time. It was an extraordinary trip. I was hesitant about whether it would be worth it before we went, but as I reflect on it some two weeks later it was truly one of the more interesting, rewarding and educational weeks that I can ever remember.

We also need to thank our numerous hosts. Some people who were particularly warm, helpful and patient with our questions stand out. Florence and Daniel Cathiard at Smith Haut Lafitte (Daniel, I would like to ski with you someday), The entire Bonnie family at Chateau Malartic LaGraviere, Emmanuel Cruse at Chateau D' Issan, Bernard de Laage de Meux at Chateau Palmer, Ailene Baly at Chateau Coutet, Jean-Pierre Meslier at Chateau Raymond Lafon, Count Alexandre de Lur-Saluces at Chateau de Fargues, Paul Pontallier at Chateau Margaux, Alfred Tesseron at Chateau Pontet Canet (Alfred, I am going to help you find the right US Property), and Jean-Michel Caze at Lynch Bages. I hope I get to see all of them again. And, if any of you (mentioned above) read this. We hope you will visit our modest little winery in Napa, soon.

But, what did I learn?

It all starts in the vineyard. I have heard this over and over again, and heard it during my wine making studies at UC Davis. I believe it. And, I believed it before I went to Bordeaux. But no where is it as evident as it was in the great vineyards of Bordeaux. Each vine was carefully tended and it showed. Crops were beautifully balanced and there was seldom a shoot that was out of place. Hedging vines appears to be an art-form in Bordeaux and the vineyard floor always seemed perfect whatever management technique was being used.

Everyone has the best Terroir. I have always been intrigued about how each winery in the Napa Valley has a story about why their grapes are the best and why they have the best possible Terroir. Bordeaux is no different. Each winery has a story about why they are successful on their land. There is, however, a big difference between Bordeaux and Napa in that respect. In Bordeaux, some group of politicians, lobbyists and winemakers got together way back in 1855 and decided who made great wines and who did not. If you were favored to be classified a first growth then, you still reap the benefits, and they are huge. Fortunately, or unfortunately, many things have changed since 1855 and some of the wineries that were not first growths then have soil, techniques and ultimately wine that is every bit as good as the first growths. Pontet Canet comes to mind as the most appropriate example. Only classified as a fifth growth in 1855 it is now farming its vineyards and making wine equal to the best. The bottom line and the lesson learned: There are many, many great wines in Bordeaux. Forget the ones that cost $1,000 per bottle, forget Parker's ratings and forget about what you hear about prices in Hong Kong and China, and move on. There are many, many wines that don't cost any more than a good bottle of Napa Cabernet that are on par with the $1,000 bottles.

Sort the grapes by Hand. Virtually everyone there does it, probably because they can afford to, given the high prices that the wines command. But there is no question that most everyone there seems to think that it makes a difference. Larger Napa wineries could learn something here. Those of us with small wineries do it, most big guys don't. It is unfortunate because it does make a difference.

Extended Maceration. For those of you who do not make wine, extended maceration is the period of time that the newly fermented wine is left in contact with the skins following the completion of the fermentation of the sugar in the grapes into alcohol. As I have questioned Napa winemakers it is not a "standard practice." Many wineries do it, more do not. While I was in school at Davis, my winery partner, Ralph Bashioum and I wrote a well researched paper on the topic that concluded that the benefits far outweighed the risks. That view was certainly confirmed in Bordeaux. Everyone, EVERYONE, does it. For at least a couple of weeks and often more. And I don't think it is just tradition. They do it because it has worked for centuries. Manage it carefully and it yields rewards.

Not many Stainless Tanks. The best Chateau are still using wooden vats. The winemakers told us that they take a lot of maintenance and that they are hard to clean, but they all firmly believe that they get more consistent temperatures in the vats during fermentation and better wine as a result. Concrete is also used regularly and there are many new vats built from concrete. I asked one owner, if he was building an entirely new winery today what would he use and his response was a 50/50 mixture of oak vats and concrete vats. No stainless steel.

No Punchdowns. During fermentation, virtually everyone I asked indicated that they were pumping wine over the cap during fermentation. No manual punchdowns and no mechanical or hydraulic punchdowns. And they do fewer pump overs than we do. Maybe that is made up for during the extended maceration period. This might be a result of large operations, but there did not seem to be the same zealot like approach that some Napa wineries have about making everything gravity fed. Insisting that everything be gravity fed is, most likely, almost as much hokus pokus as taking all of the recommended steps to be a perfect Bio-dynamic vineyard.

Shorter Barrel Time. Few Chateau were using 100% new oak and NO ONE was leaving wine in the barrel longer than about 20 months, except in Sauternes where the white wines might be left in the barrel for as long as 36 months. To me it seemed that even the great wines were not using more than about 80% new oak and 16-18 months in the barrel seemed to be the right amount of time for most of them. We are very likely to shorten our time in the barrel as a result. Tune in later to see what we have decided. We will certainly look at the issue more carefully.

Drink Sauternes more often, with more food. The owners of numerous Chateau in Sauternes are all adamant that they do not make a dessert wine, they make a sweet wine. We had a couple of meals at which three different Sauternes were served with three different dishes. While it clearly works with Foie Gras and similar very rich food, we found that it also worked well with a salad course with a strong vinaigrette, perhaps Balsamic, It also worked well with a light fish course. And, serving it as a foil for Roquefort cheese seemed quite normal. One of the Sauternes Chateau owners even went so far as to say, "Don't use it as a dessert wine, it doesn't go that well with pears or with apple desserts. Drink it opposite Roquefort cheese, but don't drink it with apple strudel." I intend to buy a bit more and drink it more often. Lesson learned.

Both the 2009s and 2010s are great. "Each Vintage is better than the other."

And what is the Best Wine that we tasted during the trip? While it would be hard to beat the 1982 Margaux that we had with dinner at Chateau Margaux, my opinion, that it is absolutely foolish to engage in a discussion about what is the best wine when you are tasting many good ones, was reinforced. When asked which of our own wines I like the best, my response has become standard. " Do you have children? If so, which one do you like the best?"
Forget the points and forget Robert Parker. He is only one guy and it is guaranteed that you have a palate that is different from his. That is why I have not commented, in relative terms, on most of the wines we tasted and drank. To compare them, one to the other, is to do many of the wines an injustice and to do injustice to our hosts. All of the wines were good. There wasn't a "dog" in the lot. When drinking wines side by side, always remember to ask you self, "How are they different?" not, "Which one is better?"

Treat each wine you drink as an experience to be savored, to be thought about, and appreciated. Enjoy It, Don't Compare It. It is Magic

The Best Quote: Said one Chateau Owner, " I look to create Emotion in the Glass."

May you seek and find Emotion in every glass of wine you drink from now on.
Merci Beaucoup, Au Revoir, Bon Voyage. We had a wonderful time. Thanks again Kent and Chuck for organizing.

And thanks to each reader for following.

Now back to Blogging about the winemaker's issues, problems and solutions.

You can also visit our web site at www.kitchakcellars.com
or take a virtual tour of our winery at http://www.kitchakcellars.com/about-us/virtual-wine-tour.
Or send me an e-mail at pkitchak@kitchakcellars.com.

Tour de Bordeaux - Chateau Lynch Bages - Saturday AM

2011-06-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Chateau Lynch Bages. Saturday morning and our week is already over. We spent the morning at Lynch Bages and the afternoon in the City of Bordeaux, truly a hustling bustling metropolis.

Our group with Jean-Michel Caze. David, Kent, Elizabeth, Jean-Michael, Chuck, Peter, Patricia and Jeff

Chateau Lynch (pronounced "Linch" not "Launch" as I had become accustomed to calling it) Bages is located but a stones throw from the City of Pauillac. Thomas Lynch, whose father John emigrated in 1691 from Ireland to Bordeaux, inherited an estate in the village of Bages through his wife, Elizabeth, in 1749. The estate was purchased by the Caze family in 1938. After Jean-Charles Cazes' death, aged 95, in 1972, the estate has been largely managed by his grandson, Jean-Michel Cazes. Caze is, according to many people, one of the real movers and shakers in Bordeaux, who has had a huge impact on it and the Bordeaux wine business. The estate includes about 220 acres of land and produces about 25,000 cases of wine per year, mostly red although it does make a white wine, Chateau Lynch Bages Blanc.

Peter with Jean-Michel Caze.

During our tasting we tasted barrel samples of the 2010 Echo (their 2nd wine) and their 2010 Lynch Bages. Both were interesting and very attractive wines. The 2011 Lynch Bages will be a blend of 75% Cabernet, 15% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

The wine making process at Lynch Bages is a bit different that most other Chateau in the Medoc. They sort their grapes on portable sorting tables in the fields before they are delivered to the winery. We obviously did not see this process, but I imagine that it is not as detailed and specific as happens with many people on a sorting table in the winery, The grapes are then delivered to the winery and dumped into a large hopper with a screw conveyor in the bottom. They are then destemmed, crushed and pumped into the tanks. I must say I was a bit disappointed in the winery operation. This is, and always has been, one of my favorite wines. It continues to be. But, their equipment and winery shows its age and is in dire need of an update to keep pace. To me they seemed decades behind the other wineries that we saw. Galvanized steel catwalks above the tanks, that were probably constructed 50 years ago should be replaced by stainless. Screw conveyors are in need of conversation to gravity handling and crushing probably needs to be replaced with whole berry fermentation. Jean - Michel Cazes did say that his son was now running the operation and had significant plans for upgrading it.

I was also a bit disappointed in what seems to be their general approach. When I asked Jean-Michael Caze where his son, who was now running the winery got his wine training, he said that he had a business degree, not a wine making degree. "We can hire enologists and viticulturists easily," he said. "Today it is more important to know how to run the business." Oops.. I think that is the kind of thinking that got Mondavi in trouble and it is also the reason that I don't think public corporations can make great wine. The focus is on the wrong thing. Sorry to get on the soap box, but in my view, the minute a winery starts to think that maximum profit is more important than making great wine, they are bound to be on the wrong side of the equation.

There was one very interesting feature in the winery. A stainless tank for white wine with a cooling coil in the center of it to keep the temperatures consistent. I had not seen one before, but it sure makes a lot of sense.

Photo taken inside the tank showing the stainless steel cooling coil inside.

That all being said, they have a wonderful museum area with historic winery equipment. See the photos below.

Peter in front of an old oak tank.

All were different so they had precise volume measurements on the front

The platform vat into which grapes were dumped to be stomped.

On the second floor. Grapes where hoisted with the bucket and dumped into the tanks.

Pumps were not around yet.

I am not exactly sure how they used this gadget. Perhaps to rack the wine from the barrel, leaving the sediment behind.

Ok wine making buffs, what is this gadget?

Just a big suitcase on wheels with a top that lifted up and inlet and outlet ports. It is a filter! They would fill it with Diatomaceous earth (DE) and run the wine through it. Incidentally, DE is still used today as a filtration material. DE consists of a fine white powder that is the fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae.

Lynch Bages does have a beautiful (aren't they all?) barrel room (Chai) shown here.

Now, you have read the story, go buy some of their wines. That is why the entertain us, so we will be ambassadors for the wines. This wine is always one of the great ones and it is very favorably priced (in relative terms) compared to many of the first growths which are not particularly better. Try it, you'll like it.

Tour de Bordeaux - Friday PM - Cordeillan Bages Dinner

2011-06-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Cordeillan Bages on the Lynch Bages estate is a Michelin 2 Star restaurant. Previously run by the renowned Thierry Marx, it has since been taken over by Jean-Luc Rocha (a Meilleur Ouvrier de France award winner) who was the second in command prior to Marx's departure. The building is a wonderful 18th century Mansion that is both a restaurant and a hotel. The Hotel is part of the Relais and Chateau group. The dinner was, in my humble opinion, the best and most inventive of the of the trip.

Le Menu

The course including the soft boiled egg was truly extraordinary.

Patricia with Jean-Luc Rocha

Following dinner we all got a tour of the restaurant's wine cellar. Many familiar names were present. But, not surprisingly, no Napa wines. We will have to talk to them about that.

The wines served were a Chateau Villa Bel Air 2010 Bordeaux Blanc, a Chateau Ormes de Pez 2003 from an estate owned by the Cazes family in Saint Estephe and a 1996 Chateau Lynch Bages. All were very nice and paired well with the meal.

This was a wonderful experience and a stop everyone taking a trip to Bordeaux should make. Easily qualifies as a Michelin 2 Star experience.

Off to bed. We visit Lynch Bages and the City of Bordeaux tomorrow.

Tour de Bordeaux - Friday Noon Lunch - Pontet Canet

2011-06-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Our tour and lunch at Pontet Canet was certainly one of the highlights of the trip. And our host and owner Albert Tesseron was one of the truly delightful people that we met.

Pontet Canet is a Grand Cru 5th Growth Château in Pauillac. Pontet Canet sits across the road from Château Mouton Rothschild and "just down the road" from Château Lafitte Rothschild. It has approximately 200 acres of vines and as such, it is one of the largest producing Château in the Medoc, making about 20,000 cases of their first wine Pontet Canet and 20,000 cases of their second wine, Les Hauts de Pontet. The vineyards include 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Although "only" a fifth growth, this is a wine you want to buy and own if you are willing to afford any current Bordeaux wines. It was certainly one of the best that we tasted on the entire trip. The winery is run by Alfred Tesseron who's family made their money in the Cognac business. They have owned the Château since 1975 and also own Château Lafon-Rochet.

We arrived at the Chateau to note an American Flag flying over the estate.

I asked why. "To honor today's guests," said Albert Tesseron; a very good start to our afternoon.

Tesseron took us straight to the vineyard when we arrived. "This is where it all happens" he said. "Grapes make wine, wine makers don't." And, he clearly believes that he has one of the best vineyards and Terroir in the world. I would not argue.

Peter listens intently to owner Albert Tesseron

Tesseron explained that Pontet Canet is the only certified Organic and Bio dynamic vineyard in the Medoc. They have even purchased draft horses and are using horses more and more often in the vineyard. He explained that they have no "carbon footprint" and the don't pack down the soil like a tractor does since they step in a different place each time. We didn't talk about their methane output. It is interesting, however, that when pressed, all Bordeaux owners reluctantly admit the regular use of sulfur and I notice everywhere little plastic dispensers hanging in the vineyards, spaced every few plants, that contained a chemical that was an artificial pheromone to disrupt the mating of the European Grape Vine moth. Is that a pesticide? It isn't sprayed, so maybe not, but the bottom line is that they do what they have to in order to control pests, albeit with organic products.

Tesseron has an amazing long term view of the vineyard and, indeed, the winery. "What is important," he said, "is Pontet Canet. Not me. And not my children. We are just passing by, and it is our responsibility to care for this estate not for ourselves, but for future generations." It is an important concept and it had a significant impact on my thoughts about our own vineyard.

Someone asked him if he worried when it gets close to harvest and he had another sage-like statement. "I can't worry too much about the grapes, for things I cannot control; when they are not ripe, I go to the cellar, take a bottle of wine, and wait." I have to remember to do that.

The wine tanks at Pontet Canet. Oak above and Concrete below.

The tanks at Pontet Canet are all either oak or concrete. No Stainless. According to Tesseron, the temperature during fermentation is much more consistent with either concrete or oak. In fact, he said that he took all of the thermometer gauges off the tanks to prevent the cellar workers from tinkering too much with the temperature of the wine during fermentation. He also refuses to use an optical sorter for sorting grapes prior to fermentation. "It can't work as well as people on the sorting table," he said.

Albert Tesseron explains the sorting process to David & Liz Berka-White, Peter and Chuck Horn

We did a tasting in the sorting room; barrel samples of both the 2009 and 2010. Both are elegant, even as barrel samples, and once again one could argue that "Each vintage is better than the other."

Albert pours the new wines, Patricia looks on

Lunch was spectacular. Starting with a '99 Tattinger Comptes Champagne en Magnum and appetizers, we then had a Langoustine course, Veal in a cream sauce, a plate of cheese and desert.

Le Menu

Wines served were all Pontet Canet, 2003, 2000 and 1996. All great vintages and all great wines.

David lines up a billiard shot

Following lunch we "retired" to the drawing room and had a small glass of exquisite Tesseron Cognac. It even caused me to change my mind about Cognac. It was spectacular although probably beyond our budget. David Berka-White then actually shot a few billiard shots with Alfred, the consummate host. We arrived before noon and it was 3PM by the time we left. What an exceptional time. Below are photos of what remained of our group (The Erdman's had to leave early) as we left Pontet Canet. I can only hope that we have an opportunity to return the hospitality. Amazing.

Au revoir, Merci beaucoup

Tour de Bordeaux - Friday Morning at Chateau du Tertre

2011-06-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Friday morning and we are nearing the end of the week. We are now staying at Cordeillan Bages in Pauillac which is owned by the Jean Michel Cazes. It seems that there is little rest here. I know, who will believe it is hard work tasting all of these wines and eating all of this good food, but there is, in reality, very little down time. So we are off to Chateau du Tertre again right after a light breakfast at Maison K which is the building in which our entire group is staying. If you are ever going to Bordeaux with a group, this is an ideal spot. Built, ostensibly as a home for Sylvie Cazes, Jean-Michels daughter, when she is in Bordeaux, it has a large kitchen, media room and 7 bedrooms. Perfect for a large group. It is right on the edge of the little town of Village Bages and within walking distance of Pauillac.

The town the Jean Michael Cazes built...or rebuilt. Here the butcher shop.

Chateau du Tertre is a truly beautiful 80 hectare (198 acres) estate at the highest point of the Margaux Appellation. It has 52 hectares (128 acres) of vines. It was classified as a fifth growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. The estate has been owned since 1997 by a Dutch businessman Eric Jelgersma. There is also a strong relationship with Chateau Giscours (partial ownership I think?). The winemaking team from du Tetre makes all of the wine as Giscours. Prior to his purchase, it had fallen into disrepair and disrepute but he has since made major investments and turned it into an absolutely stunning place, making good wines and very worth a visit.

Chateau du Tertre

It is a stunning place that even includes 5 guest rooms. Staying there would be fabulous.

The winery is an interesting combination between traditional techniques and modern approaches as indicated in the photo below of traditional oak tanks and a single concrete egg shaped wine fermenter.

New meets old. An egg fermenter stands between old oak tanks.

We are starting to see egg fermenters all over the world now and they are beginning to make an appearance in Napa. In fact, a company called Sonoma Cast Stone, known for its fountains and countertops is now entering the business and, in talking to one of their reps, he told me they consider it a very strong and a real possibility for a growing market. The attraction of the concrete is that the fermentation temperature is arguably more stable and less subject to variation. The egg shape causes the cap, the collection of floating skins at the top of the wine, to be more submerged because the egg gets narrower at the top.

Our Hostess, Alaure Bastard (some name huh?) stands beside a concrete fermenter

One of things that I found interesting a du Tetrtre, and in fact all over Bordeaux, was that although they talked about systems that handled grapes gently and while many are using gravity rather than pumps to move the grapes and wine, all of the Chateau that we visited were doing pump-overs instead of punch downs. Both terms relate to the process by which the skins of the wine which float to the top of the tank during fermentation creating a firm "cap" of the must, are mixed with the wine in order to extract color and flavor from the skins. Many winemakers think it is advantageous to punch the cap down into the wine using a hand held tool or a hydraulic puncher on a track others pump the juice over the cap to wet it . Well, in Bordeaux no one seems to worry about punch downs and pump-overs are absolutely routine. One other interesting note about du Tertre's wine making and perhaps one of the reasons they are not right at the top of the quality heap is that they use only about 50% new oak at Giscours and 40% new oak at du Tertre.

The tasting after our tour included both a 2010 du Tetre (70% CS, 20% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot) and a 2010 Giscours (71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot) . Both wines have a long way to go. I continue to remain to be surprised that everyone in Bordeaux sells these wines to the négociants so early and that the négociants are willing to buy the wine before they really get to see how it will age. We also tasted a 2004 du Tertre which I thought was respectable but not great. It had a bit of a thin, although somewhat long finish. It was made from 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 30% Cab Franc.

The Celler at du Tertre

A final note... Chateau du Tertre uses an underground cellar, shown above, which is very rare in the Medoc area of Bordeaux.It is unique because it is underground, most of the barrel storage areas are in Chai's, which again, are above ground storage areas. Again, if you are going it is worth seeing. The wines are good, the property extremely beautiful and the staff accommodating.

Off to Chateau Pontet-Canet for lunch.

Tour de Bordeaux - Thursday Lunch at Chateau Palmer

2011-06-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

I would like to start today's blog with a line from the Chateau Palmer Brochure: "Wine tasting is a meeting of two living bodies as they surrender to each other, the human being and the wine. Tasters always have expectations from the wine they choose: good wines meet them; Chateau Palmer exceeds item, in a mingling of sensations and emotions."

Chateau Palmer

Chateau Palmer makes two wines. A wine called Alter Ego and another, their main wine, called Chateau Palmer. They emphasize that the Alter Ego is NOT a second wine, but rather wine made differently from the same grapes. Alter Ego is designed to be drunk earlier. It is fermented at cooler temperatures and although it spends about the same amount of time in the barrel, they use only 25% to 40% new barrels for the wine. As a result it is fruitier and less tannic. Their wines are generally about 50% Cabernet and 50% Merlot which changes a bit with each vintage.

The host for our visit was Bernard de Laage de Meux, the commercial director for Chateau Palmer. We started our tasting with barrel samples of the 2010 vintage. The best that I can tell is that they are quite right when they say it will be a great vintage. The 2010 Alter Ego is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Merlot. The 2010 Palmer is 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot.

Bernard de Laage de Meux pours - Patricia and Kent Baum look on with anticipation.

Following the tasting we adjourned to a spectacular lunch, with some amazing dishes. The first course was accompanied by a 2008 Chateau Palmer Blanc, a very different wine made up of 55% Muscadelle, 35% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Merlot Blanc and 5% Loset. An amazing combination.

A spectacular lunch for our group of 12

The second course was a gratine of green asparagus with Parmesan and and egg coulant raviole, served with the 2004 Alter Ego, a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Bernard passes out personalized hard cover books with the menu and a list of the wines served

Elizabeth Berka-White is on his right (L in the photo)

The third course was a wonderful veal dish (Quasi de veau en cuisson longue) and a gratin of apples with crisp Parmesan. Also on the plate was a truly outstanding morel mushroom stuffed with veal. The course was served with two outstanding Chateau Palmer wines. First came the 1994 which was a blend of 50% Cabernet, 47% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Second was a 1985 Palmer that was 57% Cabernet, 33% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.

The Third Course

Chuck and Mealnie Horn in the middle of dessert celebrating Melanie's Birthday (note the candle).

Even the dessert was a work of art with an ice cream with mint and ginger.

Le Menu

Satiated, our group departs Chateau Palmer

Tonight, I am looking forward to a quite less complicated dinner at Village Bages.

Tour de Bordeaux - Wednesday Evening at Chateau Margaux

2011-06-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Chateau Margaux, a legend of fine wines, was our spot for dinner on Wednesday Evening.The Margaux estate encompasses approximately 650 acres of land. The red grape vineyard is 203 acres and the white grape vineyard is 30 acres. They produce a total of approximately 365,000 bottles or 30,000 cases annually.

The entrance to Chateau Margaux.

When we arrived, we were met at the bottom of the massive staircase by a butler, carry cool drinks for all on a particularly warm day. Water and Orange Juice before we started our tour.

The butler returns to the Chateau after bringing us cool drinks upon our arrival.

We started with a tour and tasting hosted by General Manager an Director Paul Pontallier. Paul is a legend in the wine community and has run the estate since taking it over at the age of 27 a number of years ago.

Paul Pontallier pours wine for a tasting after the tour

We toured the wine making operation where one of the interesting observations was that the wine was produced in about equal amounts of stainless tanks and wooden vats. All were about 15,000 liters and all were about a 1:1 ration of height to width. Many of their oak vats were more than 30 years old and they had expected only about 15 years from them. Now they are thinking that they might get 60 years. All their wines go through extended maceration, they remain on the skins, for 10-21 days after the wine is fully fermented. That also seems to be a standard practice in Bordeaux. Most Margaux wines are about 90% Cabernet Sauvvignon and 10% Merlot.

One of the Chai (Barrel Room) at Chateau Margaux

Did you know that a Chai is an above ground barrel room as distinguished from a cellar below ground? True.

The Chai at Chateau Margaux is a magnificent space with barrels stretching on forever. It is a veritable Temple of Wine. In this photo you can see all of the new barrels waiting for the 2011 harvest. All Barique Traditionale with black hoops and ash ends. Neither the ash hoops, the pine boarded heads or the black hoops adds anything other than aesthetics to the process, but interestingly everyone, everyone, in Bordeaux uses the Traditional barrels. I guess when you make the kind of money that they are making you don't have to worry about it and they need to look as good as they can to continue to sell their wines as luxury goods. The barrel room was redone at Pontallier's request. It is exactly the opposite of a radiant heat system that we are familiar with. It is a radiant cooling system. The airspace above the ceiling is cooled in the summer so the cold will radiate down. Pontallier doesn't want any air movement in the space and does not want the vibration from any equipment to hamper the delicate settling of the wine. Interestingly the cellar was quite warm as cellars go, between 60 and 65 degrees, with very high humidity. He said 85%, although it seemed more like 70% to me. He said he wanted the wine to change temperature during the year because it helped it age gracefully.

Another Cellar at Chateau Margaux - "A temple of Wine"

A barrel making shop at Chateau Margaux

At Margaux they also make some of their own barrels. I think this is more out of tradition and to keep the barrel making facility for tours than for anything else. Their barrel maker can only make about 3 barrels per day, so they would never be able to make enough for their either production. They also use many of the same barrels that we do, Seguin Moreau, Demptos, Boutes and Taransaud.

Peter and Patricia arriving for dinner at Chateau Margaux

Dinner was also amazing. Our group was joined by the Pontalliers and their son and Agustin Que and his wife. Agustin is the Maitre of the Commanderie de Bordeaux chapter in Jakarta, Indonesia. This dinner, in their main salon where, Kings, Queens and Presidents have dined was spectacular to say the least, We started with a lobster dish, accompanied by a 2001 Margaux Pavillon Blanc en Magnum. The Second course was a wonderful veal dish, accompanied by a 1989 Chateau Magraux and the cheese course was accompanied by a 1982 Chateau margaux!!! Even Margaux's brochure characterizes the 1982 as one of their 4 great wines of the 20th Century.

Le Menu

Napoleon's music box

Following dinner we adjourned to a drawing room for Cognac and cigars were offered. I actually had one, the first in a year. One of the great treasures in the drawing room was a large exquisite music box that Napoleon commissioned to have built. He then gave it to one of his generals as a gift after that general had won a particularly important battle. It ultimately found its way to the Chateau. And the best part is... it actually works and provided some music for the event.

A big thank you to the Pontalliers for a particularly wonderful evening.

Tour de Bordeaux - Wednesday Lunch at Chateau D' Issan

2011-06-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Château d'Issan

Chateau D'Issan is a winery in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux. The winery was classified as one of fourteen Bordeaux Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths). The winery is under the proprietorship of Emmanuel Cruse. Cruse is also the Grand Maitre of the Commanderie de Bordeaux world wide and a staunch advocate for Bordeaux wines. The Chateau dates from the time of the Hudred Years war. It was purchased by the Cruse family in 1945 and Emanuel is the third generation Cruse to run the Chateau. It is comprised of 45 Hectares, or 111 acres. The produce a classified wine, a Bordeaux Superior (lesser classification) and a Haut Medoc (from grapes outside of Margaux). Typical production is 8,000 to 9,000 cases.

Our group at the main dining table at Chateau D'Issan. David Berka-White at the end of the table and Mckinsey Erdman our youngest attendee (15 I think) on the far right.

We had a wonderful lunch of a lobster tartare accompanied by a 2008 Charteau Carbonnieux white Bordeaux wine, followed by Tournedos of Beef accompanied by a 2004 Chateau D' Issan, and then cheese with a 2000 D'Issan. Both the 2004 and 2000 D' Issans are available in the market place and great bargains compared to may of the current Bordeaux wines. Go buy a couple of bottles and try them.

Patricia seated next to Emanuel Cruse at Lunch

Le Menu

Now time to go back to the hotel for a nap before dinner at Chateau Margaux.

Tour de Bordeaux - Wednesday Morning at Leoville Las Cases

2011-06-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Leoville Las Cases was our first stop on Wednesday, a day that was ultimately to be the highlight of the trip.
Leoville Las Cases in the morning, Chaateau D' Issan for lunch and Chateau Margaux for dinner. But more on those other locations later.

The entrance to Leoville Las Cases

Léoville-Las Cases was once part of a much larger estate until the time of the French Revolution when a portion of this estate was separated into what is today Chateau Leoville-Barton. In 1840, the estate was again divided and land that would eventually become Chageau Leoville-Poyferre was split off. Since the mid 20th century the Delon family have been owners of this estate, also owners of Chateau Potensac and Chateau Nenin.
In 1976, their 1971 vintage ranked number six among the ten French and California red wines in the historic "Judgment of Paris."

The vineyard area includes 97 hectares (240 acres) planted with a grape variety distribution of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The vineyard underwent major replanting during the 1950s, and today the vines average 30 years of age.

Bruno Rolland - the Cellar Master at Leoville Las Cases with Peter and Patricia

A word about winery titles in Bordeaux. I am not sure that I still have it figured out, but it seems that it is typical to have a General Manager (most often not the owner) at the top of the pyramid. The GMs direct reports are usually the technical director and the cellar master who seek to have about equal status. It seems as if the "winemaker" may be the GM, it may be the technical director or it may be someone that reports to the technical director. Blends are generally done by a team that includes the GM, the technical director, the cellar master, the winemaker and often an outside consultant (which no one talks about) like Michel Roland.

But, the cellar master is an important position that is ultimately accountable for the maintenance of the wines in the cellar and the blending process.

The wine making operation offered an interesting perspective. They make wine in both stainless and concrete tanks. Many of the wineries in Bordeaux use only wood and concrete, feeling that they get more consistent fermentation temperatures in either wood or concrete than they do in stainless.

It becomes increasingly clear, that you can tour ten great winemaking facilities and get ten different arguments about the best process and the best barrels in which to make great wine. Bottom line take away from this trip and from other top wineries that I have visited. There is no single best solution even for the greatest of wines. To make great wine you can use a variety of tanks and a variety of barrels, but you have to start with great fruit and then not make any big mistakes in the winery.

Our tasting at Leoville Las Cases was relatively quick as we had to be on time for dinner. We tasted barrel samples of a 2010 Nenin and a 2010 Leoville Las Cases and a couple of older wines of each. All we great. I must say, however, that I am not really sure what all of the hype is about for the 2010 vintage. Bordeaux continues to get better and more consistent and it is truly difficult to decide whether the 2009 or 2010 is better. As some french wine writer opined, " Each is better than the other." That being said, I wonder why anyone would pay the astronomical prices being charged for the 2009 and 2010 Bordeaux wines when you can buy great older wines, with a lot of very interesting bottle age for a whole lot less.

A Praying Mantis? or just a typical Bordeaux tractor and spraying machine? I vote for the later.

Interesting final point, in an area where everyone claims to be organic, spraying machines were everywhere. You just can't get by without spraying at least sulfur in the vineyards.

On the Chateau D' Issan for Lunch.

Tour de Bordeaux - Tuesday Evening - Chateau de Fargues

2011-06-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Evening at Chateau De Fargues was beautiful and special evening.

Peter and Patricia Kitchak with owner Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces.

We first did a tour of the Chateau, its cellars and the adjacent old castle with the owner Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces. The castle on the property dates from the 14th century (it was built in 1306) and the Count is in the process of slowly restoring parts of it. The architect for the restoration project was also there and he joined us on the tour showing us how they were doing the work to be the same as the original construction. The good news for them is that they do not have to do earthquake retrofits like we would have to do in California.

Much of our group on the grounds of Chateau de Fargues with the castle in the background.

In Napa, we pick grapes with a Brix (sugar percentage) of around 25. In Sauternes the grapes are picked with a Brix of around 33. If all of the sugar in the grapes were fermented or converted to alcohol, the wine would be 20% alcohol. But this wine is generally around 13.5% with a lot of sweetness and a lot of unfermented sugars. This Chateau makes only 15,000 to 20,000 bottles of wine a year, which is not much. The wine is generally a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillion. I smiled when the Count called the process of making Sauternes wine as a bit of "Alchemy".

In the Cellar -note the glass bungs in the barrels

Count Alexandre has a very significant history in Sauternes. For years, he and his family had owned Chateau Yquem, having acquired it in 1785 via a marriage. The count was the manager of Yquem until 2004, some time after it was sold to LVMH in 1996 following a bitter family feud. Following the Counts retirement from Chateau Yquem in 2004 he took a more active role in de Fargues.

The evening events were very nice with a lot of people, a lot of wine and a lot of wonderful passed appetizers. We had a light dinner, and boy did we need it. During part of the evening we sat and talked to a grand lady who owns Chateau Giscours.

All and all, it was a wonderful evening.
On to Leoville Las Cases tomorrow morning.

2011 Tour de Bordeaux - Tuesday Tour and Lunch at Chateau Guiraud

2011-06-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's lunch at Chateau Guiraud was a classic French lunch, but it was served almost entirely with sweet white Sauternes wines.

Chateau Guiraud is a sweet white First Growth wine in the Sauternes appellation in Gironde in the region of Graves in France. The estate vine plantings consist of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, which is a higher than normal percentage of Sauvignon Blanc. They say vines are on average 35–40 years old. They also make a dry white wine that is 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillion.

The Chateau

Patricia in front of one of the towers at the chateau. We were told that the French of the 1800s liked to build towers and they would put slate roofs on their towers as an indication of their wealth. This guy must have had a lot of money.

The lunch was one of the really interesting ones since we had all sweet wine. They make the point that these are not desert wines, but sweet wines that can go with a variety of things and the lunch set out to prove that.

First Course - 2006 Guiraud
A wonderful collection of small appetizers with Salmon, Foie Gras. A small Scallop dish with ginger, lime and fish roe. An interesting grouping of tastes and they all worked well with the wine.

Second Course - 2001 Guiraud
Another medley of three things: Chicken with Cajun sauce, Dorado with a light sauce from fresh tomatoes, and Duck served with a balsamic reduction. Again, carefully thought out to demonstrate that sweet white wines can be served with almost anything.

Third Course 1998 Guiraud with greens, a pear in a pouch and some tete de moine cheese. Spectacular.

Fourth Course - 1996 Guiraud dry white wine. Saffron Madeleine, lemon creme on cornmeal biscuits, mini apricot clafouti and cannelle. Cannelle is a traditional Bordeaux desert cake, and frankly it was not all that good. They always seemed a bit tough and overdone ...everywhere and we had them everywhere.

Kent Baum and Melanie Horn have a hard time keeping track of their glasses at Chateau Guiraud.
Next stop . Chateau De Fargues for dinner.

2011 Tour de Bordeaux - Tuesday Morning Chateau Coutet in Barsac

2011-06-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Morning, we are off to Chateau Coutet, a sweet wine Chateau in the Barsac area of Bordeaux. Coutet is one of only two First Growth Chateaus in Barsac. (The other is Climens). I had never been sure of the difference between the Barsac and Sauternes areas. Our host at Coutet, Aline Baly cleared it up. Barsac is a small appellation within Sauternes. So, all Barsacs are technically Sauternes, but all Sauternes are not Barsacs. In fact at Chateau Coutet, they call their first wine a Barsac and their second wine a Sauternes.

Aline Baly, the general manager of the Chateau, who has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and who considers herself "an American" now runs the operation which is owned by her family. A great lady. They have a really beautiful place with a wonderful barrel room where the wines are aged in new french oak for 36 months.

They also have a great museum area with some interesting old winemaking equipment including special heavy duty presses and the most interesting thing for me a large shallow wooden vat where, before automated crushers, people would stop the grapes with their feet. It is a very shallow, elevated, slightly slanted with a drain on one side where a large wooden bucket would fit under the drain to catch the juice.

The sweet wines at Coutet are generally 75% Semillion, 22% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadel. All are aged in 100% new french oak and they buy about 400 new barrels (at about 600 Euros per barrel) per year. That, folks, is a bill of about $350,000 per year just for barrels. Incidentally, 400 barrels is enough for about 120,000 bottles of wine.

At out tasting, we tasted a barrel sample of the 2010s and a 1989 which was truly a "melt in you mouth" wine as one of our traveling companions put it. Both wines were spectacular. What a treat.

Finally, I also learned an advanced way to taste and spit fine wines, to get the maximum benefit of the flavor, by looking at a photo on the wall which appears below. On to lunch at Chateau Guiraud. Cheers.

Bordeaux, Monday Eve 6/20 at Raymond-Lafond

2011-06-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

On to Sauternes, the area where the greatest sweet wines in the world are made.

Raymond-Lafond was our next stop on Monday. The Chateau is owned by the Meslier family and our guide for the tour and tasting was Jean-Pierre Meslier. Jean-Pierre was educated as an attorney but has spent much if his life making wine. He actually lived and worked in San Francisco for a while and was a member of the French Club and Commanderie de Bordeaux there, but the winery needed him and he returned to Bordeaux. His sister is the general manager of the estate, his brother is the wine-maker and he is responsible for sales and marketing, PR and tours. An absolutely wonderful guy. The Chateau is among the most famous in Sauternes and literally across the road from Yqem. The land, the microclimate and just about everything else is identical to Yqem. And, the price is the wine is about one fifth what it is a Yqem.

Peter, Kent Baum, Jean-Pierre and fellow traveler, Jeffrey Poage, a Doc from Danville, CA, discuss the vineyard.

The family, including their retired father all live at the Chateau, a rather simple place by Bordeaux standards. But they have a wonderful garden with a lot of different trees from all over the world (including palms from California). They also have an interesting collection of birds including this peacock.

Patricia and Peter with Jean-Pierre at the entrance to the Chateau.

At the Chateau we tasted only one wine, their 2007 Raymond-Lafond Sauternes.

Grapes for Sauternes are intentionally left on the vine until they are "infected" with a mold called Botrytis. It attacks the grapes grows on and penetrates the skin so the grapes begin to dehydrate. Typically pickers will make 5-10 passes through the vineyards and pick only the grapes that look the worst. In the photo above, the yellow grapes and red looking grapes would not be picked, only the are grey and very moldy. Because individual grapes are picked, it is a slow and very expensive proposition. The pickers, usually women with smaller hands, use scissors to clip on the grapes one by one.

The evening dinner after Raymond Lafond. The restaurant was one of the most beautiful settings I have ever seen in a restaurant and the weather was perfect. We dined at the Claude Darroze Restaurant in the town of Langon, near Sauternes. I highly recommend it. The dinner was started with ta Lobster Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing and a 2002 Chateau Raymond-Lafon. It was followed by a wonderful veal dish accompanied by a 2003 Reserve de la Comtesse, Pichon LaLonde's second wine. Third course was Roquefort cheese accompanied by a 2005 Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes and finally a Croustillant of red fruits accompanied by a 2003 Raymond-Lafon.

The winemakers and Chateau owners in Sauternes are all quick to point our that Sauternes is NOT a desert wine, but rather a sweet white wine that pairs well with many things. It can particularly compliment Foie Gras and things like lobster, but it also a great foil for salads and particular citrus based salads. Pairing it with Roquefort cheese is standard.

One cannot talk about a visit to Chateau Raymond-Lafon without mentioning the dog, named Eddie (after Eddie Murphy ..no kidding). He grew up licking the hands of the vineyard workers when the returned from the vineyard with the sweet juice from the grapes on their hands, so whenever people are near the vineyard, he wants to lick their hands. But what a beautiful and friendly dog. This one could really qualify as man's best friend. So long for now. Off to Coutet, another sweet wine Chateau in Barsac tomorrow.

Bordeaux - Monday Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Chateau Malartic Lagraviere

2011-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Straight for Carbinoux to Chateau Malartic LaGraviere to a tour and lunch. They have one of the best thought out and designed winemaking facilities that we toured. Without being many stories high the manage to accomplish the impact of a gravity fed winery with excellent equipment and good design. A very modern building and very good wines. The Chateau's top wines are typically 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Their white wines are 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillion.

Following out tour we did a tasting. Here, Jean-Jacques Bonnie begins the pouring while our tour organizers Chuck Horn (center) and Kent Baum (right) who are both from San Francisco, look on. During the tasting we tasted their 2007 Argentine Wine DiamAndes (Diamond of the Andes) which is generally about 66% Malbec, their other Chateau, Gazin Rocquencourt 2009 and the 2009 Malartic LaGraviere red wine which is 60% Cabernet, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.

The Malartic Gravier hateau where we had lunch following our tour.

Patricia chats with Alfred Bonnie, the owner of Chateau Malartic LaGraviere before lunch.

An Amazing desert. We had lunch with Alfred and and Michele Bonnie, their son John-Jacques and daughter Veronique. All are involved in their wine business, but the business is now run by John-Jacques. It was an amazing lunch with grilled vegetables, a wonderful veal dish, cheese and the desert above. The wines served were: 2005 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Blanc, 2006 Chateau Gazin Rocquencourt Rouge (Red), 2004 Malartic Lagraviere Rouge, 2000 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Rouge, and 1989 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Rouge in Magnum.

Peter and Patricia with the Bonnies. Left to Right, Jean -Jacques, Patricia, Michele, Veronique, Alfred and Peter.

Very Narrow vine rows. We generally have 6 to 8 feet of vine width in Napa. In Bordeaux, 1 meter (about 39") is standard. Next Stop Raymond Lafond

Bordeaux - Monday AM Tasting Chateau Carbinoux

2011-06-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Peter & Patricia in the courtyard at Chateau Carbinoux

8:45 AM and the bus picks us up for the tasting. We are traveling with a group from the San Francisco chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, who have organized the trip. What a fabulous job by Kent and Chuck. This is a very old Chateau, in fact, one that Thomas Jefferson visited on the 25th of May in 1787. That Chateau is in an old Benedictine Abbey built in the 13th Century...800 years ago. Owned by the Perrin family, the Chateau makes both a red and a white wine. But it also has an interesting, if small car collection. The vineyard is in the Pessac-Leognan appellation. I think their white wine is better than the red. White wine is 64% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon. Red wine is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The vines are planted 7200 plants per hectare which equals 2914 plants per acre. Our most dense planting in Napa is about only 1210 plants per acre. A very big difference that causes a very different type of machinery to work the vineyards. Our tasting consisted of a 2009 White Wine and their 2008 red. The white was very nice the red, undistinguished.

A small collection of old French automobiles

The group with whom we are traveling

The Chai and Chateau Carbinoux

Bordeaux Sunday Afternoon at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

2011-06-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

We arrived on Sunday afternoon at Les Sources de Caudalie, the on-site hotel at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux. The hotel is outstanding country inn with a distinct country feel. The Chateau is owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard. Daniel made his money in the retail sporting business and spent much of his life in and around Grenoble. Jean Claude Killy, the Olympic skier is a good friend. When he sold that business 20 years ago, he purchased Chateau Smith Haut Lafite and has been improving it for years. Great guy with a great wife. We did a tour of the wine making facility and the cellars in the afternoon then had a wine tasting at their home, The Chateau, early evening.

The photo of the Moke shows Patricia riding with Daniel Cathiard back to the Chateau for the tasting.

They then joined us in the restaurant La Table du Lavoir at Les Sources Caudalie for Dinner. We drank 2008 and 2008 Smith Haut Lafitte white wine at the tasting and the 2007 at dinner.
We also had their 1985 and 2005 Red wine at the tasting and the 2006 at Dinner. In general their red wines are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. All wines are fermented in oak tanks and fermented in French Oak barrels. 80 % of the barrels are new.

In the photo above, Peter chats with Daniel Cathiard, owner of Chateau Smith Haut Laffite.

We had a wonderful foie gras pate to start at dinner and duck for the main course. A perfect way to start a week in France. During dinner Bill Harlan who owns Harlan Estates and Meadowood in the Napa Valley and who was in town for Vin Expo was at the next table. When we talked to him he said that Les Sources de Caudalie was his "home away from home" in Bordeaux

.
One of the most interesting things about the stay was to find that they still, in 2011, used horses in the vineyards (as shown in the photo) to minimize the impact. They do use regular vineyard tractors also however.

The Start of the Bordeaux Research Trip

2011-06-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning - Amsterdam
Sitting in Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. Schipol seems huge, but it is only Europe's 5th largest and the world's 20th largest airport, measured by passenger traffic. Its airport tower was the highest in the world (391ft) when constructed in 1991. However, its most interesting fact is that it is all below sea level. While the average level of the runways is a bit less than 10 feet below, the lowest point on the runways is more than 11 feet below sea level. The airport is loaded with shopping, has a casino and a modern art gallery. It even has its own mortuary and in 2010 became the first major airport in the world to have its own permanent library.

So, here we are for 3 hours waiting for our flight to Bordeaux.

But this Blog is supposed to be about food and wine.

When is Delta Airlines ever going to figure it out. They offered 4 wines on the flight over, picked by their "Sommelier." Take the person's license or certificate away. The Pouille Fussee Chardonay was too old although a 2009. It was golden color probably because of poor storage and all ready starting to maderize. The alternative white was "an Argentinian White" which tasted like a mixture of a poor Chenin Blanc and cat pee. A total put-off.
Ok so maybe the reds would have some redeeming value. Take your choice of a 2009 Argentinian Malbec that was so purple it looked like it was bottled yesterday or a Pinot. The Malbec never saw a hint of oak and would not have stood a chance in a blind tasting against "two buck chuck." OK, so there is one wine on the list that has to be respectable. A Robert Mondavi, Carneros, Pinot Noir. While I hate to start on a negative note, it was also a grand disappointment, but what do you expect. Thin, watery and character less. No nose and no finish. But... This is an airline and notwithstanding a business class ticket costing thousands of dollars why should I expect a decent wine. I guess that is what monopolies(or at least oligopolies) get you.

Speaking of monopolies and airlines. Has it occurred to you lately how little progress we have made in commercial flying in the last 50 years? My first commercial flight, just after I got out of college in 1963 was aboard an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727, from Minneapolis to Chicago. The food was better, the seats were bigger, the flights were seldom jammed to the rafters, the service extraordinarily better, and it went just as fast, that's right, just as fast, as the best planes of today. .8 Mach. I keep waiting for Sir Richard Branson and Steve Jobs to form a partnership to figure out how to improve travel. Maybe we also need the Tesla guys in the mix. It is a cinch that the CEOS of Delta, United and American will never get there. We need visionaries, not accountants running our airlines if they are ever likely to improve at all.

On to Bordeaux where we will find centuries of tradition, explore the new techniques and sample some of the best wine and food in the world. Join Us. And feel free to leave a comment.

The Shopping Arcade awaits.
Cheers
Peter Kitchak

Barrel Selection 2011

2011-06-04T08:24:00.001-07:00

This is the time of the year that we order new barrels for the 2011 Harvest.

When ordering barrels we must first determine the wines that we intend to make for the year.

Then we determine the number of new barrels that we will want to use.

From that we determine which particular barrels we will order.

French or American Oak.

Sometimes wine makers tell us what kind of barrels they use, sometimes it is a mystery. But different kinds of oak can do very different things to the wine. French and American Oak are different species and affect wine quite differently. American Oak species is Quercus alba while French Oak is Quercus robur or Quercus petraea. American oak tends to be more opened grained and more intensely flavored than French oak with more sweet flavors and vanilla. This is generally because American oak has two to four times as much lactones as does French Oak. French oak, on the other hand, tends to be much tighter grain (particularly the Quercus petraea) and generates more delicate and silky tannins. French oak tends to add more spices, toasted almond flavors and flavors of exotic fruits. In general French oak is used for more delicate, sophisticated wines and American oak is used for more robust, aggressive wines.

Our plan this year will be to use more than 80 % French oak. About 80% of all of the barrels that we will use will be new oak.

The Cost and Life of Barrels.

The best new French Oak barrels will cost about $1200 per barrel. A new American Oak barrel is closer to $400 per barrel. So, there is, for many winemakers, a strong financial incentive to use American Oak. For our best wines, Concerto, our Reserve Merlot and Adagio, we will use almost all new French Oak and we will use the barrels only once. Piacere and our Cabernet Franc will get about 50% new barrels and we will use a few American Oak barrels for those wines. Only our Scherzo Cabernet Rosato uses barrels that have been used more than twice. So each year when we bottle our wine we have once used barrels that we will sell to other wineries, many in Napa, for about $200-250 per barrel if it is French and $100-$150 per barrel if it is American.

Toast Levels.

Barrels are generally available in light toast, medium toast, medium plus toast and heavy toast. Barrels are toasted by placing them over an oak fire after they have been made. We generally buy medium plus toast with one or two heavy toast barrels "thrown in." Toasting cauterizes the wood and prevents the rough tannins and lactones from negatively impacting the wine. In addition, heavy toasting in just a few barrels helps create subtle flavors of tobacco and chocolate. You will also notice in the photo of the American barrel above that it has Toasted Heads. The Heads are the ends of the barrels. Almost all American barrels have Toasted Heads and almost no French Oak barrels do. That is because the flavors and the tannins are more delicate in the French Oak barrels and we can achieve more complex flavors using both toasted and untoasted wood. You can, however, purchase American barrels with untoasted heads and French barrels with toasted heads. We don't do either.

The Forests.

We make our decision on which barrels to purchase early in the year so we can select French vs American, the level of toast, and the barrel manufacturer (The Cooper). In addition, by ordering early, we can also select the forest from which the wood is sourced. In general, we want wood from different forests and from different Coopers. It is a lot like cooking, you do not want to use only a single spice, we want complex, interesting wines with layers and layers of flavors. So we use a variety of Coopers and specify wood from a variety of forests. For 2011 our French barrels will come from three different areas in France, The Troncais, and Jupilles are the main forests that we use. However, some wood comes from the Allier department in the center of France which includes the Troncais National Forest in addition to other area.

Air Aging.

In addition to all of the other decisions, we also often get to select the length of time that the wood is aged prior to the construction of the barrel. Generally the trees are cut and the logs sawed or split into staves. The staves are then stacked crisscrossed on pallets which are placed outside to age in the sun, wind and rain. We specify that the American oak barrels we purchase must all be aged 3 or 4 years, with 4 being preferable. French Oak is aged for 24-36 months and we generally specify 36 months.

Determining Which Barrels to Use.

Determining which barrels to use is not just guess work and listening to salespeople. Each year we try a couple of new barrels to see how they will perform with our particular fruit and wines. In general, the differences between French Oak in particular are very subtle. Over the past couple of months we have, together with our winemaking consultant Kian Tavakoli, tasted every barrel of wine which is aging in our winery. We have made detailed notes and debated the desirability of each barrel for each particular wine. Some barrels work exceptionally well and others, while they may be good barrels from good Coopers, do not add quite the finesse and style that we are after to make world class wines.

Finally, the Selection.

So, our final selection is based on much more than just whether the barrels are just French or American. In addition we select based on the Cooper (the barrel maker), the level of toast, the toasting of the heads, the length time the staves are air dried, the tightness of the grain of the wood and the forest from which the wood is sourced.

This year we will use predominantly new barrels which will be almost entirely new French Oak. We are using a significantly higher proportion of French oak than we have in the past. All barrels will be very tight grain and most will be medium plus toast. We have placed orders for French oak barrels from coopers Taransaud, Ana Selection, Sylvain and Ermitage. Our very limited number of American oak barrels will come from Demptos (made right in Napa) and Canton which is owned by Taransaud and located in Kentucky.

Cheers, Peter

Slow in the Winery - Fast in the Vineyard

2011-05-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

IN THE WINERY -

Things are quite slow at the moment. We continue to ship wines and do private tastings, but the actual winery work is quite slow. During the last week, we topped all of the barrels. Because wooden barrels are porous, a portion of the wine evaporates from the barrel. If the humidity in the winery is below 70% more water than alcohol evaporates from the barrel and the alcohol level in the barrel will go up over time. When the humidity is above 70% in the winery, more alcohol will evaporate and the overall level of alcohol in the wine will go down.

Many wineries like to keep the barrel rooms at around 80% humidity so they will lose less wine, however, if you want to keep the wine in perfect balance you keep the winery at 70% humidity.

As the wine evaporates, barrels must be kept topped up to prevent any oxygen in the barrel and to prevent spoilage. So once every two weeks we go through the entire barrel room (The "Chai" in French) and fill the barrels to the brim with the same wine. We get the wine from stainless tanks in which we placed some of the wine initially so that it would be available as "topping wine." Occasionally we must empty a barrel into a stainless tank when we run out of "topping wine" so we will continue to be able to top other barrels. This week we did so with a barrel of cabernet sauvignon.

We also have to "gas" any empty barrels monthly to prevent spoilage within those barrels until we use them again. In the past we would use sulfur dioxide gas which can kill about anything, but which is very tough on our own respiratory systems. When using it, we use a face mask (much like old gas masks) with a special filter to prevent inhaling the sulfur. The good news is that we now have an ozone generator in the winery that we use for sterilizing almost everything we use. Plug it in and it generates ozone which is a very, very effective sanitizer and no where near as caustic and much more environmentally friendly than sulfur dioxide. We put a small hose in the barrel, pump the ozone into the barrel for a couple of minutes and then stopper the barrel with a plastic bung. It keeps the barrel fresh and sweet until its next use.

IN THE VINEYARD

It is a busy time in the vineyard. We have just mowed all of the grass between the rows and used a disk to turn the mustard under for fertilizer. By mowing the grass we also preserve water in the vineyard and delay the need for irrigation. The shoots are now about 6 inches long and the grape flowers are clearly visible. So, it is also time to spray for powdery mildew and to spray for the first generation of the European Grape Vine Moth.

We are also removing suckers and laterals from the vines. Suckers are leaves on the trunk of the vine which use up more energy than they will generate and laterals are much the same. We want all of the new canes growing straight up so all of their leaves will get a good amount of direct sunlight. There is an old adage that great wine is made in the vineyard and not in the winery and we are now at the point where taking great care with the vines will pay huge dividends later.

There is still plenty of water in the ground so we will not need to irrigate for another month or so. We will talk more in a few weeks about how we determine when we need to start watering and how we determine how much water to use.

A Great Dinner and fighting the European Grape Vine Moth

2011-04-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

A TRULY SPECTACULAR DINNER - Rabbit Risotto

Once in a great while you have a truly great dinner that merits talking about. Usually it takes place in a Michelin starred restaurant or someplace similar. Well we had one of those last week and it was not at the French Laundry. It was, in fact, at the home of friends, Ralph (or Cellar Master) and Lindsay Bashioum who, incidentally, are both great cooks. The highlight of the evening was an Organic Rabbit Risotto, seasoned with herbs de Provence, rosemary, salt and pepper, carrots and fennel bulbs with copious quantities of Parmesan cheese melted in. The idea and the recipe was created by Lindsay. The Rabbit Risotto was served with a 1997 Piero Antinori Tiganello which is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak barrels for 12 months and filtered without filtering.

We are going to be putting the recipe on our website, but if anyone wants it, send me an e-mail and I will make sure that you get it, compliments of Lindsay.

THE EUROPEAN GRAPE VINE MOTH. A huge and important battle in the Napa Valley

The European Grapevine Moth (EGVM) was first reported in the United States and in Napa County vineyards in October 2009. Native to Southern Italy, it was first described from Austria and is now found throughout Europe. Feeding by larvae of European grapevine moth results in contamination of grape bunches with webbing, frass, and fungal infections. Grapevine moth larvae hollow out berries, leaving behind just the skin and seeds. And, they can destroy an entire vineyard in one generation, as happened to a few vineyards around Oakville, in the Napa Valley in 2009.

Moth Damage

In May and June, first-generation larvae web and feed on the flower clusters. Second-generation larvae (July-August) feed on green berries. Young larvae penetrate the berry and hollow them out, leaving the skin and seeds. Third-generation larvae (August-September) cause the greatest damage by webbing and feeding inside berries and within bunches, which become contaminated with frass. Additionally, feeding damage to berries after veraison exposes them to infection by Botrytis and other secondary fungi Secondary pests such as raisin moth (Cadra figulilella), fruit flies, and ants may also be attracted to damaged berries.

The Fight.

We are battling the EGVM with an interesting combination of approaches. We just completed placing mating disruptors in the vineyard. We place 200 of these ties per acre. One on every 5th vine. They are small ties which are contain sex pheromones which attract males. The males are then confused about where and who to mate with and the mating is disrupted resulting in far less moths. As the season progresses we spray the vineyard every two to three weeks with an insecticide that the aimed specifically at the EGVM; an insecticide that is not harmful to the grapes or ultimately the wine.

We are Winning.

Due to the efforts of the Napa Valley Vintners and growers in 2010, trapping finds of the EGVM were dramatically reduced from more than 100,000 in the first generation to only 275 moths during the third generation. The entire Napa Valley was under quarantine last season and because we ship grapes out of state we had to have a special inspection. Fortunately we had no moths and we could then ship. But, we continue to be vigilant and to fight the little critters.

Budbreak - April 1 - On to a new season

2011-04-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Winter rains are almost over in the Napa Valley
A week ago, our Cabernet Vineyard, looking toward Lake Cynthia was dark, gloomy and wet. Today it is basking in sunshine. It sure looks different, as you can tell from out photos. And Houston - WE HAVE BUD-BREAK.

It is almost as exciting as "lift-off" and a truly magical time of the year. We declared April 1 our official day of bud-break at Kitchak Cellars and as you can see from the photo, taken yesterday (April 6) it took less than a week to go from bud-break to real leaves on the vines. One month from now we will have vertical canes on the vines that will be more than a foot tall (some as many as a two feet) all from those little buds. Then flowers and green clusters. By August 1 the grapes will start to turn color and around the end of September we will pick the grapes and start to make wine. A truly magical process. The next time you try a glass of wine, stop to think about the Magic. Dirt, Sunshine, a little water and voila' we have wine, and really special wine.

Next step in the Vineyard. Next we will mow the grass (and mustard) between the rows and disk it into the soil to add some nutrients. We will mow every other row (it reduces the risk of frost damage) and leave the grass between the other rows for a while. Growing cover crops help get the water out of the vineyard so the grapes have to struggle for water. Then the grapes will be smaller and the skin (from whence come the color and flavor) to juice ratio will be higher. The overall concentration level is higher and we get a more dense, more flavorful and higher quality wine.

Bottling Day April 4. On Monday we bottled our 2010 Scherzo (78 cases) after 5 months in the barrel, and our 2008 Concerto (130 cases) after 29 months in the barrel. I was worried about it, because it was our first time but it went off without a hitch thanks to our new friends John and Jennie Hofherr of J & J Bottling from Calistoga. The bottling truck and trailer got down the drive ok (I was a bit worried) and everything went as scheduled. The 2010 Scherzo will be released around June 1 and the Concerto will not be released until this time next year. We are, at this point, very satisfied with each.

2010 Scherzo Cabernet Rosato - To release or not to release. I said that I would share our decisions and our questions with our readers. Today's big question is whether or not we should release the 2010 Scherzo Cabernet Rosato around June 1. It is a very young wine and we think it will, again, age very well. We are sold out of the 2009 Scherzo and only have a few (less than 10 cases each) of the 2008 and 2007 left, both of which are doing just fine. The other day we tried our first Scherzo, a 2006, and it is still drinking very well.

So, our dilemma is that we would like to release the 2010 Scherzo in time for Summer, but we think it will be drinking better in the fall after it has a few more months of age on it. A few months will make a difference. Our current thinking is to release the wine and suggest that people might watch it evolve over time. If you have any thoughts you might consider sharing them with us.

Off to Bordeaux. In June we will be off to Bordeaux for a week. We will be there for Vin Expo - one of the largest wine trade shows in the world. We are traveling with the Commanderie de Bordeaux, San Francisco Chapter and will also be visiting some of the top Chateau in Bordeaux, indeed the best in the world. I am expecting it to be a great learning experience.

Pruning and why we waited

2011-03-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Pruning,
and the end of the Mustard Season

We are finally pruning the vines this week. We have waited longer than most vineyards to slow down the start of the budding a bit. We always manage to catch up later in the summer.

If we prune later, we can delay bud break for as much as two weeks. The benefit in doing so is that we can significantly reduce the risk of frost damage to the new buds. The risk of frost damage does not go away until the 1st of May.

It is still raining and cool in the Napa Valley. It will probably continue to rain, off and on, for another month, and then we will not get any rain during the entire summer. Usually not a drop!

The mustard (that isn't already gone) will also disappear over the next few weeks as the winegrowers (not grape growers) plow it under. They do so for two reasons. One, to put the green compost into the soil and the other to reduce the risk of frost. If the ground is mowed and even disked, it will radiate heat more during the night and help prevent early frosts from damaging the young shoots.