Harvest 2010

Sunday, Sep 12th, 2010

 

Three down, three to go.  In one fell swoop, we now have all of our 2010 Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc off the vines and in the tanks.  All were harvested earlier and riper than in any previous vintage, including the much heralded 2007 crop.

It was a hectic start to harvest this year as all three early-ripening varieties were deemed ready to pick much quicker than anticipated due to rapidly decreasing acid levels.  What a difference a year makes!  I would like to sincerely thank the skilled crew who helped us painstakingly hand-pick our Pinot Noir.  It’s always a challenge to harvest Pinot because every rotten or under-ripe berry must be carefully removed from each cluster before I deem it acceptable.  The harvested fruit is then sorted both in the vineyard and at the crusher.  This ensures that our Pinot gets off to a good start, with no “off” aromas or flavours in the must.  Excess rot can also play havoc with fermentation and eventually filtration.

Just prior to harvest we were able to schedule a bottling run of our 2009 whites, including the much anticipated (at least by my mom) 33 case debut of our Five Rows Riesling.  I intend to release these wines sometime soon, so keep an eye on the blog and website.  All three of these wines showcase exciting aromatic intensity.  I can’t wait for you to try them.

Slowly they turn…

Monday, Aug 02nd, 2010

 

That faint thud you just heard was my jaw hitting the terroir when I returned home from a quick vacation to find colour, yes colour, in my Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.  It seems eerily too early.  The race is on, it’s veraison.

Veraison is the physiological stage of grape development where the hard, green berries finally soften and start to accumulate sugars and gradually turn colour.  That first flash of colour is always a “noose tightener” of sorts, in that so many jobs need to be squeezed in before the imminent harvest.  In early years such as this one, we are already fighting to keep the clusters exposed and canopy trimmed, but now it is even more important.  Recent studies out of Cornell University have shown that longer fruit exposure to sun can decrease methoxypyrazine levels (green, vegetal characters) in late ripening varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Coloured berries also attract hungry birds, so our protective netting needs to be put up as soon as the hedging, leaf removal and cluster thinning is complete.  I honestly can’t decide if I’m excited or horrified at the prospect of working every day for the next three months.  I reassure myself that we go through the same song and dance every year, but that doesn’t seem to quell my uneasiness.  Amid the vineyard duties, we have to squeeze in a bottling run and get all tanks and crush equipment ready for the first fruit of the season.

Just as my anxiety peaks, the faint light at the end of the tunnel begins to emerge.  “Push on lad!”, I tell myself.  Pluck a few more leaves, thin a few more bunches, finish one more row.  Visions of brilliant autumn colours and cozy fall clothes begin to warm my thoughts.  The thrill and challenge of ripening Shiraz emboldens me.  I can taste that luscious free run juice now!

Bring on veraison!

Vineyard Update

Wednesday, Jun 23rd, 2010

It dawned on me today, as I  hurriedly thinned Pinot Gris in the midst of an earthquake, that I hadn’t given a thorough vineyard update in a while.  So here goes…

Mother nature is two weeks ahead.  I’m three weeks behind.  This good news / bad news situation is the familiar refrain I’ve heard in talking to many grape growers throughout the peninsula.  We’ve seen a boon of growth in all vines over the last couple of weeks, leaving us scrambling to keep up with the expedited hand labour chores.  Adequate rainfall, heat, and blistering sun are making my vines very happy, but leaving me a little worried.  Disease pressure has been low to this point (kiss of death) but the current humid conditions will challenge even the best of viticultural practices.

The accelerated growth creates the need to shoot-thin and shoot-position all vines before we are able to start hedging.  As always, vine vigour was particularly problematic in our Shiraz blocks, so I targeted them first.  After two weeks of what felt like hacking through a rainforest with a dull machete, I was happy to kiss the Shiraz good-bye and move on to the more manageable Cabernet  Sauvignon.  We are well through bloom in all varieties, and very close to berry touch stage in the Pinot Gris.  Air flow through the canopy is critical at this stage, as is fruit exposure for optimum fungicide penetration.

I’m happy to report that the young Pinot Noir vines we planted last season are doing very well, with less than 5% vine failure.  In the spirit of Father’s Day, I give my dad all the credit for these thriving vines.  It was he who ploughed the field ad nauseam to his own exacting specifications, he who sat vigil through many winter and spring evenings waiting to fire up the windmill, and he who artfully maneuvered the grape-hoe around each baby vine with the deft touch of a surgeon.  Judging by a couple of the catastrophic first year fields I’ve witnessed while out consulting this year (upwards of 60% vine death), I really believe that the use of the windmill combined with proper site selection and field preparation helped save our bacon.

PS:  I send a special thank-you and congratulations to Insite Design for designing an Ontario Wine Awards silver medal winning wine label that still makes me proud every time I slap one on a bottle!

2007 Pinot Noir Vinification Notes

Tuesday, Jun 01st, 2010

2007 Five Rows Pinot Noir

Vinification Notes:

The hot summer of 2007 brought ideal picking conditions to the St. David’s Bench.  Roughly three tonnes of Pinot Noir were hand-picked on September 23 at just under 22 degrees brix, having TA of 6.55 and pH 3.31.  Prior to picking, seed and skin tannins were both showing excellent maturity, and flavours were reminiscent of ripe seasons past (1998, 2001).

It was decided to source equal amounts of fruit from the three Lowrey Pinot blocks of differing ages (20 years, 15 years and 10 years).  Each block was processed into open-top fermentors, with 15% of the fruit being left as whole-bunch.  Bins were then sealed and underwent a lengthy cold soak to promote extraction.

Ferments were generally quick and warm, with peak temperatures in the low 30s.  The wines were pressed into five French oak barrels (2 new, 3 old). Malolactic fermentation was carried out over the next few weeks in barrel.

After about a year of aging, it was apparent that the 2007 reds packed a real punch in both flavour and tannin.  To mellow the mouthfeel, it was decided after bench-top trials to fine the wines with small volumes of Pinot Gris lees from the 2008 vintage.  Following a few days settling, the wines were racked off all lees.

24 months and countless blending trials later, the final cut was married together in a stainless steel tank for final settling and stabilization.  99 cases of this wine were bottled on February 18, 2010.

Aromas:  cherry, strawberry, raspberry, earth, and faint tobacco leaf

Palate:  flavours of luscious black cherry, great balance, and ample tannin for optimal aging potential

Price: $50 / bottle.  Your order can be directed to wines@fiverows.com.

At Long Last

Wednesday, Apr 07th, 2010

 

Since deciding to start a winery, the question I get asked most is, “so when is the Pinot going to be ready?”.  I’ve stalled and tap-danced around the answer for about a year now, but not any longer.

Twenty-three years ago, five unassuming rows of Burgundian Clone 115 Pinot Noir were planted by a skeptical crew of individuals amid concerns about the future of a seemingly faltering grape and wine industry.  Would these vines even live to produce a crop?  Only time would tell.

No doubt my eagle-eye grandfather drove the tractor that fateful day, as this most important job meant the difference between straight and crooked rows.  To this day I’m amazed at his accuracy each time I gaze down a row in that vineyard.  The unsung heroes of the operation were the two women perched precipitously upon the planter as it was tugged violently behind the tractor.  My Mother and Aunt Pat were responsible for placing the young vines into the freshly harrowed trench at consistent intervals, all the while being tossed about on their cast iron seats.  Timing is everything, as vines planted too close together or too far apart can create a trellising nightmare (by the way, this is all done with laser and GPS nowadays).  I’m sure they were made well aware if any of the vines looked a little out of place!  Trudging along solemnly behind the operation was my Father, personally tamping and straightening each vine.  Did he have an inkling that one day I’d be writing about this?  Probably not.  At the time he didn’t know a Pinot from his elbow, so most likely he would have laughed at the thought of his young son as a blog-writing winemaker.  His deep connection to these original vines was evident in recent years when I saw him conspicuously wipe away few tears as we uprooted out some old, grisled vines that didn’t make it through winter.  Maybe it was just something in his eye.

Ironically, the rough clay-loam and limestone soil being cursed by the planters that day ultimately proved to be a key factor in the future success of these vines.  From the first wines made out of this fruit, it was apparent that the enigmatic effects of Terroir could be applied to this small patch of land in St. Davids.  The Reserve Pinot Noir produced by Inniskillin in the early 90s was much sought after and helped to elevate the image of Niagara wines as a whole.  The success of this Pinot spawned a collaboration project between Inniskillin and a counterpart in Burgundy.  Their goal was to produce a Niagara Pinot Noir that could stack up with the finest Grand Cru.  French Negotiant Bernard Repolt of Jaffelin was commissioned to select barrels from the Inniskillin portfolio that best represented the beloved wines of his homeland.  After an exhaustive search that involved physically tasting soil (“mmm….loamy”) from the vineyard origin of each barrel, he and Inniskillin winemaker Karl Kaiser worked in tandem to come up with a final blend.   These critically acclaimed “Alliance” wines sold out lightning fast and really helped put Inniskillin on the map.  The fact they ended up choosing Lowrey barrels for the project dramatically changed the focus of our farm and probably had a lot to do with my future choice to become a winemaker.  From that point on we weren’t growing grapes, we were growing wines.

Crafting my 2007 Pinot Noir from these same five rows was an exciting process that really brought things full circle.  There were plenty of anxious moments, but earlier this year as the wine went into bottle I felt a certain catharsis, knowing there was nothing more for me to do.  I have 99 cases of this wine and plan to release it early this summer.  If you are interested in reserving a six-bottle case ($300) please let me know soon (wes@fiverows.com).  In an effort to maximize distribution I must limit orders to 2 cases.

I’ll follow up with tasting notes and cellar details of this wine closer to the release date.

The Birds

Sunday, Aug 09th, 2009

 

Anyone who has been traumatized by the Hitchcock classic “The Birds” would understand the chills that are currently inhabiting my spine.  As our first Pinot berries start to turn colour, so return the first starlings to terrorize my parents and I for the next three months.

Like the movie, our bird conundrum always starts with a few nosy stragglers and quickly advances to throngs of grape-thirsty beasts, hell-bent on vineyard devastation.  On the front lines, my dad is our General Patton, always devising new schemes to divert the feathered assassins from their target.   My mom is his trusty foot soldier, known to employ old fashioned yelling, clapping and even the banging of pots and pans in weaker moments.

I’m the net man.  Through the years we’ve experimented with about every bird control technique ever invented, only to realize that the physical netting of the grapes is the only answer.  It’s labour intensive, expensive and it works, plain and simple.

The problem with bird pecks is that it only takes one to spoil an entire bunch of grapes.  So preventing these pecks and the subsequent rot is paramount to the success of tight-cluster varieties like Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.  In our Pinot Noir we use a permanent netting system that is unfurled shortly after veraison and then gets rolled back up and stays in the vineyard after harvest in the fall.  In the Pinot Gris we’ve opted for temporary netting that must be put up and taken down every year.  It’s a little more work, but it should give us a more mileage out of the nets.

The bird pressure usually dies down once the early varieties are picked, but our guard is always up.  Left unattended, we could potentially lose a significant portion of our crop.  Yet another one of the pitfalls of growing grapes in Niagara!

The Fish of 1000 Casts

Friday, Jul 24th, 2009

 

The weather over the last few weeks has left many farmers cursing their luck and already looking ahead to next year. Cold temperatures, rain and periodic hail have left us wondering if and when summer will finally arrive.

Determined not to let this “dampen” our annual trip to Bobcaygeon, I threw together a few barrel samples and we hit the road with an excited puppy in tow. I always look forward to this brief respite from the farm as it allows me to indulge in one of my true passions: the pursuit of the elusive Muskellunge.

Muskies are large, vicious predators that feast on other fish, small water fowl, and the occasional unlucky swimmer.  One encounter with these toothy monsters is all it took to breed my obsession.  I will caution, however, that muskie fishing can lead to extreme frustration, nightmares and hooks being painfully lodged into various body parts.

Come to think of it, fishing for muskies is a lot like growing and crafting Pinot Noir.  Both are very “results driven” hobbies that require the utmost patience.  I’ve learned that the joy must come in the anticipation and pursuit of that “result” or else you will be disappointed more often then not.  The near misses that one encounters in each of these endeavors can be as character building as they are heartbreaking.  For me, the thrill is knowing that the biggest and best is still lurking out there, just waiting to be caught or crafted.   Alas, despite many hours and thousands of casts, I came up empty on my muskie hunt this year.  There was one mighty strike though, and that is more than enough to satisfy my passion for another year.

I was a little luckier with the wine samples, as they were a big hit at one of our cottage feasts.  We tasted a bottle of our 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and a barrel sample of the 2007 Pinot Noir in an effort to decide on a release date.  Understandably, the 2005 Cab was miles ahead of the 2007 Pinot in terms of being ready to drink, but the Pinot showed some exciting signs of maturity since the last time we tried it.  The tannins are finally starting to soften, allowing the classic Pinot flavours and satiny mouthfeel to shine through.  Aromatically, the 2007 Pinot has always packed a punch, but this particular blend took a while to open up, but once it did…oh my.  It was decided to bottle this wine soon, with hopes of a spring 2010 release. Look for the 2005 Cab in late November.

2009 Planting

Saturday, Jun 20th, 2009

 

Planting a new vineyard is always a time of apprehension and crossed fingers.  Could these little wax-covered sticks present us with an opportunity to produce some world class wines?   Only time will tell.

In a moment of weakness, it was decided last year amongst the Lowrey Vineyards brain trust (and I use that term very loosely) to plant nine more rows of Pinot Noir.  If you’ve read previous entries of  this blog, you’ve no doubt heard me describe some of the challenges we’ve faced growing Pinot over the years.  So why opt for more punishment you say?  I found myself wondering that exact thing as we planted the vines this past Tuesday.  Why not plant something easy to grow like Chardonnay or Cabernet Franc?  Therein lies the allure of Pinot Noir.  It gets in your blood, it messes with your mind and  it leads to irrational decisions.  I liken Pinot to a parasite who’s goal is not to have its host die, but rather suffer just enough to allow itself to thrive.

In a nutshell, the thing that makes Pinot so tough to grow are it’s tight little clusters of thin-skinned berries.  These clusters are like ticking time bombs just waiting for the opportunity to explode.  If one single berry in the middle of that cluster were to split, the whole bunch is usually compromised with botrytis or sour rot.  Once this rot has taken hold within the canopy, it spreads like wildfire from cluster to cluster aided by the dreaded fruit fly.  This sad fate has befallen many of the most promising crops of Pinot Noir.  The end, however, more than justifies the means.  If you can survive the gauntlet, Pinot Noir will reward your hard work.  That is why we planted the nine rows:  a shot at glory!

To add complexity to future wines we decided to experiment with different clones and rootstocks in this block.  Our older Pinot vines are all famed Dijon clone 115 on S04 rootstock.  In the new planting, we’ve included equal portions of clones 777, 667 and more 115.  The two new clones are known to have slightly looser clusters and thicker skins, producing wines with stronger black fruit and gamey notes.  To help control vine growth, we had the vines grafted to lower vigour rootstocks (101-14 and 3309) and planted them more densely in a patch of clay-based soil.

Since Tuesday, we’ve thankfully had two substantial rainfall’s to help the little guys along.  I would like to thank Wes Weins and his staff at Gemmrich W. Nursery for providing us with vines grown to our exact specifications.

 

Spring Tastings Begin…

Monday, Mar 23rd, 2009

 

Spring is here, and over the last week I’ve had the pleasure to host a couple of fun and lively tasting sessions.  It was a welcome break from pruning to be joined by groups of both wine “lovers” and wine “makers”, respectively, for a tour of our barn and a taste through the Five Rows portfolio.  I have to admit that I still get butterflies when pouring our wines for those who have yet to try them, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.

I like to use these tastings to gauge the general vibe that people are getting from our winery, and based on our first few sessions the feedback has been tremendous.  It excites me that our new friends really get what we are trying to do and often express a desire to lend a hand in the vineyard sometime next season.  I’m hoping they all realize that I just might have to take them up on that offer!

I’m finding that each tasting takes on its own dynamic, which keeps me on my toes and very engaged.  Often times I like to slip in a new barrel blend that I’ve been working on, as this is a great way to get valuable opinions directly from the people that matter…the wine buyers.  Despite subjecting my guests to this “guinea pig” treatment, I’ve yet to receive any complaints.

For example, I’m always trying to fine-tune our 2007 Pinot Noir by experimenting with different amounts of 2008 Pinot as part of the blend.  As a rule, we are allowed to blend up to 15% of different vintages into a single varietal wine.  The potential marriage of these two vintages is very intriguing.  The 2007 Pinot abounds with tannin, colour, and bold “new world” flavours, while the 2008 is more reminiscent of a classic Lowrey Pinot; subtle, elegant and classically Burgundian.  To date I’ve experimented with 5-10% of the 2008 in the blend, and results have been mixed.  Some loved it, some wanted more 2008, and some felt that it is simply too early to evaluate the potential of the 2007 alone.  I tend to fall into the latter category, so perhaps I’ll stop bugging the Pinot and let it do it’s thing for a little while longer.

To our friends in Niagara-On-The-Lake:  we are pleased to announce that you can now enjoy our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon at the historic Charles Inn.