Library Update

Tuesday, Jul 17th, 2012

 

This is a Five Rows Library update for those who are still cellaring our 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon:

Bottle #535 (only 30 bottles left in the collection)

Date Consumed:  July 7th, 2012

Setting: Our annual trip up north to Hurricane Point on Pigeon Lake for a quick summer recharge session.  A beautiful Bobcaygeon sunset prelude to a night of fishing and Texas Poker.

Occasion:  Celebrating a ferocious Muskie encounter the previous evening – “Son…I think we’re gonna need a bigger net”

Meal:  Steve’s Famous Chicken Chili

Musical Accompaniment:  Cuff the Duke – “Listen to your Heart”

Conversation:  Old times at the cottage and Bella’s swimming prowess

2005 Five Rows Cabernet Sauvignon:  Have not visited this vintage for a couple of years.  Aromatics have intensified tremendously and include ripe Burbank plum, black currant jam, vanilla and mocha.  I’m most pleased with how the tannins have softened and matured since we last indulged.  I’ve always felt like this Cab needed time to reach it’s full potential, now my patience has been realized.  It was a pleasure to drink.  Perceptible flavours include candied cherry, red licorice, mocha and vanilla bean.  It’s hard for me to advise people not to consume this wine right now, but I believe it still has some life to live yet.

2009 Pinot Noir

Friday, May 25th, 2012

 

Starting this weekend, our 2009 Five Rows Pinot Noir will embark on the final leg of it’s three year journey from vine to barrel to bottle to you.  I debated letting the wine age a bit longer in bottle prior to release, but a tasting session last week made me realize that the time has come to finally let go.  Parting is such sweet sorrow.

2009 Five Rows Pinot Noir:

Sometimes the best of wines and the worst of seasons magically collide to create an unexpected moment of glory.  The growing season of 2009 was one of those odd times.  A late budbreak set the tone for what would be a cool, wet summer.  We usually harvest Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in early September, but nothing was close to being ripe in the late summer of 2009.  Cue the blessing in disguise.

The moderate September days and cool fall nights helped move the Pinot ripening window to a time when Botrytis concerns were at a minimum.   This was uncharted territory for Niagara Pinot growers.  You must understand that there is one and only one certainty when growing Pinot Noir – they WILL rot at some point.  When the inevitable did not happen in 2009, we were afforded the luxury of harvesting at the exact point when tannins, flavours, sugars and acids were aligned to my liking.

We chose to harvest Rows 1 and 2 on October 6, the latest Pinot pick we’ve had in 25 years.  The remainder of the fruit was taken in on October 17.  Average harvest parameters were 22.9°Brix, 8.4 g/L TA and pH 3.15.  Fruit was destemmed and crushed into one tonne fermentation bins and allowed a cold soak at 10°C for five days.  All bins were warmed to 14°C and inocualted with RC212 yeast at 250 ppm. Ferments averaged about 7 days, with a peak temperature of 29°C.  Each bin was allowed to macerate post-fermentation until tannins showed signs of softening.

The wine was pressed and settled before clean-racking into seven French oak barrels (average age 2.5 years).  Malolactic fermentation was carried out in oak.  Barrels were racked and returned every 6 months.  Total time in wood was 24 months before final blending in November 2011.  182 cases were bottled on April 2nd, 2012.

In my early tasting notes for this wine I have written, “something dark, alluring and mysterious about this Pinot.  Reminiscent of a rainy day on our honeymoon spent tasting great Burgundies in the dank cellars of Beaune.”

Aromas: cherry, violet, cassis, smoke, earth

Palate: dried cranberry, Bing cherry, soft tannin, haunting length

Cellaring:  2013-2023

Price: $50/bottle

2011 Whites

Monday, May 07th, 2012

2011 Five Rows Sauvignon Blanc:

The fight for quality Sauvignon Blanc grapes begins in earnest during the long, cold nights of winter.  Its buds are amongst the most sensitive of all Vitis vinifera cultivars.  Providing those buds make it through the rigours of winter and frosts of spring, the job only intensifies.  Picture the most vigorous growing vine or weed in your garden, then imagine somehow trying to harness it’s raw desire to grow, but not so much to harm its delicate fruit.  Now you’re talking Sauvignon Blanc!

Thanks to a cooler than normal spring, the 2011 growing season got off to a lazy start.  A hot, dry summer helped put things back on track, with Sauv Blanc ripening right around schedule in late September.  One vineyard trick we’ve employed in recent years is to remove leaves around the clusters early in the season on the cooler, “morning sun” (east-facing) side of the canopy only.  Then later in the season, after veraison, we remove leaves from the “afternoon side” as the daytime heat subsides.  This helps preserve flavour and acidity in the ripening berries and prevents sunscald.

750 kg of fruit was harvested from each of our two Sauvignon Blanc Vineyard blocks on September 22, 2011.  The conditions for fruit ripening were perfect.  Acid levels (TA) hovered around 7.5 to 8.0 g/L, but threatened to fall as warm conditions loomed later in the week.  The decision to take both blocks in one day was made.

As usual, the younger clay-based block was slightly higher in sugar (22.3°Brix) than the old-vine, sandy loam block (20.6).   I always find it difficult to describe just how intense the flavours are in these ripe Sauv Blanc berries.  Best just to visit us in September and sneak a few for yourself!

Four older French oak barrels (2 x 2007 DAMY and 2 x 2003 Berthomieu) were used to ferment 75% of the juice.  The rest was fermented in stainless steel.  All fermentations were carried out with X5 yeast at an average temperature of 12°C.  The fermentations were stopped at a specific gravity of 0.998 or, unscientifically, when I thought they tasted good.   99 cases were bottled on April 2, 2012.

Price:  $25.00/bottle

Aromas:  citrus (lemon/lime), grilled pineapple, gooseberry

Palate:  lime, star fruit, great balance


2011 Five Rows Pinot Gris:

I relish the challenges involved in successfully crafting Pinot Gris each vintage.  From thinning and leaf removal decisions to barrel/tank ratio and residual sugar content, the complex set of variables is alluring.  Every choice made affects the end product and must be considered carefully.  I’ve fallen asleep on countless nights labouring over such decisions.  In the end, it only makes a winemaker appreciate the finished product that much more.

We harvested 1.5 tonnes of Pinot Gris on September 22, 2011.  The fruit was adequately ripe (23°Brix) but starting to show signs of breaking down and rapidly losing acidity.  You come to realize that Pinot Gris tells you when to harvest, you don’t tell it.

After gentle pressing and a four-day cold settle, the juice was racked to three older French oak barrels and one tank.  It was then inoculated with R2 yeast at the normal rate of 300 ppm.  The fermentation proceeded very slowly over the next month with an average temperature of 11°C, until being stopped at a specific gravity of 0.998 and total alcohol of 13.0%.  Bentonite fining and coarse filtration were carried out before bottling 102 cases on April 2, 2012.

Visually, this Pinot Gris shows a distinct pinkish hue from the brief amount of skin contact.  The striking aromatics include apple, pear torte, vanilla and tropical fruit nuances.  The weighty yet velvety smooth texture resolves into flavours of ripe apple, melon, honey and cinnamon.  It truly leaves you wanting another sip.

Production:  102 cases

Price:  $25.00/bottle

Cellaring: 2012-2014

Serving:  serve slightly chilled (10°C) and decant if consumed in 2012

Dinner with “Bruce”

Monday, Apr 16th, 2012

There aren’t many days on the farm that I don’t encounter an unknown automobile meandering slowly down our driveway.  They approach very cautiously, sometimes stopping multiple times, seemingly contemplating whether this could possibly be the place they were looking for.  If I’m working in the grape rows anywhere near the driveway I try to flag down these folks and invite them in for a tasting.  Most times I end up chasing their vehicle while waving my arms wildly.  Come to think of it, perhaps that is exactly why most of them speed away in a cloud of dust.

Then there are cars that come in with a purpose.  They see me in working in the rows before I see them, and they end up scaring the crap out of me as they sneak up and snap me out of my iPod-induced trance.  For some reason these are usually the unabashed people I end up becoming fast friends with.  Steven and Jennifer Vipond fall into this category.

Last summer I watched as a red Volkswagen Beetle pulled right up to where I was doggedly defoliating some Clone 7 Shiraz vines.  I trotted out to meet them and noticed the “Bruce Wine Bar” logo on their rear window.  We exchanged pleasantries and I subsequently sent them up to our barn for a tasting with Wilma.  Two hours later, I watched from the far end of that Shiraz row as the red Beetle pulled away.  That was how our relationship with Steven and Jennifer began.

They are the proprietors of Bruce Wine Bar and Kitchen, located in Thornbury, Ontario.  The Lowreys and the Viponds hit it off right away and Jennifer even ventured all the way from Thornbury to help us hand pick our 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.  What an enjoyable time that was, our last hand pick of the season on a gorgeous Fall day.  They have carried our wine at Bruce ever since that fortuitous first meeting.

I’m pleased to say that I finally have the chance to travel to Thornbury and dine at Bruce.   They will be hosting a Winemaker’s Dinner featuring Five Rows on Wednesday, May 9th.  The menu will feature our 2008 Shiraz, 2009 Cab Sauv Icewine and mark the debut of our 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.  If you would like to join us and meet Steven and Jennifer, please contact them at the restaurant or flag down the next red Beetle you see.  You just might get lucky.

An Ode to Oak

Wednesday, Feb 15th, 2012

 

I’m generally not an emotional guy.  Why then, am I having such a difficult time parting ways with the first two barrels that ever held my wine?

The time has come to cruelly determine which of our used oak barrels must be sent out to pasture, literally.  I’ve been through wars with these veteran barriques.  They’ve seen good wine, bad wine and everything in between.  Some have been a working fixture in our barn for eight years.  Now you must decide which old soldiers can no longer carry out their job, good luck with that!  This unceremonious send-off just doesn’t seem to befit such a valuable part of our winery.

Good oak is the winemaker’s not-so-secret weapon.  Sure they are expensive (our largest capital expense from year to year) but they are essential.  I’ve come to learn that new oak should never be taken for granted and never be used in overabundance.  Too much new oak can mask and possibly ruin the fine subtleties of an aging wine.  Restraint should always be exercised.

My attachment to each individual barrel is surely due to the small size of our operation.  Over time I become acutely aware of their “personalities” through weekly tasting and topping regimens.  Some are big softies, while others are boldly complex.  Some barrels make the retirement decision easy for me.  No amount of sterilization can rid them of the contaminants they’ve accumulated over the years, so out the door they go.  But what about the barrel who’s only knock is it’s old age and bland neutrality?  That is the dilemma staring me in the face right now.

Back in 2004, under the guidance of Creekside Estate Winery winemakers Rob and Craig, I assembled a two barrel blend of Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from our vineyard.  With a pool of twelve barrels to choose from, we experimented with 50L from here and 25L from there until we all agreed upon a blend that I could confidently open a winery with.  It was decided that the wine should be housed in a couple of beautiful, two year old French oak barrels made by Burgundian cooper Claude Gillet.  The wine would stay cloaked in these barrels until 2006, when we bottled our first Five Rows release – the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Those same two Gillet barrels proved tremendously versatile with each successive vintage of Five Rows Cab Sauv.  What they lost in intensity each season, they gained in character and elegance.  This past week I racked some 2009 Cab Sauv from the Gillet twins and was pleasantly surprised at the finished product.  I didn’t hold out much hope for the 2009 Cab at this time last year, but an additional 12 months spent soothing in neutral oak really did the trick.  We’ll bottle the 2009 Cab Sauv this spring.

So there they sit after ten long years of service, empty and willing…but sadly there is no wine to fill them.  Now the decision is upon me.  No more stalling filibusters, it’s time to take these two out behind the barn and “pop the bung” for good.  I swear I’d have an easier time putting down Old Yeller.  At least he had rabies.

One day soon I’ll crack a bottle of 2004 Cab Sauv in their honour.  Few times will I enjoy a bottle more.

barrel graveyard

A Dinner With Friends

Wednesday, Feb 01st, 2012

 

A winemaker prepares for a “Winemaker’s Dinner” with the hope that his or her wines will show their best and contribute positively to the evening’s festivities and fare.  My pre-dinner jitters were immediately settled when I walked into Treadwell’s on Saturday and was greeted by so many familiar faces.  It was like walking into the warm atmosphere of a family dinner.

As we drove to Port Dalhousie, I’d managed to convince myself that by now people must be sick of hearing me rattle on about leaf-removal techniques in Pinot Gris or the benefits of whole-bunch pressing in Riesling, but surprisingly that was not the case!  People expressed genuine interest in hearing the behind the scenes viticultural and enological practices that we employ at Five Rows.  I found this very encouraging and flattering.  But let’s not kid ourselves, the people came to hear Howie and Wilma tell their stories – and those two never disappoint!

As one might anticipate, the true star on this night was the food.  James, Jason and staff completely outdid themselves, coming up with a stunning menu that left everyone raving.  The liveliest debate was reserved for deciding which course and pairing was our favourite.  I was partial to the Pinot and Tuna.

It’s always amazing to me that our wines just seem to smell and taste more intense when served at Treadwell’s.  Perhaps it’s the heightened anticipation of the senses or maybe its the proper serving temperature and stemware.   Whatever it is, I was relieved that each wine seemed to go over well.

I decided to use this group as guinea pigs (they seemed rather willing) to demo a blending trial of our yet to be released 2009 Pinot Noir.  The 2009 vintage was a dream for Niagara Pinot growers, who were treated to perfect ripening conditions for a change.  I put together a blend of 85%  2009  Pinot and  5% from each of three different barrels of 2010 Pinot.  The blend composition was determined based on some areas where I felt the wine could use a lift.  One of the 2010 barrels was Clone 777 (first crop), which added an interesting fresh raspberry dimension to the aromatics.  It plays well off the typical burgundian notes always present in the  Clone 115 Old Vine Lowrey Pinot.

We decided to pit this 2009 blend against our 2007 Pinot Noir to see how it stacked up.  I felt that the 2007 had gained some aromatic complexity since I last tried it, but it’s lively tannins tell me that this wine could still benefit from a bit more time in the cellar.  It was agreed that the 2009 blend really showed promise, and some people even preferred it over the 2007!  We will bottle the 2009 (maybe this exact blend) in April, with a release anticipated for early in the summer.

Thanks to all who attended for making this such a memorable experience!

 

Winemaker’s Dinner

Thursday, Jan 12th, 2012

We are currently finalizing plans for our second annual Winemaker’s Dinner to be held once again at Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine in Port Dalhousie.  For those interested in attending, it will take place on Saturday, January 28.  I’m told that most of the seats are spoken for by returnees from last year, but there may be a few spots still up for grabs.  Best to contact James ASAP (905-934-9797).

The menu and wine pairings are still being conceptualized.  You’d be amazed at the amount of thought and debate involved in this process!  I don’t want to give too much away, but I may have convinced my mother to part with our final few bottles of 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 Pinot Gris and 2007 Pinot Noir to pour for the occasion.  I can’t think of a better curtain call for these wines.

Over the next couple of weekends (Jan. 14-15th and the 22nd) our barn will be open for tastings from 11-5.  We welcome anyone planning to attend the Icewine Festival to stop in for a complimentary sample of our 2009 Single Press Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine.

I’m proud to say that my little sister will be getting married on January 21, so we’ve elected to close Five Rows for the day and use the barn for pictures and festivities.  Congratulations Catherine and Steve!

The Weight

Sunday, Oct 09th, 2011

Defining a personal “style” of winemaking has always been a difficult proposition for me.  I still consider myself an unexperienced rookie, then I glance at the calendar and realize I’ve been at this gig for quite a while.  As visions of past vintages scan by quickly in my mind, I recall my early days in Nova Scotia through my time as Viticultualist at Creekside Estate Winery.  I’m suddenly astounded when it hits me that I’ve been making wine for Five Rows since way back in 2004!  Has it really been that long?

Questioning my personal style is standard practice around this time of year, as I debate what tweaks to make in each of our of 2011 wines.  The quandary is whether to mess with the formula that has produced a certain style of wines people have come to expect and enjoy.  The safe move is to keep thing status quo, but that’s not why I got into this.  I want to push envelopes and ultimately change perceptions of St. David’s Bench Terroir.  But what if I screw it up?

I present the case for my 2011 Sauvignon Blanc.  Previous successful vintages (2007-2010) could be chalked up to equal parts fruit quality, terroir, and winemaking technique.  Beautiful late-summer weather assured the success of this year’s crop, with ideal acid and sugar parameters, ripe seeds and classic Lowrey Sauv Blanc flavours.

Do I treat this fruit the exact same way as I did in previous vintages or do I make a few subtle changes to the winemaking protocol in an effort to improve?  “Fence-sitter” Wes says, “Don’t rock the boat, people like it as is.  There is no need to alter the oak to stainless steel ratio, yeast type, fermentation temperature, and residual sugar content if you don’t have to.”

“Devil May Care” Wes says, “Deep down you know there was some room for improvement in the 2010 Sauv Blanc (and I don’t care if it sold out already!).  Trust your instincts and do what it takes to make the wine you envision.  When you first started making wine you didn’t care about defining a style, you just wanted to achieve the best possible representation of your terroir.  Ultimately, if you like the wine, so will everyone else.”

I chuckle at the irony when I read this over and tend to agree with “Fence-sitter” Wes, but all kidding aside, I feel it important to proceed without the boundaries of a defined style in all my wines.  The success or failure of a wine should not be judged by public perception or sales figures, but on whether the winemaker achieved their goal.

August 1st

Monday, Aug 01st, 2011

 

August 1st marks yet another important time on the Winery calendar.   The first berries are threatening to turn colour, faint blasts of bird bangers can be heard in the distance, and our cherished new barrels are starting to board ships in France.  The anticipation is palpable!

Winemakers are busy working out the logistics of the coming harvest, while Viticulturalists can be spotted zooming around the Peninsula, horse trading for the best fruit.  “Who’s got Pinot Gris?  Who needs Riesling?  Who’s on first?”  It’s a frenzied time for all involved.  Grape growers can just work hard, pray for good weather, and hope that all their fruit will make the grade.

In the vineyard, fruit exposure and crop load management are the focus.  These are achieved through cluster thinning, strategic leaf removal and timely Botrytis control measures.  My goal in the tight-clustered varieties (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc) is thinning them down to a point where each bunch has some elbow room within the canopy.  This allows space for cluster expansion and helps alleviate potential “hot spots” for rot.  It’s a finicky and costly undertaking, but I’ve learned the hard way that it’s essential to producing quality wine.

The recent stretch of hot and dry weather in Niagara has set us up for what could be a solid vintage.  As always, fall conditions will be the ultimate judge.

2008 Five Rows Pinot Noir Vinification Notes

Sunday, Jun 19th, 2011

2008 Five Rows Pinot Noir:

Now that we’ve been at this venture for a few years, it’s interesting to look back at my old blog entries upon the release of a new wine.  This entry from October 6, 2008 aptly tells the story of our 2008 Pinot Noir:

“Vintage ‘08 is upon us and to this point things have been…well…in a word …WET!!  Enough rain already.  I mean just when I thought we were in the clear we got doused by the remnants of a hurricane, and for the record: I don’t like Ike. Thankfully, the last couple of weeks have more than made up for the rain, with plenty of sunshine and perfect ripening conditions for the early varietals.

As per usual, the “Heartbreak Grape”, Pinot Noir, lived up to its moniker and provided lots of nervous moments and second guessing.  In fact, one day in the vineyard while pondering a harvest timing decision, I found myself singing aloud to the Clash hit “Should I Stay or Should I Go”.  The Pinot were clean but slightly underripe, with threatening weather on the horizon (“If I go there will be trouble / And if I stay it will be double”).  Ultimately, we decided not to pick and wait out what suddenly became Hurricane Ike.  All the water led to some berries actually splitting and roused us into action.  Led by a Pinot-loving mother hell-bent on saving her crop, the three of us spent two mind-numbing days cutting out individually split berries and underripe clusters.  On September 16th and 17th we finally hand-picked our first two tonnes of fruit.  In the end, what came in was ripe, clean (thus receiving the Wilma stamp of approval) and fermented into some really intriguing stuff.  I experimented with a new yeast strain this season called W15, which after pressing today, is the early favourite to put into our 2 new Sirugue barrels.”

Fast-forward to 2011 and that Pinot-loving mother can be proud of the wine she helped save.  The 2008 is reminiscent of many past wines featuring Lowrey Pinot.  A classic blend of bright cherry fruit, some floral notes and spice dominate the nose.  Flavours of black raspberry and vanilla bean resolve into a pleasingly soft mouthfeel.  Tannins are much more approachable than the 2007 Five Rows Pinot Noir at the same stage.

Technical Data: 12.6% alcohol,  5.4 g/L residual sugar,  pH 3.45

Price:  $50/bottle

Barrels: 5

Production: 106 cases