2009 Pinot Noir Review – Spotlight Toronto
Five Rows would like to sincerely thank Mike Di Caro and Suresh Doss of Spotlight Toronto for visiting our winery last week and relating our story to their readers. Mike’s article appeared in the popular “30 Days on Wine” feature that we look forward to every year. You can read it here.
Kind words during the grueling harvest are always welcome – Thanks guys!
Mother Nature or Winemaker’s Nurture?
The last couple of weeks saw a flurry of action at our family vineyard. The “perfect” summer of 2012 ended with a stretch of wet weather that spawned nervous moments and tough decisions. Looking back, I probably worried more than I should have (what’s new) because the fruit hung on wonderfully through the intense downpours and resultant humidity. In a nine day span we were able to harvest all of our Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. It’s rare that all four of these varietals mature within such a short window. Perhaps that is what we will remember most when we enjoy the wines of 2012, just how early and quickly everything ripened. Even the later varietals taste like they are not too far off – a very exciting prospect!
As I fall into my daily ritual of fermentation checks (specific gravity, temperature and taste), I ponder whether this may be my favourite time to be a winemaker. I enjoy the solemnity of this stage, the wines are mine and mine alone. It won’t be long until I share them with my friends, but for now they are mine to protect and nurture. Each day there are surprises and letdowns, comebacks and revelations, but most of all there is respect for a process that I did not invent, nor will I ever perfect. I will only get so many chances to do this in my lifetime.
I used to feel pressure at this stage to repeat past successes, but now I know that it is a foolish pursuit. The wines will be what they were destined to be the moment the grapes were clipped from the mother vine. The job of the farmer is what crafts these wines. Sure, I control the fermentation with choice of yeast, temperature and nutrition, but I can no longer impact the natural elements of the harvested grape. It is those natural elements, supplied by the Terroir, that make a wine special.
I hold out high hopes for these young wines as they bubble their way through fermentation. The Pinot Noir is particularly intriguing this year. The aromatics are so intense! There are few things I enjoy more than punching down a bin of actively fermenting Pinot. It is a grunt at times, but also very therapeutic and mesmerizing (according to Wilma). Your entire year’s work reduced down to a single vessel of beautiful aromas and colours. As I said, a good time to be a winemaker.
The Wine That Almost Wasn’t
We are in the midst of a summer for the ages – and that’s all I’m willing to say at the moment. I will spare the superlatives in an effort not to tempt fate. So much can (and probably will) go wrong between now and the end of harvest. Suffice it to say we are mere days away from taking in the first of our fruit. That’s silly early!
While experiencing these ideal conditions I like to reminisce about years when we weren’t so fortunate. I remember well the late, cool and wet summer of 2009. Conditions were optimal for the early varieties, but proved a serious challenge for ripening Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. We thinned down to ridiculous levels (a few bunches per vine) but the acid levels in the grapes remained very high in both varieties. I clearly remember making the sad decision not to harvest any of this fruit for our Five Rows wines. It was decided to sell the Shiraz to another winery and hang the Cab Sauv for Icewine. Before the Icewine nets went up, my ever optimistic Mother made the suggestion to go through our Cab Sauv blocks and select only the ripest of bunches in an effort to salvage a couple barrels worth of fruit. Every ounce of winemaker in me screamed no, but how could I say no to Wilma? The next day we set out to do our tedious selective picking.
So begins the tale of our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon or as I like to call it “The wine that almost wasn’t”. This elegant wine is now for sale in our barn, which is a minor miracle based on how many times it was written off.
It was intensely aromatic from the get go, but took 30 months in some magical old barrels to achieve it’s current mouthfeel, structure and flavour profile. During those 30 months in my beloved (but soon to be retired) 2002 Gillet barrels, this wine was always an afterthought. In fact, I even looked into selling it as bulk a couple of times just to get it out of the barn. Fortunately, there were no takers. Sometime around the two year mark spent in barrel, things began to change and those two black sheep began to get my attention. I found myself tasting them at least once a week, just to make sure I wasn’t going nuts. I began to feel that this 2009 Cab could actually one day don a Five Rows label. My first thought was to use it as a silent partner with our 2010 Cab, but the blending trials flopped. I proceeded to try a Shiraz/Cab Sauv blend, but that idea was also eventually nixed.
The resilient 2009 Five Rows Cabernet Sauvignon had managed to dodge every bullet I could muster. There was no other option than to let it rightfully stand on its own. I now consider this wine to be a secret bonus for those open-minded oenophiles who don’t practice vintage discrimination. There are people who will never try this wine simply because it was made in 2009. That just leaves more for the rest of us. This Cab is texturally gorgeous and delivers classic Lowrey Cab Sauv aromatics (blackberry, cherry, cassis) and wonderful balance that literally appeared out of nowhere. 50 cases were bottled on April 6th, 2012. It will be fun to compare and contrast this wine with the big bombers on the horizon (2010 and 2012).
Library Update
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.
2011 “Jean’s Block” Riesling
Many oenophiles consider Riesling to be the best-suited white grape varietal for the rigours of Niagara regional terroir. It’s a treat to grow, with good crop levels and minimal finicky hand-labour compared to tight-clustered Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. It has decent winter hardiness and tends to thrive in our slightly “cooler climate” (my current air conditioning bill might disagree with this categorization).
Vinifying Riesling is where things get a little more complicated. So many different styles and so many variables to experiment with. Although we grow Alsatian Clone 49 in Jean’s Block, the resultant wines I’ve crafted tend to be an amalgam of varying Riesling profiles. The 2011 vintage features the subtle, mineral-laden nose of an Alsace Riesling, but the richness and depth of flavour of my favourite German styles. The natural acidity is the strength of the wine, balanced with a touch of residual sugar. Over the years, I’ve found that Riesling takes a while to open up after the stress of filtration and bottling, so we usually release it later than our other whites. Riesling fans will tell you that it’s a mistake to drink it too young anyway!
In the ongoing quest to improve wine quality, we decided to employ a different pressing technique in the fall of 2011 – a gentle, whole-bunch squeeze in our old wooden basket press. It proved to be very time consuming and a huge headache to clean out, but I think the end product justifies the extra effort. I also experimented with a different yeast, R2, on 50% of the juice, while using my old standby, W15, on the other half. Fans of our Pinot Gris might recognize some of the elements that R2 brings – rounder mouthfeel, tropical fruit notes – in this Riesling.
2011 “Jean’s Block” Riesling is a wine that means a lot to me personally. I welcome you to come by starting this weekend to give it a try. There are only 48 cases available, so we must limit purchases to 4 bottles per customer. Retail price is $25 per bottle.
Father’s Day
There are days when I feel overwhelmed. It usually occurs around this time of year when despite my best efforts, I just can’t seem to catch up to the work that needs to be done. There are weak moments (humid, dizzy moments) that I actually begin to second guess my calling. Who on earth would be stupid enough to willingly submit themselves to the rigours of thinning grapes in this oppressive heat?
Just as I convince myself that my afternoon efforts might be better spent monitoring the progress of 2011 Pinot Noir barrels in the cool confines of the barn, I spot a cloud of dust emanating from the far corner of our 60 acres. Cue the proverbial forehead slap…
There is an individual in the center of that dust cloud who’s work ethic is second to none. He skillfully guides the tractor and disk, eventually making the careful wide turn for the next row. Four rows over, three rows back. A pattern he has repeated time and again for the last 40 years.
I get to the farm in the morning and he’s out there – I leave in the afternoon and he’s still out there. We may pass each other at some point during the day, but no words need to be spoken. That cloud of dust is his example. My second guessing comes to an abrupt halt. When I was younger I couldn’t wait until it was my turn to do all the tractor work. Now I hope that day never comes.
As I sing his praises, a comical beer commercial flashes to mind and it occurs to me that my father might just be, “The most interesting man in the world” (or at least St. Davids). Some proof:
His pre-dawn enthusiasm puts my Golden Retriever to shame.
Powdery Mildew is afraid of him.
His internal alarm clock laughs at my snooze button.
‘Hydration’ is a foreign term to him. He drinks beer and coffee, and when he’s really thirsty…Lipton Cup-a-Soup.
He could jump-start a canoe.
He doesn’t buy new golf clubs, he buys a new wrench (mainly because he broke something and can’t find the wrench he bought last week…and he can beat you with his old clubs anyway).
Happy Father’s Day to all the early risers and “Stay thirsty my friends!”
2009 Pinot Noir
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
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
Buds
For those curious about how things look in the vineyard these days I have good news…the buds are alive! (At least 75% of them that is). My thoughts go out to those tree fruit farmers who haven’t been as lucky thus far. I’ve heard some staggering reports of damage in local apple and plum orchards as buds emerged way too early for their own good, only to succumb to the cold temperatures we experienced in April. How fickle it can be.
Dinner with “Bruce”
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.