2011 Vintage Update
Call me Chicken Little.
At the first sign of rotten berries and fruit flies in our Pinot Noir I run to my father and proclaim, “the sky is falling”. I rattle off all the jobs that need to be done IMMEDIATELY: gotta get the bins ready for harvest, gotta cut the rot out, gotta check the sugar and acid levels, gotta thin out green bunches, gotta take the nets down…
He takes in all the “gotta’s” and I manage to catch my breath while swatting away invisible fruit flies. My anxiety stems from sheer amount of time I’ve put into that damn vineyard, and coming to grips with the concept that no amount of time and care can trump mother nature. Water is always the great equalizer. These overly tight Pinot clusters just can’t resist taking in excess water. They are starting to rot from the inside out, as mid-cluster berries begin to split. This condition is worse than a simple bird peck or hail strike which often times dries up on the cluster exterior. The only cure for this malady is the strategic removal of rotten berries, not a fun prospect.
Howie takes it all in stride. The calm look on his face reminds me that we go through this same excruciating Pinot dance every year. He knows that we will cut the rot out and the resulting fruit will ripen-up enough to make good wine. If not, then at least we can rest assured that we gave it our best shot. Why can’t I be this wise and even-keeled? I guess that is where we differ.
He goes on to recall the words of a sage vineyard manager we both know who under similar circumstances proclaimed, “They are just grapes and we’re just making booze.” I shudder and remind him that this fellow no longer manages vineyards.
Individual Vine Viticulture
What is it that makes our wines unique?
I’ve been asked to answer this question quite a few times over the last couple of weeks, so maybe some further explanation is necessary. I always start by stressing that the intricacies of our wines originate from thorough hand labour in the vineyard. But I now realize that this is a vague reason to many people. So I racked my brain today, while thinning Sauvignon Blanc, for a moniker to best describe the practice I employ. I settled on “Individual Vine Viticulture”.
Through many hours spent doing the same jobs to the same vines, I’ve come to realize that every vine is subtly different and needs to be treated as such. It really becomes obvious as you prune, tie down, shoot thin, shoot position, remove leaves and cluster thin, that each vine has its own “personality”. I’ve written about the broad definition of terroir in the past, and it’s effects are certainly applicable here.
These individual vine differences are especially observable in the Niagara region due to extreme soil variability and a consistently high incidence of winter injury. The re-planting of winter-killed vines leads to rows filled with multiply-aged vines, thus adding yet another level of variability that must be accounted for by the grower. I challenge anyone to find a vineyard in our region that has not been touched with winter injury over the years.
As the size of a vineyard increases it becomes next to impossible to treat each vine as an individual. That is why crew-based and mechanized labour (for leaf removal and pruning in particular) are on the rise in most vineyards. Jobs are done quickly, with a broad stroke and questionable accuracy. I strive to trend in the opposite direction, precise and methodical, where every vine gets my full attention. I can now better explain the second most asked question in the last two weeks: Why don’t you just expand your operation and make more wine?
It is my goal to continue to craft wines whilst practicing Individual Vine Viticulture on the rows I choose to vinify. Right now, I spend nearly every day from March to November obsessively tweaking my vines in one way or another. Scheduling days for actual “winemaking” jobs is always problematic but ultimately doable at our current production size of 500 cases. With wine quality at stake, Five Rows has no plans for expansion in the foreseeable future.
Go small or go home!
The Day Beppi Popped In
We owe Beppi Crosariol a debt of gratitude for resurrecting our blown down sign and ultimately introducing our winery to a great group of new people.
His kind words can be read here.
August 1st
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.
The Longest Row
Where do the days go?
Every year, right around this time, I shift from basking in the joys of summer to flat out panic. Days are spent trying to motor through jobs in the vineyard, but soon the stark reality sinks in. There just aren’t enough days left before harvest to complete the monster list of tasks.
I find myself in a row of Pinot Gris on this hot Sunday, trying to rationalize how I seem to get into this mess every year, yet somehow manage to get most of the work done. This brings no comfort. The vines just keep growing (even on weekends). There is minor satisfaction in each row of thinning and shoot positioning that I get through, but no time to really enjoy it. I seem to remember more enjoyment in years past. Perhaps this is tied to the fact we now have a winery occupying a large portion of our time. As the sun beats down and I feel the sting of sweat in my eye, I begin to second guess why we decided to start a winery in the first place. Growing grapes alone was sooo much easier. No retail hours, no Interac, no problem!
Just as my self-pity hits a fevered pitch, and I’m convinced that I’ll never finish thinning this unbelievably long row of Pinot Gris, I sense something beside me that causes me to jump with fear (only those who have been surprised out in a vineyard will truly understand my terror). I went from mellowly singing along with John Denver to actually shrieking like a female punk vocalist. Quickly wheeling around I found myself face to face with….what is that?….a coyote wearing sun glasses? Alas no, it was only my Dad coming to aid his slightly heat-stroked son. Without fail, the shock of abruptly meeting someone or something amid the tranquil cocoon of music and vines always makes me jump.
Thankfully, this was just the spark I needed. Together we finished that marathon row and then hiked back to the barn for lunch. Upon arrival, Wilma informed us that we had just missed out on a “crazy Shiraz flurry” and delighted to tell us how much she enjoyed tasting wines with the exuberant group. The excitment on her face brought a smile to mine.
The reward of opening a winery was never more clear. How selfish of me to think of it as a burden, even on this grueling day. Five Rows started as a hopeful brand but has evolved into our lifestyle. For this brief moment in time, we are able to achieve success together as a family. Despite our foibles, the jobs eventually get done and wine seems to magically disappear out the door. I’m increasingly aware that our current arrangement is unique, and not one that can last forever. Therein lies both the paradox and the beauty of Five Rows.
Let’s all enjoy this “Shiraz flurry” while we can.
2008 Five Rows Pinot Noir Vinification Notes
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
2008 Five Rows Shiraz Vinification Notes
2008 Five Rows Shiraz:
The tale of Lowrey Shiraz began many years ago with a firm handshake. Our relationship as a grower for Creekside Estate Winery started in the late 90’s and continues to this day. Shiraz is a staple for Creekside, grown and vinified to perfection year after year. Given this success, we naively agreed to plant some of these vines soon after our partnership began. Little did we know just how sensitive and vigorous Shiraz could be!
This combination of winter sensitivity and summertime vigor is a challenging prospect for the grape grower. Early in their lives, these vines saw some pretty severe winters that almost led to their extinction in our vineyard. Massive re-plantings and constant re-trunking were needed to restore their numbers. Our hard work and patience was rewarded with some stellar vintages in the 2000s, ultimately inspiring me to take a crack at making my own Shiraz in 2008 (and yes, it will always be “Shiraz” not “Syrah” to us because we planted it for an Aussie!).
The fruit for this wine was harvested on October 23 following some pretty dodgy conditions in the summer of 2008. We initially thinned the vines down to two bunches per shoot, but had to remove additional clusters in the fall, as it became clear that ripening would be a challenge. We hand-harvested about one tonne of fruit from each of our Shiraz clones (7 & 100), then sorted before de-stemming into fermentation bins.
A long cold soak was employed to help with colour extraction and tannic development. I chose to ferment the slightly riper Clone 7 fruit with RX60 yeast, but opted for F15 with the Clone 100 bin. Ferments were carried out at an average pace, with four daily punch-downs.
One new Taransaud barrel, two older French and a lone American oak barrel were used for the maturation process of this wine. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in barrel. After 24 months in oak, the final blend was assembled and allowed to mingle for about 8 more months. This exciting wine was bottled April 6th, 2011.
Aromas: blackberry, black currant, lavender, smoked game
Flavours: dark chocolate, coffee bean, raspberry
Production: 105 cases
Technical data: 13.0% alcohol, pH 3.30, TA 8.55
Price: $50.00/bottle
Don’t Look Now…
Don’t look now, but we have some serious viticultural growth going on out there! Despite the cool and damp conditions, shoots are expanding at a rapid pace. It’s as if the vines couldn’t hold it in any longer and just exploded with life.
As a precaution for potential winter injury, we always leave an extra “insurance” cane on each vine that is not tied down with the others. Initial observations tell me that we can safely go through and remove these extra canes, as most primary buds are appear to be viable. This job will keep my dad and I busy for a couple of weeks – but don’t hesitate to pull me out of the vineyard for a quick tasting should you decide to pop in for a visit!
Come One, Come All
As we head into the summer season, I would once again like to extend an open invitation to all wine lovers. Please do join us for a tasting over the coming months during our weekend retail hours (11-5). It’s an exciting time at Five Rows, as we’ve just released our 2008 Shiraz, 2008 Pinot Noir, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and 2010 Pinot Gris. The weekend barn traffic has ramped up dramatically in recent weeks and there has been a very positive response to our new products. Anyone wishing to reserve a case, please call or email sometime soon. History has shown us that these wines will not be around very long!
One by One, the Waxing Gets Done
Hot Wax Meets Cool Climate Shiraz.
