Vinification Notes
When you get to a point where the line between work and life is so blurry that the majority of your day seems like filler between fixes of caffeine, and what little sleep you do get is haunted by images of Multi-coloured Asian Lady Beetles and under-ripe Cabernet Franc…it’s best to step back, focus, and re-consider exactly why you do what you do.
Thankfully, success breeds perseverance. The following are two reasons why I still choose life as a winemaker:
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
A severe winter led to an average of 50% bud damage in the Lowrey Vineyard. This Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from vines that were shouldering a much lighter load than they were used to, hence a greater opportunity for ripening was in the cards. Thankfully, the growing season weather co-operated and the resultant fruit was as good as has ever been produced on our farm. The St. David’s Bench microclimate really strutted its stuff, with even the later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon reaching optimal sugar and TA levels. Like our first “Five Rows” vintage in 2004, we took equal portions of Young and Old Cab Blocks to maximize clonal complexity. Following traditional small batch punch downs, the wine was aged in a 50-50 blend of American and French Oak with an average age of 1.7 years per barrel. A comparative barrel tasting took place on July 5, 2007 and as with previous years, the highest rated wines were housed in two-year old wood (a 2003 Barrel Associates & 2003 Berthomieu). These two superior bottles were bottled on July 18, 2008. This wine showcases the potential of minimally-cropped Cabernet Sauvignon from warm vintages in the Lowrey Vineyard. Aromatic highlights include wild blueberry, ripe cherry and vanilla. Very ripe and jammy on the palate with soft, mature tannins and excellent length. Although hard to resist its youthful charm, this Cab is only entering its prime.
Barrels: 2 Cases: 45 Alcohol: 13.4% Price: $50/Bottle
2008 Pinot Gris
In an effort to instill confidence, I tell my wines that it is never fair to compare themselves to their predecessors. For that reason we won’t speak further of the effusive praise garnered by the 2007 Five Rows Pinot Gris. Some shoes are just too big to fill.
Harvested on September 19, 2008, this Pinot Gris began its life fermenting slowly in stainless steel and older French Oak. The oak component was added in an effort to further enhance mouthfeel and increase aromatic complexity. A nice cool ferment, dotted with periodic lees stirring, was complete by mid-October. The finished wine was blended, then fined with bentonite for protein stability.
Early tasting sessions showed strong notes of McIntosh apple and anise, while one panelist was sure he could smell “catbox” (depending, of course, on the type of litter you prefer). The French Oak and lees stirring helped create rounder texture and seemed to lend tropical nuances such as star fruit. The wine was left with just enough residual sugar to balance the acidity. Lemon-lime citrus flavours are predominant. Bottled September 14th, 2009.
Cases: 57 Alcohol: 13.3% Price: $25/Bottle
Both wines are now available for purchase!
A Great View
Lead up to harvest is a time of frayed nerves and long hours. In many cases you are playing a game of chicken with the weather, and usually I’m the first one to flinch. I get so tied up worrying about making the right decision that I rarely stop to enjoy the moment. That would soon change.
Earlier this week we harvested our first fruit of the year, and as I stood awaiting a load of fruit atop the bins of the receival truck, I was struck by the view. From this vantage point I was overwhelmed by imagery and memories. The stress of harvest suddenly melted away and the bigger picture came into focus. The green rows of vines looked resplendent contrasted against the fall colours adorning the trees. A harvester slowly chugged its way down a row of Sauvignon Blanc, driven by one of my early childhood heroes – “Big Ernie”. When I was just old enough to remember, Ernie let me ride with him on the big harvester, a memory I will forever cherish. I also suddenly recalled the time my Grandfather fell from the exact position I currently stood, landing hard on the road below. Miraculously he wasn’t seriously hurt. I made a point be extra careful negotiating the narrow bins for the rest of the day!
Huddled around a thermos of coffee were my father and “ever-ready-with-baked-goods” mother, Rob the Creekside winemaker, John our truck driver, and Henry the tote bin driver. It really put my stress and worries in perspective to see the interaction of these people who had been through so many vintages together. They laughed and exchanged stories from the old days of Ventura’s and Concord’s, then debated some of the more heated issues facing our industry today. Their collective experience both humbled and inspired me. At the root of our farm and it’s history are people like them…people like me. Crops come and go, weather is always going to be a problem, wine will be made and sold, but the tradition and land lives on. From my perch I smiled and wished some moments could last forever.
Acid Reflux
Without fail, every vintage brings forth an unforeseen challenge. This year that head-scratcher is the acid levels in our grapes. Sugar levels in vineyards across the peninsula are sky high, usually the indication that grapes are ready to harvest. However, upon a quick taste and further laboratory analysis, most growers and vineyard managers are finding that their fruit remains quite tart and not quite balanced as of yet. It seems as if the warmer daytime weather has spiked the sugar content, but the cooler nights have stalled the acid conversion.
Those who choose to harvest their fruit primarily on high sugar levels will surely pay for it in unbalanced resultant wines. One major problem within our industry is that grape growers are paid mainly on tonnage with a bonus structure for sugar levels (degrees brix). Clearly, this does not tell the whole story when it comes to the quality of fruit that it takes to craft premium wines. Titratable acidity, flavour production, seed and tannin ripeness, colour, berry size, nutrient levels and cleanliness are all key components that a winemaker must take into consideration when evaluating incoming fruit.
Consider the plight of a grower who thins his vineyard to lower tonnage, but their fruit is above average in all the other ripening components at the base sugar level. They get paid the same per tonne as a grower who overcrops underripe fruit at the base sugar level, which is fairly easy to do. I’m of the opinion that we need to better reward the grower in the first scenario. If we could come up with some kind of “ripening coefficient” that takes all the important parameters into consideration, perhaps more growers would be inclined to crop at the lower levels needed to ensure premium wine quality.
Thankfully, while we wait for the acid levels to drop, the grapes keep accumulating sugar and flavours. If we can keep them clean (and that is one nervously typed “If”) the fruit should round out nicely, giving us the ability to craft great wine in 2009.
Better Late than Never
Just when you thought mother nature had rendered 2009 a complete write-off…she goes and TOTALLY redeems herself! The last couple of weeks could not have been more ideal for ripening grapes. We are by no means out of the woods yet in our task of ripening later varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, but things are definitely looking up.
Sugar samples that I conducted today confirmed what I’ve been tasting for the last few days, the early varieties are sweet and ripening in a hurry! Pinot Gris leads the way at 20.1 degrees Brix, while the Pinot Noir are sitting at 18.7 and the Sauvignon Blanc at 18.0. That puts us roughly two to three weeks away from the commencement of harvest, should the weather hold.
I want to take an opportunity to thank both Glen Hunt and Randy Hemphill of Hunter Bottling and the good folks at Creekside for helping us bottle our 2008 whites this past Saturday. Glenn and Randy provided the mobile line while Creekside lent us their facility and some elbow grease. Our wines went into bottle without a hitch and should be ready for release in a couple of weeks. Thanks to all for a job well done!
We’re Still Open!
I treasure the many great acquaintances we’ve made over our inaugural summer. So why stop the fun? We’ve decided to extend our weekend retail hours until the New Year. I do caution that now more than ever, you may need to venture out to the vineyard to find us. We may leave a large bell for you to ring outside the barn, or failing that a car honk should alert us to your presence. If your search leads you down a row of Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, please make sure to knock off any green bunches you encounter!
In other news, if you find yourself within earshot of a radio this weekend, please tune in to 610 CKTB on Saturday at 3pm or Sunday at 1pm for the wine show “Uncorked” with Stephanie Sabourin. Excitingly, Five Rows will be featured in an interview segment off the top of the show.
New Release Update
With harvest approaching quicker than I’d like, the pressure is on to clear the tanks and make room for the 2009’s. I can now report that our 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris will be bottled on September 14th, making the tentative release date around September 28th. Generally, I like to let the wines adjust to life in bottle for a couple of weeks prior to release, just to make sure they get all their kicking and screaming out.
In related news, we’re down to the last few cases of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, so the timing of this release should work out just about right. After 18 long months spent maturing in bottle, our 2005 Cab Sauv is drinking well and ready to debut alongside the 2008 whites.
It occurs to me that we’ve never really had a “Grand Opening” for our winery, and I guess that’s just not our style. Instead, we’ve decided to celebrate our new release with all the people who have generously supported us since our inception. We’ll be emailing the details of this intimate event to those on our mailing list in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on your inbox!
Lucy patiently awaits the New Release…
The Birds
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!
A New Place to Taste
We are thrilled to announce that two of our wines (2004 Cabernet Sauvignon & 2007 Sauvignon Blanc) are now available at The Stone Road Grille in Niagara-on-the-Lake. “Rest” is a great supporter of local wines and consistently spoils its patrons with the finest of culinary delights to pair with them. In fact, some of my most memorable dining experiences were enjoyed at the Grille.
On a bittersweet note, we are now sold out of our 2007 Pinot Gris. A winemaker knows (hopes!) this day will come, but it always feels a little sad to know that this lot is gone for good. A business like ours doesn’t allow you to get sentimental though, as the next vintage is never too far away.
The Fish of 1000 Casts
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.
July 19th – Store Closed
Our weekend retail hours have proved to be an extremely positive experience. We’ve been able to forge some great relationships over the last couple of months that I’m sure will last for years to come. It’s so exciting to hear that people have enjoyed their visit to Five Rows. Tour Director and Sommelier Andrew Brooks (Crush on Niagara Wine Tours) recently had this to say in his latest web update:
“Wes Lowrey is another newcomer to release micro amounts of crafted wine. Wines are sold out of the barn on the charming grow site at the base of the St. David’s Bench (off York Road in Niagara on the Lake). Wes has a contagious enthusiasm that makes you want to sell your house, quit your job and plant a vineyard!”
One quick note: Our store will be closed on Sunday, July 19th for a previous family commitment. I do encourage you to come visit us any weekday, just give a quick call ahead to set up a time.