Three Vintages, Four Grapes, Five Wines

As this most unusual year comes to a close, I decided to revisit some of my wines in the spirit of not-so Auld Lang Syne: three vintages, four grapes, five wines. If nothing else, tasting and learning from the past helps prepare you for the next vintage. So here's what I've learned.

Revisiting past vintages

2016 Abscession (Syrah, Chandler Reach Vineyards, Yakima AVA)

This is my first vintage and my last bottle. My winemaking teacher, Steve Foisie, called this the proof-of-concept vintage. He coached us through the chemistry of red wine making; from crushing grapes to alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, and then wrapping it all up with stabilization and bottling. Nothing fancy.

First Crush

Technical Specs

• 100 lbs of Syrah harvested in mid September 2016
• Upon completing alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, matured in glass carboy with no oak
• 1.5 cases bottled in mid February 2017
• Residual sugar: 0.35%, pH = 3.78, TA = 0.73

Tasting Notes

• Color: Medium ruby
• Aroma: Surprisingly fresh with strawberry and cherry
• Palate: Dry, nice balance of fruit and herb, with a hint of eucalyptus, while retaining good structure
• Body: Medium plus
• Acidity: Medium
• Tannins: Medium plus
• Finish: Long with a hint of eucalyptus

My Lesson: Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!

The first vintage was the most nerve wrecking. My main goal was to prevent the wine from turning into vinegar. This meant rigorous cleaning and decontaminating of everything in close proximity to the wine. Good sanitation practice allows the yeast to properly complete fermentation, and the wine to mature and stabilize. Four years later, I am pleased and somewhat surprised that the Abscession has retained a nice structure despite a higher-than-desired pH and zero oak contact. The wine remains fresh although it has lost some of its fruit forwardness.

2017 Midnight Crush (Cabernet Sauvignon, Artz Vineyards, Red Mountain AVA)

This is my second vintage, and my first time using oak. I am not a fan of oaky wine, but I wanted to take the edge off the tannic Cab Sauvignon grapes with micro-oxygenation from the barrel. To limit wood contact and oak flavor extraction, 20 of the 25 gallons of wine were racked in and out of the 8-gallon barrel. I was also excited about the more concentrated flavors as the porous barrel allowed for a mild evaporation.

Round-robin racking in and out of barrel

Technical Specs

• 400 lbs of Cab Sauvignon harvested in mid October 2017
• 80% in new French oak for two months, 20% unoaked
• 10.5 cases bottled in early April 2018
• Residual sugar: 0.34%, pH = 3.62, TA = 0.79

Tasting Notes

• Color: Medium ruby
• Aroma: Cherry Jolly Rancher
• Palate: Dry, cherry with a bit of tobacco, nice structure
• Body: Medium plus
• Acidity: Medium
• Tannins: Medium plus, smooth
• Finish: Lingering with cocoa notes

My Lesson: Respect the oak!

Oak in wine is like salt in food. If you can taste it, you probably have too much of it. Because I was using a small new French oak barrel, I was careful with wood contact to avoid creating an oak bomb. Once the desired taste profile was achieved, the oaked wine was racked out of the barrel, and a new batch of unoaked wine was racked in. The outcome was a lovely structured wine, balancing fruit with nuanced notes of tobacco and cocoa. The judges at the Washington State Fair agreed and gave it a second place in the Cab Sauvignon category last year!

2018 Political Series (Merlot, Les Collines Vineyard, Walla Walla AVA, and Cabernet Franc, Chandler Reach Vineyards, Yakima AVA)

For this third vintage, I attempted two new varieties - Merlot and Cab Franc. As far as winemaking math goes, one plus one equals three. Yes, we ended up with three distinct wines after blending and tasting. I procured another small new French oak barrel for this vintage. Like before, we ran 20 gallons of wine in and out of the 8-gallon barrel in a round robin fashion to manage wood contact.

Technical Specs

• 200 lbs Merlot harvested in mid September 2018
• 100 lbs Cab Franc harvested: Early October 2018
• Bottled all three wines in early June 2019
• Overall blend residual sugar: 0.23%, pH = 3.89, TA = 0.62

Blending and tasting

Kamala Walla Walla (100% Merlot free run)

The free run Merlot tasted so good that it was the first to go into the barrel. It was kept there for two months to complete malolactic fermentation and started aging. The wine was then aged and stabilized for another six months in glass carboys. Three cases were produced.

Tasting Notes

• Color: Medium ruby
• Aroma:  Cherry and red fruit
• Palate: Cherry Jolly Rancher with herbal undertones
• Body: Medium plus to full body
• Acidity: Medium plus to high, lively
• Tannins: Medium plus and smooth
• Finish: Lingering and rounded

AOC (60% Cabernet Franc/40% Merlot)

Next into the barrel was a blend of 60% Cab Franc and 40% Merlot. There might have been a bit of malolactic fermentation left, but it was mostly maturing in oak for two months. The wine was then aged and stabilized for another three months in glass carboys. Three cases were produced.

Tasting Notes

• Color: Garnet
• Aroma: Strawberry and floral-scented
• Palate: Strawberry, floral with cocoa undertones
• Body: Medium plus to full
• Acidity: Medium plus to high
• Tannins: Medium plus
• Finish: Long with a cherry finish

Labeling wine bottles

RBG (70% Merlot/30% Cabernet Franc)

Last but not least, a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cab Franc was racked into the barrel for 3 months of aging and stabilization. Two cases were produced.

Tasting Notes

• Color: Garnet
• Aroma: Cherry and floral-scented
• Palate: Dry, cherry with cocoa undertones
• Body: Medium plus to full, well rounded
• Acidity: Medium plus to high
• Tannins: Medium and smooth
• Finish: Lingering with a tart finish

My Lesson: Plan but flex!

You heard parents say that raising two children is more than twice the work of raising one. The same is true for making two grape varieties. While not the sexiest part of winemaking, planning the logistics around two fermentation timelines is essential. In return, you get so much more as well. I started out thinking I was going to make a Merlot/Cab Franc blend. I ended up with three wines - a single varietal and two blends! So while I had my plan, I learned to keep an open mind and flex where the palate took me. And I was rewarded for that.

So let not auld acquaintance be forgot. But take a glass of kindness and drink to the next vintage!