Wine & Spirits - December 2012 - (Page 8)

fined & filtered DIFFERENT STROKES 2009 West Coast Cabernet in In 2007, there were some distinct similarities between the growing seasons in Napa Valley and Washington State. Both regions experienced even, moderate weather and the wines were almost universally considered successful. In 2009, though, they were treated to different seasons: Columbia Valley and Walla Walla were warmer than normal, whereas Napa remained quite cool. As the 2009 cabernets head into the market, we checked in with vintners and growers in Napa Valley and Washington to gauge the vintage. —Luke Sykora WASHINGTON Two thousand and nine was a warm vintage for us—higher in alcohol than 2008 and 2010. There were five to seven days over 100 degrees. In 2010 there were none. I think [the 2009s] still remain true to themselves—Seven Hills with this more earthy character, Pepper Bridge with darker fruit and more forward—not overripe, but more on the generous side…. Sometimes in the hot years you can have trouble with the tannins if you don’t get the canopy right. I think over the years we have been doing a better and better job of that. —Jean-François Pellet, Pepper Bridge Winery It’s a much fleshier, more horizontal vintage, more about flashier fruit than the structure in 2008 or 2007. It was warm during the ripening period, and things were pushed. You had to take things as they were dictated to you by the vine and the weather. You couldn’t wait—unlike this year, where at Two Blondes Vineyard, I can let the cabernet hang out there as long as I want. —Chris Camarda, Andrew Will Winery In Walla Walla, we had grapes that were relatively high Brix, but they weren’t phenolically ripe. The pHs and Brix were high, but the acids were also holding and the flavors weren’t quite there for us. 2009 was a year when we were in the vineyards every single day, really trying to find the ideal moment. It was also a freeze year. On October 10 or 11 or 12, it was game over, and you had to deal with what you had to deal with. —Greg Harrington, Gramercy Cellars 8 W I N E & S P I R I T S D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 NAPA VALLEY We take samples on August 18 here every year, and 2009 was about two weeks late compared to the average harvest—the cool weather had slowed things down a bit. For certain vineyards that were especially late, we then went in and dropped back half the fruit, so we were able to harvest everything before the rains in late October. In the last week of September and the first week of October, temperatures rose into the 90s and that brought flavor development, though nighttime temperatures remained very cool. That kept the sugar levels climbing during the day, but held the acidity in the fruit… It was a bit different from the norm, because usually we have these nice rich cabernets that are not so high in acidity. —Elias Fernandez, Shafer Vineyards It was the third year of drought in a row in Napa, so that kept the crop down, and it was a long, cool growing season, the kind that always makes the best wines for me. And there was a very cool October, which made for an incredibly long season and fascinating flavors. It’s juicy too, though not big—broader and more lush than some years, but still with moderate alcohol and snappy acidity, and that’s really exciting. There were no heroics necessary. It was just a small crop. It flowered and set evenly, so we didn’t need to do a lot of manipulation of the crop.—Cathy Corison, Corison Winery Things started a bit earlier for us on Howell Mountain because we don’t get that fog layer. In the middle of October there was a pretty serious rainstorm—over four inches of rain— throughout Napa. Up here in the mountains we can really handle rain for the most part, because of the well-drained soils. We had to wait a bit longer for the valley fruit to bounce back. The extraction of the 2009 vintage was relatively easy—in terms of color and tannins— without having to go with extra machinations. —Stephen Tebb, Robert Craig Winery We started harvest on September 22, and usually we’ll start on the 11th or so. In contrast to 2008, the ultraripe fruit isn’t there, but the wines are really complex and very layered. It’s one of the more structured vintages. —Darice Spinelli, Nickel & Nickel

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2012

Wine & Spirits - December 2012
Editor's Note
Contents
Fined & Filtered
Happenings
Books
Spirits
The Light in Douro
Sushi & German Riesling
Tokaji Myths
Napa vs Bordeaux: A Seismic Shift
A Tale of Two Vintages
Dinner with Barolo
Extreme Values
Tastings Overview
Champagne
US Cabernet Sauvignon
Barolo & Barbaresco
Rioja
German Riesling
Alsace
American New Releases
International New Releases
Faces at the W&S Top 100

Wine & Spirits - December 2012