May 29, 2008
The Carneros Chardonnay was successfully blended last month, and has been “on cold” for the last three weeks, during part of which I was on vacation. After adding some bentonite (a fining agent, a type of clay) to help the wine settle clear, we chill it down to around 30°F and hold it there to ensure that it will remain stable when it subsequently goes into a store or restaurant cold box, or indeed into your very own refrigerator.
This week we’re filtering—Esteban has been flying through about 10,000 gallons a day, so by the end of the week it will all be the limpid, brilliant, pale straw gold we know and love. Bottling commences on Monday, and will run through June 20. On the first day we get the magnums and half bottles out of the way, and then it’s all 750ml from then on, about 2000 cases a day, or approximately one bottle coming off the line every second
After a significant hot spell a couple of weeks ago, it has cooled down quite dramatically around here, barely making it into the 70’s most days. We even had an unusual late spring rain last Saturday. The vines are mostly in flower now, but the rain doesn’t seem to have been hard enough to cause too much “shatter” in the new clusters, which would reduce eventual yield.
I’m also working on rounding up this year’s group of interns for the upcoming harvest. These brave souls come from all over the country, and sometimes all over the world, to help us out during our busy season. It’s long hours of hard physical work, but they are rewarded by learning a great deal about making wine, including a few things they probably didn’t want to know!
-Kevin W. Holt
