March 14, 2008
This is my first entry in what I plan to make a regular feature here on our website, a running commentary
on what is happening throughout the year in the winemaking process here at MacRostie. Stay tuned for regular updates; they will be more frequent when more is going on, so I should be making almost daily entries during harvest. They may be somewhat more brief than this one, though—as you may know, harvest is a pretty busy time!
Late winter/early spring is blending time. Steve, Emma, and I have spent much of the last two weeks looking at the myriad possibilities for putting our portfolio of wines together. Blending trials are fun, but also taxing—young wines, particularly tannic reds, can quickly fatigue the palate. We must return to look at the same blends multiple times to be sure we’re on the right track, and it also requires us to project a given blend’s future evolution from what it tastes like now.
We’ve decided on a 15% addition of Cabernet Sauvignon for our Napa Valley Merlot; this quantity, in this vintage, gives the 2007 Merlot just the right amount of structure without overpowering its varietal character. As an added bonus, this leaves us four barrels of very solid Napa Valley Cabernet to bottle and sell direct from the winery.
On the Pinot Noir front, we’ve created what may be one of the best-ever Wildcat Mountain Vineyard blends from four blocks that excelled in what is already proving to be a stellar vintage for Pinot Noir. The 2007 Wildcat Pinot will be assembled from roughly one-third each of clones 667, 115, and 777. They have shown remarkable synergy this year, with the 667 providing powerful structure, the 115 showing lush, velvety body, and the 777 topping it off with exquisite aromatics. The remaining Pinot in the cellar works well together as a top-notch Carneros blend; quality was so high across the board that no lot needs to be left out.
Physical assembly of these blends is already underway. The Merlot was put together last week, and we’ll start working on the Pinot next week. I just have to finalize the exact barrel selection for the Wildcat on Monday morning, and we’re on our way!
-Kevin Holt
