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November 2007
Translated from Italian: "To every bird, his own nest is beautiful." While there is no place like home, late fall is an especially beautiful time here in Sonoma County. The air is crisp, our mountainside grows fuzzy with new grass, the vines have turned a golden yellow—and the year's harvest is safely in barrel! Now we can relax a bit and update you on the harvest, the 2004 Superiore release, an exciting wine and food pairing class, and a special holiday gift offering—along with a bit of information on whole cluster fermentations.
2007 Harvest Recap
Firstly, thank you to those who helped us out by picking and sorting grapes this year! With Montemaggiore's sixth vintage safely in barrel, we can reflect on how the low winter rainfall and steady growing season of 2007 will lead to some fabulous wines upon release in 2010. Low rainfall this last winter, down about 25%, primarily affected the timing of the vintage for us. More sunshine caused earlier budbreak, which meant that even though harvest began at the usual time, the growing season was significantly longer than usual—the grapes got lots of "hang time", translating into ripe tannins and full-bodied flavors for the wine.
Typically in California, sugars mature at a faster rate than flavors because we have such unrelenting sunshine. But the 2007 summer wasn't overly hot—moderate temperatures up to mid-August allowed sugars and flavors in the grapes to develop in lock-step. While a heat spike did come in late August, the fog and cool weather arrived in early September to slow things down, and in fact sugar development went into reverse. Since Montemaggiore picks primarily based on flavor maturity, our corresponding sugar levels were lower than usual (-1 to 1.5%) and the resulting wines will have lower alcohol levels. We first picked the Hilltop Syrah on September 26th, and over the next three weeks we chose five additional harvest days where the grapes in our estate vineyards were at their peak of ripeness. Our last day of harvest was October 17th with our lowest elevation Cabernet block, and that wine was finally put in barrel on November 6th. Whew!
Paolo's Double Gold
At what's been labeled the Academy Awards for Sonoma wines, the 2004 Paolo's Vineyard Syrah was awarded a double gold medal for the second year in a row. This means that the judges at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair unanimously voted to award our wine a gold medal. Get a bottle and judge for yourself!
Now available: 2004 Superiore
For lovers of our Cabernet/Syrah blends, the 2004 Montemaggiore Superiore is now available! 2004 was a low-yielding year, thus the flavors and aromas of the Superiore are very intense. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Syrah, the nose opens with juicy blackberry and cherry, underpinned by chocolate and floral tea. A bit more fruit-forward than the 2003, the '04 still has the classic stamp of Cabernet with its depth, complexity and ageability. The Superiore was barrel-aged for two years, then bottled-aged for a year. 400 cases made. To learn more, check out the wine area on our website, or contact us for an appointment to taste it at the winery (call 707.433.9499 or e-mail info@montemaggiore.com). As usual, the 2004 Superiore can be ordered on-line, by fax, or by calling us.
Food & Syrah Class in January
While our general motto is "all good wine goes with all good food", a truly transcendental epicurean experience requires thoughtful consideration. If you'd like to learn more about pairing food with Syrah, join us on Saturday, January 26th at the Ciolino's home in Healdsburg with acclaimed chef Paul Smith (sous chef to Bobby Flay). Bring your appetite because we'll taste six small dishes and several cheeses, perfectly paired with Montemaggiore Syrahs. In addition, you'll go home with recipes and all sorts of ideas to impress your family and friends. Attendance limited to 25, cost is $65. For more information and reservations, see our website.
'Tis the Season
Are you looking for a gift that's elegant, unique, practical, yet slightly decadent? Montemaggiore wine could be perfect for your family, friends, or even colleagues. To make sharing your passion for Syrah easier, we're offering two bottles of wine (2004 Syrah and 2004 Superiore) enclosed in a distinctive wood box for $85 (10% off the wine). If you prefer other wines or vintages, feel free to mix and match by purchasing the wood box separately ($20). And we're always happy to include a special holiday card. Please be aware that the last day for this special holiday offering (and any purchases in 2007) is Wednesday, December 19th. (Pssst: the Food & Syrah Pairing Class would also make a great present—we can e-mail or snail-mail a gift certificate.)
Winemaking 101: Whole Cluster Syrah
Those of you who have toured the Montemaggiore winery during harvest know the special care we take in destemming our Syrah, then painstakingly sorting out any stem pieces that try to sneak in. What you may not know is that we deliberately add whole grape bunches (including their stems) to the carefully destemmed fruit! In 2007, for example, we destemmed and sorted 75% of our Syrah grapes, then added 25% whole clusters to the same fermentation tank. Technically what we're doing is called a 25% "whole cluster fermentation".
Lise finds that whole cluster fermentations add depth, spiciness, and a velvety mouthfeel to our wines. As to why this happens, one theory is that since whole cluster fermentations don't break the skins thus are very gentle, the resulting longer and slower fermentations add character. Another theory is that the stems fill out the tannin profile of the wine to give a smoother mouthfeel. As with much of winemaking, however, there's no proof of what happens or why because the variables seem infinite and uncontrollable—thus winemakers like Lise just do what they believe is right. So it's a religious issue and you'll find vociferous people on both sides.
Whole cluster fermentations are not atypical with Pinot Noir (e.g., Domaine de la Romanee Conti), but they are just gaining notoriety in the Syrah world. Never one to shy away from experimentation, Lise tested whole cluster fermentations in 2006 with a single lot of Syrah. That successful experiment led to more in 2007, and we expect to continue experimenting with percentages in future vintages. To appreciate why whole stems are beneficial yet stem pieces are detremental, consider cooking with garlic: using the entire clove imparts a sweet, nutty, mellow undertone without the intense pungency of crushed garlic.
Final Notes: The last day for shipping this year is Wednesday, December 19th. We continue to be extremely grateful for all the support we've received from our wine club members, customers, and members of our mailing list who are helping to spread the word about Montemaggiore wines! Thank you and have a wonderful holiday season!
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