Most people stopping into the tasting room during the season ask what we do in the winter – assuming it must be a time when we head down to key west for three months (I wish I had with this winter).  While operationally, things are a little slower and more quiet, there are still a number of things to stay on top of.  Here are a few:

Wrapping up Fermentations

The Rieslings continued to bubble into the frigid months of December and January, before it was time to stop the fermentations.  Because of the duration of the fermentation (i.e. slower activity), we don’t need to be analyzing them as often as we do for the Pinot.  Oh, and the tropical aromatic esters that they are showcasing as they progress through their fermentations are just so sublime.  It is really an enjoyable time to be in the cellar.

Tasting Room Upgrade

With the lack of traffic in the tasting room, it allows us to work on those projects that we’ve been waiting on the past 12 months.  One of those annual tasks is refinishing the tasting room bar.  The black walnut bartop sees a number of hands, bottles, and glasses throughout the year, so this break allows us to apply the coats of lacquer to protect the wood for the new year ahead.  Additionally, the lacquer has a tendency to linger for a few weeks, so it’s probably best to apply now as to not impact the aromatic experience in the tasting room.

We also ordered some new imagery to adorn the walls and share more of a “behind the scenes” look of Heart & Hands.  Everything from the early season bud break to harvest will tell a tale of the season and our vinification practices.

There will also be new wines this season along with a new format for the tastings, so we’re pretty excited about getting the season started when the upgrades are wrapped up in the tasting room.

Blending Trials

Once the wines have completed fermentation, it gives us an opportunity to look at each vessel (barrel or tank) to assess the wines individually and begin blending trials.  Anything from the vineyard, to the tank size, the press date, the fermentation duration, or the yeast selected (to name a few) can create a complex web of variables to select from.  For the Rieslings alone, it can take weeks for us to decide on the breakout of the final blends – so it is not for the weary.

Stirring Polarity

Can’t forget about our white Pinot Noir – Polarity.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday means a visit to the barrel room to stir the lees to create more richness and complexity in the finished wines.  With 5 additional barrels this year, it means spending a tad bit longer working on what the French refer to as “battonage“.

Pruning the Vines

And last, but clearly not least, pruning.  To me, pruning marks that magical moment that the new season is upon us. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the vines will emerge this spring with new life.  Pruning is our way of listening to the vine speak about the previous year – if the vine was small last season, we may need to cut back this year and leave fewer buds for balanced growth.  I think it is an exciting time to work with the vines and really hear them.  It always teaches me more about my site and how that one vine in that 3 foot space operates.

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The post More Riesling Blending appeared first on Heart & Hands Wine Company.

While many people believe that the best part of being a winemaker would be tasting wines all day, I can assure you, creating the blends can be pretty nerve wracking.  Let’s start with the basics on the Rieslings from the 2011 vintage.

Reserve Riesling
The first past is to taste each tank of Riesling and take notes on aromas, flavors and finish. Then, we need to decide if there were any tanks that would provide the basis for a “reserve” bottling (we don’t do this every vintage, the last being 2009).  The 2011 vintage has three candidates that made the cut.  So each of these tanks has to go through a series of trials in different percentages to determine how those aromas and flavors impact each other

Single Vineyards

Next up, the single vineyards candidates.  We have three single vineyards that we are working with which are in seven different tanks  – two Nutt Road, two Patrician Verona, and three Hobbit Hollow.  So we start with Nutt Road and start with a series of blends of those two tanks (25/75, 50/50, 75/25).  Once we establish how each of those taste, we are better able to predict the influence of one vs. the other.  Thus, we can come up with a blend of 90 to 10 if we really liked the direction of the 75 to 25 tank blend.  Then we have to repeat this for the rest of the single vineyard wines.

Dry Riesling

The Dry Riesling was next on our list.  This blending process was a little more rigorous because we were pulling samples and blending trials from all nine of our tanks of Riesling.  With multiple passes and trying to identify a more firm, rigid structure to be a part of the 2011 Dry Riesling yet trying to preserve the balance in the glass can be a little more maddening.  Granted, we are spitting all the wine during this tasting, but you find yourself constantly challenged to find just the “right” blend.

Riesling

Last, but not least, would be our house-style Riesling.  This is usually what one would define as semi-dry to semi-sweet.  The vineyard blend each vintage is different along with the different levels of residual sugar.  Again, the nine different tanks are selected for this trial with each tank varying in their aromatics, flavors, and finish.  Numerous passes are made and tanks that seem to “fit” a little more with the traditional style of this wine are usually selected.  Multiple breaks are usually needed to refresh the palate so we are making the best decisions.  In all cases, we let the final cut sit a night or two so we can return and be assured that the blend is where we want it to be.

Next Up

Now that we have all the blending trials wrapped up, we’re looking forward to putting all the pieces together and getting these wines into the bottle over the next couple of weeks.  Be on the lookout for more bottling updates.

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