Production: 298 cases
In the Vineyard
Our gnarled, 37-year-old vines grudgingly produce small clusters of densely-packed berries. While difficult to harvest, the flavor in these grapes is always intense. The 2018 season was very difficult. Spring brought us a beautiful crop but lack of irrigation water and intense heat made the growing season stressful – for grapevine and farmer. Picked from 3 different vineyard blocks beginning on October 8, the last of the Gewürz came in on October 15.
In the Cellar
Each day’s harvest was crushed and allowed to sit on the skins for 2 hours before pressing, drawing additional flavor, mouthfeel and slight color from the must. Although ripening was uneven, the numbers for the bulk juice were good:
Brix: 23.0 – 26.0
pH: 3.1
Titratable Acidity: 7.6 g/l
Flavor very intense, skins dark purple/pink, seeds mostly brown, juice temp 55 F.
After pressing, the juice was allowed to settle overnight and the clear juice was inoculated with yeast the next day. The fermentations remained cool, under 60 degrees, and finished on November 15. No secondary malolactic fermentation was allowed, and the residual malic acid contributed its characteristic faint green-apple flavor to the finished wine. After cold stabilization in the mountain winter, and subsequent heat stabilization, we prepared to blend and bottle. The following year on, December 5 and 9, we bottled 298 cases of 2018 Gewürztraminer and it has has been gracefully ageing ever since.
