There's something visceral about heavy machinery that means real work is being done.Bins being carted back and forth, hoisted, tipped, raked and scraped, hoses washing out empty bins preparing them for the next load, and the ubiquitous beeping of a forklift being swung around to snatch another load. The feel of half ton bins being hefted about, the taut siezing of the chain as the forklift tines jam under the bin and make that first heave, the bend of the bins as the weight of the grapes press against the side during the tip-over, the plunge of the hands into the first dump of grapes, reaching and searching for the leaves, sticks and detritus which needs to be sorted out before crush -- all of these are part of winemaking. Eventually you have 10 or 15 bins all fermenting along, each being monitored and punched down, each following its own path for fermentation. You can feel the yeasts saturating the air, you can see the juice turn color, skins softening, flavors extracting into a raw alcoholic stew which marks the beginning of the wine's life. Days turn to weeks, the sugars disappear, the dry tartness of the wine discovered, an endpoint detected. Press slowly, taste the juice steadily get richer as it filters through the skins, then eventually weaken out as pressures increase. Move to barrel, top and cap, put to bed for the coming months, hope that you stayed out of the way of the promise within the fruit. Fifteen months or more or until no more time in barrel will do it much good, then set up the bottling line and get prepared to bottle.
Our 2005s are a month away from bottling, our 2006s just getting comfortable for the coming year. Hope your holidays were great and can't wait to share our latest with you!
