KJ: I didn’t see the quality coming with the 2006 vintage. It was a really late vintage, almost a month, and everything went slowly. I think the July heat may have lowered the nutrient content in the must (unfermented or fermenting crushed grapes). The malolactic fermentations (conversion of stronger malic acid, found in apples, to weaker lactic acid, found in milk) went slowly as well. It was like a typical Pinot Noir vintage in Burgundy, where everything takes time to come around.
Now the wines have really rounded out and bulked up in barrel. The fruit is more to the red end of the spectrum than to the black.
AMR: The lateness of the year also may have prevented the vines from storing as many nutrients before dormancy. I’m noticing more yellowing on the leaf margins this spring than normal. We just plowed in a nice cover crop and some green manure which should stimulate the vines.
Regarding the 2006 vintage, at the Sangiacomo Vineyards tasting, I noticed that the Chardonnays from all the producers were quite elegant. Although we had more rot last year, people worked hard to select the fruit and it’s very beautiful. The wines took longer to evolve, but now they are fattening up mid-palate and the tiny amount of botrytis influence adds complexity.
KJ: With our Pinot Noirs, malolactic fermentations are usually not a big deal, and the wines are easy to taste and evaluate. But this year, they were really tight, lean and austere before ML. I’m so happy that they have really opened up in barrel. The wines are showing supple and smooth, without any bitterness or hard or drying tannins. They are at a nice point of ripeness. After you ripen fruit beyond any greenness, ripeness can range from a just-ripe raspberry, almost tart, all the way to sweet, high-heat over-ripe jam. I think our 2006 wines sit along the middle of the fresh, ripe spectrum.
AMR: Yes, and each clone varies a bit on that spectrum. Our Roederer selection comes in a little riper, while the Martini selection at Ferguson Block does well with a little crispness. Ferguson produced a beautiful wine in 2006, just amazing.
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