SPRING 2008


4


5


BEHIND THE VINE


Behind The Vine with Viticulturist Sukhy Sran As I write here in late January, the rain is coming down in sheets, the first wave of what we’re told will be a series of storms. We’ve already exceeded seven inches of rain this year, and we’ll take all we can get, because last year was just the opposite. Our local paper characterized our 2007 rainfall as “dramatically less than normal.” Winter rains are the lifeblood of the vineyard, recharging the groundwater table while re-energizing the soil. A healthy groundwater table ensures that we have sufficient water later in the year to maintain proper vine health during our dry, extended growing season. But a less-obvious advantage of heavy winter rains is the fact that they leech the soil


of accumulated sodium. Saltier soil can affect the chemistry of the vines, putting them under added strain while making them more prone to viruses. We like our vines to be stressed, but only to a point. A reasonable amount of stress can foster intensely flavored fruit, but high-sodium soils are not the stress of choice. We prefer to control vine stress through strategic irrigation, canopy management and other measures. The only downside to winter rain is that, when it’s really coming down, it drives us out


of the vineyard. We were right in the thick of pruning when this latest storm hit, and we’ll have some catching up to do when the skies clear. As I’ve shared before, we prune aggressively at Vina Robles, minimizing our yields in


order to maximize quality. With all of this rain, Mother Nature is giving us a helping hand in our pursuit of quality, so while it puts our pruning a little behind schedule, I certainly can’t complain. The year is still new, yet I’ve got a hunch that a banner vintage is already on the way.


THE SCOOP ON BARRELS - PART ONE


More than ever before, the art of fine winemaking is shaped by the craft of barrel making. Indeed, at Vina Robles, our wines are not only the product of our own estate vineyards, but also the barrels in which they age. Newer barrels impart unique oak flavors to a wine, as well as structural components such as wood tannins. The majority of our barrels are composed of French oak from carefully managed


forests such as the Allier and Nevers forests in central France, and Chatillon in Burgundy. These forests are widely regarded for supplying the highest quality oak for aging fine wines, in terms of both structure and flavor. The chosen trees are up to 200 years old and yield just


two to three barrels per tree. After splitting, the wood is air dried for up to 36 months before being painstakingly crafted into barrels by “coopers” in Burgundy and Bordeaux. Air drying softens the tannins that can influence the wine. If the wood is not sufficiently air dried, it can impart greener, harsher tannins to the wine. The grain of the wood also influences the wine, and the


barrels are classified accordingly. The tighter the grain, the more mild the flavors it will impart. The coopering process includes toasting the wood over


open flames. Different levels of toasting will shape the type and intensity of flavors imparted to the wine, including such familiar descriptors as vanilla, coconut and spice. As you can see, a tremendous amount of time, expertise


and labor goes into making each barrel in our cellar. Stay tuned for our next newsletter for the second part of this story, in which we will elaborate exactly why we use barrels in our cellar, and what types of barrels Winemaker Matthias Gubler personally chooses to shape our wines.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7