Back from walk/jog in BV heights with Alice & Kerouac. Still set on no wine tonight. Forgot I have to be at the Estate at 8am, for topping, tasting, possible racking. Thinking that sulfuring 1 more time might be a more reasonable remedy to the slight off-odor yesterday, on the cuvée.
On Saturday, the latest Gatsby night planned, I’ll order in from one of my preferred places. Maybe something to-go from Oliver’s– and now I’m just uselessly rambling. Feel like I always need to be writing.. I should be, with my voice, urges of hitting the NYT Best Sellers List. The old entries, again revisited tonight. In the first blog, that countdown I wrote till 1/1/12.. think there’s something there, in those decreasing numbers.
At loss in this writing. So, when doubted by Self.. the wine. The wineMAKING. My truest of subjects. What else can I research tonight? Well, for one.. barrels. The chemistry, I’ll never fully grasp, as I never studied that in school. I’m making wine from instinct and basic oenological knowledge. This Saturday, looking to open one SB, one CAB. And maybe one Merlot. Going to take extensively detailed notes on each. And not some ridiculous descriptor list. I’m going to address everything from aromatics to texture [levels in/of texture], finish characteristics to finish’s length and texture.
Oak integration. Wondering how to optimally integrate oak into a wine so that you, I mean I, don’t compromise varietal character, expression. Thoughts interrupted from noticing I only have 7% battery left in this devilish machine. What if something failed while making wine? Something electrical, mechanical, and I didn’t have some fixer whiz on site? What did they do in the 1800s, France, Italy, Spain, or here?
Sharp wind darts at sliding glass behind me. As if to push me, quicker towards finished pages. So glad tonight’s a no-wine night. Whatever I do tonight WILL be significant in getting me to the road.
Back to the oak issue: for my wines, either neutral French, or newer French. I have no aims in producing any Italian varietals, Zinfandel, or anything that would best benefit from American Oak, certainly not Hungarian. But still, I want to know what those oak types do. Intimately. Want to be a well-rounded winemaker, specializing in certain varietals but folly able to produce others if I wanted.
Forcing Self to stop typing, after this entry. Need to simplify, as I’ve always said. Still no wine. Diet Coke with dinner, now back to sparkling lime. Tomorrow morning, I’m thinking, no stop at coffee house, like I today refrained. Won’t have time, and I want to be on the crush pad early, if anything. I’m at their mercy, the winemakers’, so I can’t be choosey, only thankful for whatever juice I get for topping. And I will be. But for ’13, I will assume more control, putting down dollars to ensure my ownership, sovereignty. I’m training, right now, with ’12, is how I look at it.
Looking deeper into the American vs. French Oak decision, I’m still siding with French.. for the subtlety, richness, massaging nature [of flavor arrangement]. American Oak seems to be too unpredictable, at least for the style of wines I envision mySelf producing. This Saturday’s tasting, here at home, furthering what I see4Self.
(5/21/13)
