Dennis over to taste

Dennis McAurthur and his wife, the WoodRiver vineyard owners, came by in Mid December to check on our barrels and do some tastings. Everything was tasting v. good--just coming out of their "gasoline phase", as Dennis calls it. He was especially impressed with the reserve wines: the 06 Williamson Cab and his 06 Clone 6 Cab. He thought they were "Stunning"; as good--or better--than any Idaho cabs out there. We were all also was very impressed by the WA Clone 6 and the syrah (which is tasting much better).

Dennis agreed that the chard got too much acids added to it. He said he might be able to find us 5-10Gal of chard from the same picking that didn't get acid correction, which we could blend in to mellow the acidity. That would be an interesting experiment. Everyone favored the oak fermented chard over the SS fermented chard. I also think we may toss some (new) oak dominoes into the chard to help balance the acids. Going through MLF would also help mellow the acids.

One thing that was interesting was tasting the 2 Merlot barrels side-by-side -- they were quite different. He said the second picking not only came from a more northern part of the vineyard, but that it was also a different clone of merlot. It will be interesting to see them develop over the year. I think we'll definatly want to ask for the "South side" merlot next year! :)

Dennis brought a bottle of 1968 Mondavi Cabernet. He had found it when cleaning out his mother's cellar recently. The bottle had definate signs of age. The cork was totally saturated and the ullage was moderate, but not bad. The wine smelled more like a combination of a cab and a port. The taste was somewhat oxidized and sherry-like, although still cabernet. It was a very interesting an special tasting experience. It was amazing to see how well the wine held up.