The pommace dance!

Dean focusing on chocolate croissant as we get ready to press the Devoto.





Dialing in the press program; flavors right on the money; got just under 7 barrels of Devoto this year from 2.6 tons, almost 5 of them free run. Much different than 2010 (where we battled significant September heat); and we pulled this before the rains so there was no rain-aided plumping.




Dean (Chris in background) dancing on pommace. Who doesn't end their day this way?









Am trying a Hungarian Francois Frere barrel this year (one of 9); same species as their French barrel, tighter grain, smells amazing, all the quality is there. Will be monitoring closely in the new year however; while respected for those tight grains, Hungarian is sometimes thought to "give it up" all at once, in which case I'll rack off early.

Devoto sort

Here's a shot of three of the Devoto bins we picked on October 3rd. It really started pouring right about 9am (Stan and his crew got started picking at 3am; I hustled to get there by 8; Penske doesn't open until 7!) Doesn't this stuff look delicious?




Here's a shot of Bill (who has helped me on every Devoto harvest -- thanks Bill!) and Amy, Adam, and Maureen down at the winery helping me sort. Yours truly was "picking jacks". Very little, percentage wise, wound up on the floor this year; very little rot, fruit was in great shape. Still a little light -- six bins came out to 2.6 tons, not quite the 3 tons I was gunning for.

Chardonnay update

Very, very excited about making a Chardonnay this year! We decided on a 10/4 (pre-rain!) pick date this year and the numbers look very auspicious for the Chablis style I'm gunning for: 22.6 brix, 8 TA, 3.4 pH. I de-stemmed and mashed the fruit up pretty good, then let it sit on the skins for almost 12 hours before pressing, primarily in the hopes of creating a rounder mouth-feel.


This contact will be all the tanins this wine sees. I pressed into a cold settling tank, then racked it into stainless where I'm doing a slow cool (10-15 degrees) ferment. Last week things were still very sweet, green apples (high malic acids) shifting into bananas (terpenes); maybe about a tenth into the ferment, I didn't do a brix.

FallFest - thank you!

The weather for Fall Fest this year was gorgeous, nice and sunny down by the waterfront. Thanks to all who stopped by to taste -- now don't forget to sign up for our Wine Club!

And many thanks to Kelly who helped me pour and deal with the masses, as I was at the winery most of that Sunday pressing the Flanagan fruit and inoculating the Devoto and Inspiration!

Soirée des Arts et des Vins

Howdy all, this is fantastic event in a beautiful setting, and Wait Cellars will be proudly serving its 09 Pinots!

Soirée des Arts et des Vins – TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!

You don’t want to miss this spectacular wine tasting event at our new venue,

the Grand Hall of the San Francisco Ferry Building!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

4-8pm

Tickets are $85 and include a commemorative glass and tastings from 25 amazing vintners and importers. The event will also feature gourmet food and live entertainment in both the main hall and the ‘back room bistro’!

Visit www.internationalsf.org/soiree for more information and to buy your tickets today. All proceeds benefit the school and this is an event with broad appeal – we encourage you to invite your friends, family, and co-workers to join us for this community-wide celebration. A good time for a great cause!