2014 Harvest, I Barely Knew You…
10/03/2014


Winemaker Drew Huffine punches down some Pinot Noir...


Well, that was fast! It seemed that I was just getting revved up for the 2014 harvest and the next thing I knew, it was all over.

All of our R2 wines are safely in barrel, done with primary fermentation (all the sugar is gone) and now are going through malolactic fermentation, the natural process all red wines and most white wines go through in which the malic acid (the type of acid found in green apples) is converted into lactic acid (the type of acid found in cheese or milk). This softens the wine a little and generally makes it more pleasing.

I can’t believe that it’s October 1st and I am able to really survey the finished harvest and offer an assessment of the wines. It just does not happen that often. Two wines really stand out to me for 2014 so far: the Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir and the Cooper Vineyard Pinot Noir. What’s so striking about these two wines is how good they both are and yet also how different they are.

The Cooper Vineyard is an exciting new vineyard for us. It’s located northwest of the town of Sonoma just above the famous Durell Vineyard. The Pinot Noir from this site is impressive both in the purity of the fruit and the fine tannin structure. While still very young, I can tell this will be driven by expressions of ripe plum and blackberry balanced out by a long tannin structure. The 11 months or so this little gem is about to spend in barrel will yield a truly delicious wine.

We harvested the Cooper Vineyard fruit on Monday, Sept. 8. Most striking were the tiny little berries on each cluster. These small berries offer the winemaker lots of fruit and promise great depth to the final wine. However, the downside of fruit such as this can be over extraction. If the winemaker allows the fermentation temperature to get too hot or over manipulates the wine through too many punchdowns, the tannin structure can be overwhelming and bitter. Rather than a pleasing wine balancing fruit, earth, spice and sweetness, one could end up with a wine that is astringent and lacking any real depth.

To make sure this did not happen, I employed pumpovers almost entirely instead of punchdowns to more gently extract color and fruit from the wine. Then I pressed the wine right as it achieved dryness. Some winemakers might let the dry wine sit on the skins a few more days after dryness—a process called “extended maceration” usually employed to squeeze more color and tannin out of a wine, but that was definitely not called for here, especially since this is a new vineyard for us.

By comparison, the Hein Vineyard is an old standby here at R2 Wine Co. and one of the sites that most impressed me when I first joined the winery. The vineyard was formerly co-owned by Richard Roessler and Copain owner/winemaker Wells Guthrie. Located in what is known as the “deep valley,” Hein is on the extreme Northwest edge of the Anderson Valley, where it’s almost too cold to grow Pinot Noir. What’s most impressive about this wine already is the just jaw-dropping aroma so distinct to this site. It’s blend of earth and forest floor scents highlighted by just a touch of ripe red fruit.

Coming on the heels of a very minor little heat-spike in the first week of September, the Hein Vineyard came in almost unexpectedly on Friday, Sept. 5 about two weeks earlier than last year but every bit as developed. Because I was less concerned about overly drying tannins, I opted for a mix of punchdowns and pumpovers to balance extraction without overwhelming the distinct aromas this site is known for with too much fruit. It went through a native fermentation perfectly and went dry with out any trouble, all of which is a testament to just how perfectly this site is farmed.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful fall wherever you are and come see us soon in Sonoma!


Cheers!


Drew Huffine
Winemaker


 
Post By:   Drew Huffine