Pinot & Zin- Huge Day: Pressed into barrel
Yesterday was one of the biggest and most tiring days. I pressed close to 3 tons of my two wines:
- 2002 Eno: Pinot Noir- Dutton Ranch
- 2002 Eno: Zinfandel- Teldeschi
1. Using a strainer, pumped free run into barrel.
2. Then, we used 5 gal. buckets to fill and pack the bladder press. Once full, we turned on the water to fill up the bladder which apply pressed to the walls and presses the wine.
Check out the free run video (3.2 MB).
Check out the bucketing video (2.5 MB).
Depends on the type of varietal and the type of wine you are trying to make. Many French wine makers leave the wine on the skins for extended maceration after fermentation. This tends to improve the color, "mouthfeel", and resolves some of harsh tannins. Australians wine makers tend to press the wine when there is 3-5% sugar left into barrel for a slight barrel fermentation. This provides a better integration of the oak and exhibits more primary fruit in the nose and flavor.
Here are some comments and tasting notes for each of the wines:
2002 Eno: Zinfandel- Teldeschi
Taste is boysenberry with long finish. It will be nice sturdy zin with robust flavors. I am excited to make this for the second year in a row.
| 2002 Zinfandel- Teldeschi Vineyard (Dry Creek Valley) | ||
| Bin 1 (Waffle) | SYR yeast | Fallen cap. Nice finish. Nose smells great; assume ML is done. |
| Bin 2 (T-bin) | SYR yeast | Fallen cap. |
2002 Eno: Pinot Noir- Dutton Ranch
Beautifully deep and rich colors, described by Bryan, as "electric". I'm happy with both the Pommard and 115 clones; Pommard will provide an excellent foundation of complexity and the 115 will provide the fruit forward and think they will integrate well. They both taste great with my preference for the Pommard. Pinot usually needs at least 6 months before the flavors and structure harmoniously merge. However, it tasted very good now.
With about 7% whole clusters, the must was incredibly juicy, providing lots of free run.
| 2002 Pinot Noir- Dutton Ranch (Russian River) | ||
| 100% Pommard T-Bin | RC 212 yeast | More complexity and mid-palate than the Mixed; slight nuances of tannins. Very juice with lots of free run. |
| 25% Pommard/75% 115 T-bin | Assmanhausen yeast | Much more primary fruit- cherry and alpine strawberry flavors Still pushing a 2" cap; Will finish ML in the barrel. |
Notice the difference in color between the Pinot Noir (left) and the Zinfandel (right):
Each varietal has different shades of red. As a general statement, Pinot Noir is lighter than a Zinfandel which is lighter than a Syrah. There are several reasons for this: amount of anthocyanins in the skin pigment, fermentation techniques, and extraction.
Around 10:30pm, I left for the 1 hr. long ride to Inverness, near Pt. Reyes Station. On my way, I passed George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and played "dodge the deer ". I saw about 12 deer and came about 7 feet from hitting a big buck.