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Archives: TastingNotes |
Lane Tanner specializes in Pinot Noir and Syrah. |
2007 Harvest
Small Crop But Really Fun!
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Cases Produced: 447
Harvest Date: 8/30/2007
Numbers @ Harvest: 24.5 Brix
Wine Numbers: 13.8% Alc. 3.50 pH 0.64 TA No R.S.
Julia's Vineyard is located about 9 miles due east of Santa Maria and
about 3 miles east from Bien Nacido Vineyards in northern Santa Barbara
County. My rows.7 through 12, from block B4 (Marten Ray clone),
overlook the Santa Maria Valley and are beautifully trellised up for
maximum fruit exposure.
The fruit came in about a month earlier than in 2006. I harvested the
fruit on August 30th, which is on the early side of normal. The 2007
crop was very low so it ripened a bit early. The average tons/acre were
a bit less than one..super small crop size. Usually this vineyard comes
in after my Bien Nacido fruit.but not this year. As per normal, I was
the first to take the fruit which sent other winemakers scrambling to
check and pick. The clusters were very small as well, with many "hens
and chicks". That is where a cluster has regular size berries and
berries that are undeveloped. The crushed fruit was thicker than normal
and very concentrated. Yum-Yum.. The fermentation went well. I gently
crushed the fruit into four ( 4' by 4' by 4') open top fermenter bins,
avoiding the harsh wood tannins from stems. The juice was fermented
with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain the fruity components. Punch down
routines were performed to maximize the delicate flavors and subtle,
elegant nuances of the Pinot Noir grape without extracting the more
coarse, alcohol soluble components. The fermentation lasted almost
exactly two weeks. This years wine has a bit more oak than my usual
wines. That is because I buy my barrels in the spring, before I am sure
of crop size.I get the better price if I buy early. My new oak was 33%
with 44% of barrels being one year old.of course, all French oak. The
wine spent about 11 months in barrels. This amount of new and one year
old oak gives me a round mouth feel and a trace taste of smoke without
overshadowing the fruit. I bottled the wine on August 1st, 2008, after
a gentle filtration to get out the big stuff. This wine was not finned
in any way and it may naturally throw some sediment over time. All of
my wines are Very low in sulfites because I am personally allergic to
them.
This wine is very different from any of my other Pinot Noirs, although
I make them all the same way. It is the ripest flavor-wise and most
substantial structurally of my Pinot lineup. Here the nose is
high-toned with red cherry and touches of raspberry and cranberry that
introduces round, rich, delicious and attractively sappy flavors that
possess fine depth and breadth as well as much better than average
length. It is voluptuous with a haunting, smoky quality that is from
the grapes themselves, not the oak. This wine will satisfy lovers of
Burgundy with its' powerful fruit, satin like texture and hints of
mushrooms and earth. I call this Pinot The Haunting Other Woman because
it is dark, sensual and rather scary. The Robb Report says this Pinot
achieves what few Pinot Noirs do: Marrying the forceful fruit of
California with the more delicate mold, mushroom and earth essences we
associate with grand cru's of Burgundy.
To sum it up, this year's vintage is a bit on the concentrated and dark
side. The alcohol is a touch lower. so you can drink more. I'm guessing
this baby's going to be a keeper, for those of you that like to
collect. Just remember that it is very tasty right now too!
Back Label.Lane Tanner has been handcrafting elegant red wine since
1984. You can reach her through her website @ www.lanetanner.com
Laugh More-Flirt Often.
Cases Produced: 295
Harvest Date: 9/15/2007
Numbers @ Harvest: 24.0 Brix
Wine Numbers: 13.9% Alc. 3.59 pH 0.61TA No R.S.
The 2007 harvest was very spotty and light at less than one ton per
acre. The fruit came in on September 15th, just four days earlier than
last year. This is a bit late, as Bien Nacido Pinot harvest time goes.
As per normal, I was the one of the first to take the fruit in block N,
which sent other winemakers scrambling to check their rows. The
clusters were very small as well, with many "hens and chicks". That is
where a cluster has regular size berries and berries that are
undeveloped. The crushed fruit was thicker than normal and very
concentrated. Yum-Yum... The 2007 Bien Nacido is pure N block, rows
62-76 (Martini clone on it's own rootstock, planted 1973) and is just
the happy boyish charm Pinot Noir that we have come to expect from this
premiere vineyard.
I gently destemmed (100%) into 4' by 4' by 4' open top fermenters,
thus avoiding the harsh wood tannins found in the stems. The juice was
fermented with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain the fruity components.
Punch down routines were performed to maximize the delicate flavors and
subtle, elegant nuances of the Pinot Noir grape without extracting the
more coarse, alcohol soluble components. The fermentation took about
two weeks. The wine spent around 11 months in French oak barrels. This
years wine has a bit more oak than my usual wines. That is because I
buy my barrels in the spring, before I am sure of crop size.I get the
better price if I buy early. My new oak was 46% with the remainder of
the barrels being one year old. This amount of new and one year old oak
gives me a round mouth feel and a hint of smoke without overshadowing
the fruit. The wine is unfined and gently filtered (I call it rock and
frog filtering) for visual clarity. I bottled this wine on August 1st,
2008. It may naturally throw some sediment over time. All of my wines
are Very low in sulfites because I am personally allergic to them.
The 2007 is subtly spicy, layered with an intense red pinot fruit
nose that is nuanced by hints of earth, strawberry, plum, blackberry
and winter herbs. The mouth is extremely fresh, well balanced and
vibrant, with silky tannins and a long and spicy finish. The aftertaste
is always sweet and clean. White pepper is lingering along the way.
This is a very marked characteristic of many red grapes from the Bien
Nacido Vineyard. This is a lovely wine and has an attractive Burgundian
element to the mouth feel. Overall it is worth a look for those who
like classically styled pinot. Last years Bien Nacido received a 91
point rating from both Burghound and The Wine Enthusiast. I think the
2007 will be a winner too.
To sum it up, this year's vintage is a bit on the concentrated and
dark side. The alcohol is a touch lower. so you can drink more. I'm
guessing this baby's going to be a keeper, for those of you that like
to collect. Just remember that it is very tasty right now too and there
isn't much to go around!
Back Label. Lane Tanner has been handcrafting elegant red wine since
1984. You can reach her through her website @ www.lanetanner.com
Laugh More-Flirt Often.
Cases Produced: 460
Harvest Date: 9/27/2006
Numbers @ Harvest: 24.6 Brix
Wine Numbers: 14.5% Alc. 3.63 pH No R.S.
Julia's
Vineyard is located about 3 miles due east from Bien Nacido Vineyards
in northern Santa Barbara County. My rows.7 through 12, from block B4
(Marten Ray clone), overlook the Santa Maria Valley and are beautifully
trellised up for maximum fruit exposure.
The fruit came in on
September 27th. This is quite late, as Pinot harvest time goes. It was
about a month later than 2005. I could have left them out even longer
but I was bored with just standing around the winery, doing nothing.
The weather was so mild that grapes just hung there, not getting better
or worse flavorwise but mildew was starting to set in. The 2006 harvest
was a normal sized crop of around 2.5 tons/acre. The berry size was
small but the cluster size was normal. I picked 6.9 tons from my rows.
The fermentation went well. I gently crushed the fruit into four ( 4'
by 4' by 4') open top fermenter bins, avoiding the harsh wood tannins
from stems. The juice was fermented with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain
the fruity components. Punch down routines were performed to maximize
the delicate flavors and subtle, elegant nuances of the Pinot Noir
grape without extracting the more coarse, alcohol soluble components.
The fermentation lasted a little longer than two weeks. The wine spent
about 11 months in Francois Frere French oak barrels. I used 35% new
wood to obtain a round mouth feel and a trace taste of smoke without
overshadowing the fruit. I bottled the wine on August 8th, 2007, after
a gentle filtration to get out the big stuff. This wine was not finned
in any way and it may naturally throw some sediment over time. All of
my wines are Very low in sulfites because I am personally allergic to
them.
This wine is very different from any of my other Pinot
Noirs, although I make them all the same way. It is the ripest
flavor-wise and most substantial structurally of my Pinot lineup. Dark
cherries and black raspberries run through the mouth with cranberries,
winter spices and cola. It is very deep and voluptuous with a haunting,
smoky quality that is from the grapes themselves, not the oak. This
wine will satisfy lovers of Burgundy with its' powerful fruit, satin
like texture and hints of mushrooms and earth. I call this Pinot The
Haunting Other Woman because it is dark, sensual and rather scary. The
Robb Report says this Pinot achieves what few Pinot Noirs do: Marrying
the forceful fruit of California with the more delicate mold, mushroom
and earth essences we associate with grand crus of Burgundy.
This year's vintage is once again, very supple and lush right from the start. The interesting thing about this vintage is that the wine tastes so much like the 2005 vintage even though the harvest was totally unlike 2005.go figure. Drink this wine now or cellar for six or seven years, it will not disappoint you!
Back Label... Lane Tanner has
been handcrafting elegant red wine since 1984. You can reach her
through her website @ www.lanetanner.com Laugh More-Flirt
Often.
Cases Produced: 460
Harvest Date: 9/19/2006
Numbers @ Harvest: 24.2 Brix
Wine Numbers: 14.1% Alc. 3.48 pH No R.S.
The
2006 harvest was very interesting. The fruit came in on September 19th.
This is quite late, as Pinot harvest time goes. It was about a month
later than 2005. I could have left them out even longer but I was bored
with just standing around the winery, doing nothing. The weather was so
mild that grapes just hung there, not getting better or worse
flavorwise but mildew was starting to set in and the sugars were going
up (equating to higher alcohols). The 2006 harvest was a normal sized
crop of around 2.2 tons/acre. The berry size was small but the cluster
size was normal. I picked 7 tons from my rows. The picking bins looked
like a wine magazine layout. The fruit arrived at the winery cold and
happy. The weather was so cool, that the fermentations were slower than
normal. The 2006 Bien Nacido is pure N block, rows 62-76 (Martini clone
on it's own rootstock, planted 1973) and is just the happy boyish charm
Pinot Noir that we have come to expect from this premiere vineyard. The
nose holds strawberry, plum, blackberry and herbs. The mouth is
extremely well balanced with silky tannins and a long and spicy finish.
The cool growing season shows up in a bit more tannin structure in the
mid pallet than in years gone bye. The aftertaste is always sweet and
clean. White pepper is lingering somewhere in the flavors. This is a
very marked characteristic of many red grapes from the Bien Nacido
Vineyard.
I gently destemmed (100%) into 4' by 4' by 4' open top
fermenters, avoiding the harsh wood tannins from stems. The juice was
fermented with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain the fruity components.
Punch down routines were performed to maximize the delicate flavors and
subtle, elegant nuances of the Pinot Noir grape without extracting the
more coarse, alcohol soluble components. The fermentation took about
two weeks. The wine spent about 11 months in Francois Frere
French oak barrels. I used 35% new wood to obtain a trace taste of
smoke and spice without overshadowing the fruit. The wine is unfined
and gently filtered (I call it rock and frog filtering) for visual
clarity. I bottled this wine on August 8th, 2007. It may naturally
throw some sediment over time. All of my wines are Very low in sulfites
because I am personally allergic to them.
Pure, perfectly
ripened fruit is ever the dominant theme for this baby. Strawberry
fruit framed by sweet oak and hints of allspice and mace move into a
positively plush finish. This vineyard is becoming very well known and
has been featured in a number of magazines in past years including Food
and Wine, Gourmet, Wines and Spirits and The Wine Enthusiast( My 2005
received a 91).
This year's vintage is very supple and lush
right from the start once again. The interesting thing about this
vintage is that the wine tastes so much like the 2005 vintage even
though the harvest was totally unlike 2005.go figure. Drink this wine
now or cellar for six to ten years, it will not disappoint you!
Back
Label.Lane Tanner has been handcrafting elegant red wine since 1984.
You can reach her through her website @ www.lanetanner.com
Laugh
More-Flirt Often.
Cases Produced: 556
Harvest Date: 9/19/2006
Numbers @ Harvest: Brix 22.7
Wine Numbers: 13.6% Alc. 3.62 pH No R.S.
I
am happy to say that the Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir is becoming my
flagship wine. It is my 'working girl'. The wine is beautiful, easy to
drink and retails at a price that lets one enjoy it often. It is a
blend of a few different Pinot Noir vineyards. Yum-Yum! I gently
crushed (100% destemmed) into 4' by 4' by 4' open top fermenter bins,
avoiding the harsh wood tannins from stems. The juice was fermented
with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain the fruity components. Punch down
routines were performed to maximize the delicate flavors and subtle,
elegant nuances of the Pinot Noir grape without extracting the more
coarse, alcohol soluble components. The wine spent about 11 months in
Francois Frere French oak barrels. I used about 35% new wood to obtain
a trace taste of smoke without overshadowing the fruit. The wine is
unfined and gently filtered for clarity. It will naturally throw some
sediment over time. This wine, like all of my wines, is very low in
free sulfites, because I am allergic to sulfites.
This wine is an extremely fun project for me. I get to play with and blend different vineyards which have wonderful smells and exotic new tastes. The fermenting grapes reminded me of fresh crunchy red fruit tied in with earth and spice overtones. It shows a bit more oak than my other wines, which I know will please many of you out there. The mouth feel is so gentle and smooth that one has to be careful not to drink the bottle tooo fast!
This year's vintage
is
very supple and lush right from the start. Every vintage is different.
The 2005 was a super soft vintage while the 2006 may be just a bit more
full and complex. The wine goes with almost anything. I like to open a
bottle when I get home from work and have a glass while I am returning
phone calls then I let the lingering tastes guide me through dinner
making decisions. The depth and richness of chocolate and violets with
cherry overtones matches beautifully with grilled pork or any vegetable
medley you can come up with.
Back Label: Lane Tanner has been
handcrafting elegant red wines since 1984. You can reach her through
her website @ www.lanetanner.com Laugh more-Flirt
often.
Cases Produced: 378
Harvest Date: September 9, 2005
Numbers @ Harvest: Brix 22.5 pH 3.67 TA 0.60
Wine Numbers: 13.8 % Alc. 3.70 pH No R.S.
All
of the fruit for this wine comes from the French Camp Vineyards,
located in the mid-eastern portion of San Luis Obispo County,
California, high up on a plateau. It is owned by the Miller family, the
same people who own Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Barbara County. This
vineyard is in the middle of nowhere. I use block 53 rows 40 through
60. It is a very steep South facing slope and the wonderful thing is
that I am such good friends of the vineyard manager, Hank, that he
let's me have just the top half of these rows...who knows where the
lower part of these rows go. The 2005 fruit came in a month later than
the 2004 and was the most beautiful fruit I have ever seen from this
vineyard. The normally large Syrah clusters looked almost identical to
Pinot Noir..small berry size and cluster size! My philosophy
for
making this Syrah is to keep it in the more gentle style, if I can. The
grapes are the Shiraz clone but made into a much more elegant style
than those Aussie wines.
The grapes are 100% destemmed. I gently crush into 4' by 4' by 4' open top fermenters keeping the berries as whole as possible. The juice is slowly fermented with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain the fruity components. Punch down routines are performed to maximize the softer, more elegant nuances of the Syrah grape without extracting the more coarse, alcohol soluble components. The wine spends about 12 months in French and American oak barrels. I use one or two heavy char barrels to give it a touch of that smoky-bacon fat smell that makes your mouth water. I use about 30% new oak to obtain a sound backbone without overshadowing the fruit. The finished wine is unfined and only gently filtered for visual clarity. It may throw sediment over time.
This
2005 Syrah is a most exciting tasting wine. I always ferment and handle
the grapes in a very "Pinotesque" way but it still comes out as a
beautiful, elegant Syrah, wine taste wise..that hints at top end Pinot
characters. The elegance and gentility screams Pinot Noir while the
mouth weight and lingering fruit finish whispers Syrah. The sweet juicy
blackberry fruit is highlighted in the palate and the soft black pepper
and smoke finish lingers to the next sip. It goes with almost any
robust food dish and many light cream sauce dishes. Of course it turns
most Asian dishes into a celebration. Speaking of celebration.try it
with turkey or ham.yum-yum.It really doesn't matter if your friends
think it is a Pinot or a Syrah, they WILL want more.
Back Label: This Vintage marks my 25th year in this Crazy Business!