First storm of the year

Wow, our first storm of the year last week was a big one - we don't have a rain gage but neighbors report anywhere from 3-6 inches in one day. About 5-6 days before the storm, I decided to do a foliar application of iron, zinc, and boron. Iron & zinc are better applied in the spring, but I've read uptake this time of year is OK, so went for it. There are studies of whether boron applied through the leaves is effective; the results are inconclusive BUT once the leaves (with boron having been applied) fall, they do the trick.

This a shot from shortly after the storm.

Time to Press

This year's cabernet grapes have been fermenting away for a few weeks now; the past couple of days the cap's been very weak, and we're going to try pressing a bit earlier this year. So, today we pressed all of our wines - the Zin which has been on C02 for just over a week now, and the Cab which we've been punching down 3-4x/day since pitching the yeast.

Yield was MUCH greater - we think juicier grapes, adding pectic enzyme, or getting skilled with the fruit press is getting us more, well, juice. Our 30 gallons of Cabernet must yielded 18.5 gallons once pressed out; and our 18 gallons of Zinfandel yielded about 12 gallons.

Now we let them sit in the cellar for about a month, then we rack off the 'gunk' (which is already settling out).

Carboys to Bottles

This evening we managed to bottle up almost 9 cases of wine! Rough breakdown:

- 2 cases Leach 07. I was afraid it would taste flabby, but we think it's pretty good. Fruity, strong but smooth. Yeay!

- 2 cases Estate 07, which we think will need to age a LONG time to age (still tasting very sharp & acidic).

- 2 cases Estate / Leach 07 blend. More like a big Cab; likely due to the presence of the very acidic / strong 2007 estate. I think it'll be OK with big red meat or marinara sauce.

- 2 cases 08 Zinfandel. Fruity, light but heavy alcohol (especially noticeable when eaten after a mouthful of cheese). I imagine this one may mellow out over time.

- 1 case of an 08 blend; mostly Zin with some estate Cabernet. It's very reminiscent of the Zinfandel above (fruity, but with a Cab kick). Needs time to age.

As last year, we've been saving wine bottles all summer, soak in ammonia to remove the labels, then clean and store until bottling day. Within an hour of bottling, I re-rinse and sterilize, either with boiling water or a solution of water & potassium metabisulfate.

We also added 25 ppm potassium metabisulfate before bottling - a token amount to ensure nothing goes awry while aging.

Cab: Fermaid K Yeast Nutrient

I remember reading that more yeast nutrient should be added midway through fermentation - after re-looking it up, you add another dose after 1/3 sugar depletion. We're using FermaidK, which to my surprise includes DAP. Added today (although sugar 1/2 depleted, so added a bit less than recommended dose). Fermentation is looking and smelling great so far!

Zin cap fallen

Zin cap is fallen - so off to the cooler part of the garage. We're keeping it in the primary fermenter with a shot of C02 on the surface to reduce exposure to oxygen. That way we can press the same time as the Cabernet (ETA next weekend 10/18).

Yeast-pitching, ML innoculation, and other fun

After adding 25 ppm potassium metabisulfate & pectic enzyme, then letting the must sit for about 30 hours, we added yeast and ML culture as follows:

Yeast: Lalvin BM 4x4 (more reliable cousin to Lalvin BM45)

added Fermaid K - 2t per 15 gallons must

added DAP - too little, about 1t per 15 gallons must; will add more generously on second addition midway through ferment.

Also innoculated with Malolactic culture. No leucofood needed when c0-innoculating BTW.

In addition, we gave the fermenting Zinfandel a nudge by adding a bit of yeast, and additional Fermaid K. As a just-in-case measure (no notable problems with fermentation thus far).

In all cases, we decided to try simply sprinkling the yeast on top of the must, then mixed about 80% of it into the top inch or two of must. We've heard this works just fine, and it worked with our first batch, so we're trying it again.

Fingers crossed!

Harvest 2009

Just wrapped up Harvest 2009! 16 volunteers and 3 hours later, we got the nets removed, grapes picked, hand de-stemmed (thanks to Gary Marcos to the closeup on this operation), and crushed - by feet!

We almost doubled our yield this year - right around 30 gallons of must. Still far short of what we should be getting out of 100 vines, but given the oaks, birds, hillside, and us still learning we think we're doing all right.

Stats:

Brix 25Ph 3.6
Ta 6.375

After crushing, we added 25 ppm potassium metabisulfate (4/10 teaspoon per 15-gallon

fermenter) and roughly 1 teaspoon of pectic enzyme for every 3 gallons (5 teaspoons per 15-

gallon fermenter).

TA is surprisingly low (after years of being surprisingly

high), but well within the realm of acceptable acid levels for a red wine.