Vino In My Dino

Harvest of Memories

November 3, 2016 16:17

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This is the fourth part of the series begun in August as we looked toward picking our first grapes, now this year is in the memory banks. My final portion of harvest memories includes my dad Jim, mom Phyllis and husband Ed.

In the early days of the family business, Jim was a key part of harvest since it was ‘all hands on deck’ from the youngest to the oldest members of the family. From picking grapes to helping in the cellar he remembers all of it as a family effort. Recalling a treacherous moment when he was in 6th grade, he still remembers getting caught on a conveyor belt, falling backward and hitting his head while he was working at the hydraulic press. He ran up to the house in tears and told his mother what happened. She checked him out and sent him back to the cellar-no worse for wear.

Later on, when he and his young family (including yours truly) moved into the family home following his parent’s retirement he was back to living on site as he had when growing up here. Many evenings he would go down to the cellar just a few feet away and punch down the cap in the open fermenter tanks lining the cellar-he noted we were ahead of our time because now these are all the rage among today’s winemakers. He always worked with brother John helping out-in fact if he traveled at all during harvest he curtailed his marketing trips to one or two days so he could be here.

Phyllis moved to the winery in 1964 when her in-laws retired. The following harvest she began weighing the trucks. She would go back and forth between the house and the weigh station (only a few feet apart) sometimes taking youngest daughter, Joanna, in the infant seat and keeping her at the weigh station. She remembers the growers would bring the grapes in large wooden boxes which were unloaded by hand. Long time growers from the area were Glaser, Giovannoni, Pedroni, Buchignani, Teldeschi, Zini, and Capucci. The last one she remembers would bring mushrooms and chestnuts while other growers brought apples and table grapes. They’d chat about the weather and the acorns-if you had a bumper crop of acorns you were in for a long winter. They would gather up the acorns from the winery yard and take them home to feed the wild pigs on their ranches (to fatten them up). She thinks it was more laid back then and less personal or more mechanized now.

My parents Phyllis and Jim.

Ed began his harvest memories with his stint in the cellar at Souverain Winery-it had rained and the Riesling was picked and brought to the crushpad. He remembers how slick the grapes were-almost slimy because of the breakdown of the berries once they had become wet-they were beyond ‘ripe’ to put it delicately. He later found himself in the cellar at Alexander Valley Vineyards. This time it was Cabernet Sauvignon and his job was to add sulphur to the must as it made its way into the fermentor. And added a bit too much—like four times too much! The winemaker Hank Wetzel, questioning what had happened, indicated he was concerned that the tank might not even ferment—all was well and the wine turned out to be an award winner! The excitement of the first load of grapes and the promise that brings every year is still his favorite memory. And being here, watching three generations of family members stand around as the first gondola is emptied into the hopper, just reminds him of how we’ve all made mistakes, learned from them and just delved deeper into this amazing family business.

My husband Ed and yours truly, it takes a family!

A toast to memories, with a splash of vino in my dino.

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Wrapping Up The Vintage

October 26, 2016 16:23

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As October ends with quite a few inches of rain falling, the young wines in the cellar are finishing up the process going from grapes to new wine. Let's wrap up vintage 2016 with a few notes from me and our winemaker Montse Reece.

The month of October flew by in our cellar. We received our final truckload of grapes on September 30. The grand total was 848 tons of grapes crushed during our 89th harvest. To put it in perspective there is this report from the Wine Institute: "overall state winegrape crop was estimated to be near the historical average of 3.9 million tons by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in August 2016." We’re a drop in a very large bucket!

The harvest went off without a hitch and Montse says, “A great vintage with back-to-normal size crop and back-to-normal acids!”

“The young red wines are now finishing their secondary fermentation (Julie says: also known as malo-lactic fermentation in order to soften the rough edges) and will be racked off the lees (dead yeast cells and other particulate) and sent to barrel (Julie says: where more softening of the edges takes place by slowly aging and oxygenating the young wine). All wines are sampled for fresh analysis in the lab as they finish racking. Our 2016 Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon has already been put into new French oak barrels to begin its’ nearly two year aging process. The Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Rose of Zinfandel are being cold-stabilized because they will be the first wines of the vintage to be bottled early next year.”

So it's a wrap on harvest but it's not a wrap in the cellar as they keep busy transferring thousands of gallons of wine from tank to barrel over the coming months. A toast with a splash of Wisdom Cabernet in my Dino!

It's all about the tanks this time of year. From our red wine fermentation building to shoveling the lees from the tank to cold stabilization of our Sauvignon Blanc. You thought harvest was busy? Try post-harvest wrap up!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Cabernet Sauvignon
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HYPEd at Pedroncelli

October 21, 2016 16:29

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We hosted a wonderful group of young professionals from northern Sonoma County recently. Officially titled Healdsburg Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs, HYPE is an off-shoot of the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce. I was ‘hyped’ up because I enjoyed hearing about their individual stories, I hope you get ‘HYPEd’ too.

As I spoke to several of the attendees I was inspired to weave all of their careers into one blog post in support of what they are doing to make this a great place to live. The evening was lively, they learned about our story and we listened to theirs. I believe you would enjoy being introduced to them. Follow up if they provide something you are looking for whether it is a backyard organic garden, hotel room, balloon ride or that perfect wine country career.

Joanna’s Nannies provides babysitting and event childcare when you are attending an over-21 event or just want a bit of alone time.

Dr. Jessica Klein, a Healdsburg native, opened Wine Country Vet Hospital in Windsor and will take good care of your pets and you can enjoy a glass of wine while you are there.

Jeremy Nusser and Amanda Dunker have a great idea for your backyard with Avalow. Their motto is Eat Well. Garden Often and they install and maintain raised bed gardens—all you do is sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor!

Rachel Droesch pulls double duty as a tour guide for Healdsburg Wine Country Walking Tours as well as a wedding event coordinator for XOXO Events.

Julie Hagele is the development director for Rio Lindo Academy a co-ed Adventist Academy on a beautiful hilltop campus.

Shannon Eckerman will give you the ride of your life with Up-Away balloon rides over our lovely area.

Alexis Greenberg Photography Studio will take your portrait or capture your wedding day and lovely landscapes.

Kenneth Sipes Cinema will do the honors of filming your special day.

Erik Neztsosie and Sarah Krug have some of the best rooms around if you are in Healdsburg. A stay at the Dry Creek Inn is perfectly located for your wine country visits.

Lauren Wyer of Piazza Hospitality will point you in the direction of their properties in downtown Healdsburg, luxury hotels and great restaurants including Spoon Bar-one of the trendiest spots to enjoy our little town.

Alissa Morse represents CPI International and while you may not need their services when you visit they offer the highest quality, most reliable solutions to chemists, microbiologists, and scientific professionals in our industry.

Maybe you’ll fall in love with Sonoma County and would like to work here-Lindsey Brown of Job Tango will provide you with a great support system for you. If you are an employer use them to help find the right person for the job.

Brad Pender at Healdsburg Lumber Company can point you in the direction for all of your DIY projects or professionals to help you complete that redesign.

Looking for a home? Maybe you’d like to check in with Karen Massey at the City of Healdsburg where she is the Community Housing and Development Director.

Finally Jon Koons represented the great Russian River Valley winery Inman Family Wines, and even took home a magnum of our Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy Jon!

A toast with Zinfandel in my Dino to all of these great professionals whom we are lucky to have in our midst. And special thanks to HYPErs Aleena Decker, Rachel Droesch and especially Alexis Greenberg for the photos!

HYPE first gathered for some Pedroncelli wine and snacks.

Part of their networking time was spent picking one of six questions like a favorite aspect of their job, if they were a wine what would they be and why or a goal they'd like to achieve by the end of the year.

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Home Ranch Ramble

October 13, 2016 16:36

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Over two days I took a walk around the vineyard as the vineyard crew prepares for fall and winter. Dirk tagged along as he always does during my noon time meanderings.

We finished with grapes on September 30 and our last tank of new wine was pressed off yesterday. The 2016 vintage is tucked away undergoing the next step of secondary fermentation. But what happens to the vineyard post-harvest? I walked around the Home Ranch over the last two days to check things out. Bright and sunny on Wednesday and clouds gathering on Thursday for the storm headed our way we made our way up and down the hillsides.

Over the last week our vineyard crew was kept busy buttoning things up as we have an imminent rain storm predicted for this weekend. They worked on hay spreading along the vineyard avenues including one block where the vines were pulled to make way for a new planting. This cover crop of hay will germinate in the rain and help secure the soil and control erosion on the ranch. Soil amendments and other work will take place over the next few weeks. Just another day on the farm. A toast to fall in all its' splendor with a splash of Zinfandel in my Dino!

Bright and sunny on October 12, Dirk checks the newly spread hay.

October 13 and the block is ready for rain, clouds moving in quickly.

I gathered leaves from some virused Zinfandel vines for an event this weekend. Our own fall colors are quite beautiful and they make a nice centerpiece.

While I was gathering leaves, Dirk took his own walk and after 15 minutes we found each other again-both quite relieved! The wild grape vine in the background is beautiful too!

Wild grapes on the vine. The birds will eat these!

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In The Cellar

October 6, 2016 16:43

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We finished harvest on September 30 with high quality grapes on our hands. However, the cellar is still abuzz with activity at least for another month as the 2016 wines finish the fermentation process.

On this fine fall day I took a walk through the cellar. If only there were scratch & sniff blog posts-the smell is heavenly with all the aromatics from fermenting wine! My first stop was in the white wine barrel room where the 2016 F. Johnson Vineyard Chardonnay has finished its’ first fermentation and now will go through the second fermentation. This process, called malo-lactic fermentation, changes the sharper malic acid to the milder lactic acid. Use these two foods to ‘get the picture’: tart green apple acidity changes to the softer butter-like acidity.

Red wine tanks continue to be drained once fermentation is finished, on a staggered schedule as they finish 10 days or so after being picked. The solids are pressed off (now called pomace--see below) and the wine is sent to a storage tank to undergo malo-lactic fermentation. All of our red wines except the Port goes through this secondary fermentation.

A quick check at the lab where winemaker Montse Reece is testing samples of wines just finished with fermentation shows one lot of Chardonnay where she is checking for dryness (fermented to no residual sugar), the red wine sample in the middle one is our Port that is headed into barrels, bypassing the secondary fermentation because of the high alcohol in this fortified wine. The third sample is our Dry Rose of Zinfandel in the lab for a color intensity check up.

As the month continues the cellar crew will press off a few more tanks and all of the red wines will take a month or so to go through the second fermentation turning them a bit softer and ready for their time in barrel. More soon as we take our time in October finishing the vintage. A toast with some Chardonnay in my Dino to time in the cellar!

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Last Lot In

September 30, 2016 16:49

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Harvest 2016 is over for us with the last lot in of Merlot at noon today. Six weeks and two days ago we began with Sauvignon Blanc and today we took in this lot for the friends.red program. In fact it will be co-fermented with the Syrah from Ridge Ranch which was harvested yesterday. The fall weather is upon us on this cool 70 degree day with winds whipping up from the south, thin high clouds moving quickly over the blue sky and the wonderful aromas of fermenting wine wafting about the winery yard.

A toast with some Friends.Red in my Dino to another harvest, our 89th, in the tank. Thanks to the hard-working cellar and vineyard crews too!

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Secret Agent: Block 007

September 28, 2016 16:55

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Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of red wine grapes, gained its’ title because it is the most widely planted red wine grape in California with nearly 88,000 acres. (just for stats the next most widely planted grape is Zinfandel coming in at just over 47,000 acres). Secondly the out and out demand for the grape outstrips almost all others-Pinot Noir perhaps giving it a run for the money. We continue to farm 29 acres of this noble grape and as harvest winds down we take a look at a special block, 007, as it is harvested.

The final block off of our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards was picked today and the light is at the end of the tunnel for everyone here at Pedroncelli. Named Block 007 by Jim Pedroncelli, who added a zero to the block name, it is a vineyard planted with specialized trellising and site specific qualities.

Block 007 was replanted in 1992—on the Scott Henry trellis system which splits the cordon arms into a double tier with the upper arm usually bearing about 3 tons of grapes per acres while the lower arm bears about 2 tons per acre. The vineyard land is well drained, right next to Canyon Creek where it is gravelly and ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon.

The warm weather we have had in September was welcomed as the key to ripening the grapes-coming in at an average of 26 degrees Brix. This level points to a rich and full flavored Cabernet. It is, after all, called hang time and the longer these grapes hang the better they develop. Balanced acidity, pH and sugar are the foundations of a great wine.

You may notice in the photo below there is a difference in how the grapes are being emptied into the crusher. We did run into a snag as harvest was winding down. The crushpad hoist for the gondola broke. With just days left to harvest the last of our vineyard blocks, vineyard manager Lance came up with a plan: borrow equipment. Favors were asked of three growers and they provided: the tractor, the bin lift and the bins. We managed to finish picking the Petite Sirah, Syrah and the Block 007 Cabernet this way. As is so typical of how we do business here in Dry Creek Valley, borrowing the important equipment to get the job done is an illumination of neighbors helping neighbors. It helps to have been here for so long but I suspect anyone needing help will find it among friends here in the valley. A toast to the vintage with a splash of Block 007 in my Dino!

Fully ripened Block 007 Cabernet Sauvignon headed for tank#105.

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And Now For Something Completely Different: Night Harvesting the King

September 21, 2016 16:59

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Cabernet Sauvignon is known as the ‘king’ of red wine grapes. We were the first to plant it in Dry Creek Valley over 50 years ago. Our 29 acres of vineyard thrive along the bench here in the valley, a mile or so west of the winery. Home to prune trees up until the 1970s when we purchased the property, the location’s rocky soil and cool nights help to develop the personality of our Three Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Join me as we take a look at a first here at Pedroncelli: night harvesting Block DC02 destined for our Three Vineyard blend.

First let’s consider the vineyard and the way it was established as an important part of the story. When this block was replanted a few years ago, Vineyard Manager Lance Blakeley chose the straight vertical trellis style which would work for both hand and machine harvesting. He saw the need for some changes in the way we do things after years of doing it one way. Shortage of labor and skyrocketing costs all played into the decision. And last night, for the first time in our 89 years of farming our vineyards, we did something completely different. We machine harvested Block DC02. While my uncle John was dubious about the quality of grapes being machine harvested quite a bit has changed in the last 30 or so years. The vines are treated more gently as the machine moves down the row and the general MOG-Material Other than Grapes-is not as prolific as it is when picking by hand.

Winemaker Montse Reece said, “In the cellar this morning we saw very clean-picked grapes. Machine harvest has the obvious advantage of time, we picked this lot in only 3 hours compared to nearly 6 by hand. Picking at night allows the grapes to come into the cellar cooler than hand-picking during the day, preserving the aromas and flavors.” In fact I picked some Cabernet berries along the way and they were indeed cold-almost refrigerated after a warm couple of days. It proved a point. All these years I have been talking about how the fog influence is so important-keeping the grapes cool at night. And now we have night harvesting to thank for capturing the king of red grapes at its best. A toast to firsts with a splash of our Three Vineyards Cabernet in my Dino!

Vineyard manager Lance Blakeley oversees the first night harvest at Pedroncelli.

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Capturing the King

September 14, 2016 17:05

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Though Zinfandel is our flagship wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, AKA ‘the king of red wine grapes’,is equally as important to us. We farm 105 acres of grapes: 33 of them are Zinfandel and 29 are Cabernet Sauvignon. Between the two they make up 40% of our total production. As the harvest season continues we’ll look at our Cabernet Sauvignons: Wisdom, Three Vineyards and Block 007.

Wisdom Vineyard, West Dry Creek Road.

We were the first to plant this varietal in Dry Creek Valley. In 1965 John and Jim bought five acres a couple of miles west of the winery. For 50 years we farmed the piece which turned out to be a perfect spot for the King. When the vineyard chief, John Pedroncelli, agreed it was time to pull them up-who has ever heard of old vine Cabernet?-they did and replanted with site specific qualities in mind, A culmination of the years of 'wisdom' gained from knowig the land, the microclimate and the right grape. The decision was made to include a few rows of Malbec and 10 years later, at prime maturity, we are looking at a blockbuster vintage.

The vineyard was harvested on September 13. The Malbec, while it isn’t always ready to be picked at the same time, was ready to be included in this vintage and is being co-fermented in tank 092, one specifically designed for small lots. Montse Reece, winemaker, plans a four day cold soak so the must (juice and skins) has time to coalesce giving the wine a head start by adding more color and better aromatics pre-fermentation. The must will be inoculated with a Bordeaux strain of yeast and fermentation will take 10-12 days, with pumpovers being an integral part of developing complexity and flavor.

A toast to the Wisdom vineyard with a splash of Cabernet in my Dino!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Cabernet Sauvignon
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Fermenting an Icon

September 8, 2016 17:09

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Ten days ago the vineyard crew began picking Zinfandel from the home ranch. Home to our iconic Mother Clone Zinfandel, which has been growing here since the early 1900s, the vineyard contains first, second and third generation plantings. Head pruned, hillside location, hand harvested. Like we've been doing for 89 years.

What happens after the destemmed berries and juice go into a tank? In this case I am following the first tank filled, #102.

Stainless steel Tank #102 holds 5500 gallons and this amount comes from 31 tons of Zinfandel. It is temperature controlled which helps to slow down the process. If it ferments too quickly then you don’t get much color or flavor so the idea is to give it some time. Once the tank is filled the concoction, now called must, settles for 24 hours.

Next, yeast is added to begin the conversion of sugar to alcohol. And it isn’t just any yeast used across the board. Winemaker Montse Reece makes sure to use the right one, Red Pasteur and is based on the varietal and the amount of the fermenting must. The tank is checked daily as fermentation takes the original Brix measurement of 26.2 to completely dry. This typically takes about 10 days.

And while it is slowly fermenting there is one other part of the process: the cap. The cap, which is comprised of the skins and seeds floating to the top, has juice pumped up from the bottom of the tank and is sprayed over the top three times a day. This is done to gain more flavor and color in the developing wine.

Mitch Blakeley, fourth generation Pedroncelli, works on emptying tank 102.

Finally, once fermentation has finished 10 days later, the tank is emptied, leaving the skins and seeds behind as it is pressed. The young wine is then transferred to a storage tank until the end of the year when the 2016 Mother Clone Zinfandel is put into barrels for a year. A toast to an icon, our flagship wine!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Zinfandel
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