We Came, We Saw, We Crushed

Well...we didn't quite do this...

The 2011 Harvest came upon us like last week's early Autumn rain: unexpected and on short notice. So, Frank and I, assisted later by Jay, tended the crush operations. I worked with Rick (of Rick and Sara Lewis, GSM barrelmates) on the front end, forking grapes into the ladder while Frank got all dirty with splashing grapes on the back end.

I have to say that the quality of fruit this harvest is the best I've ever seen. The Grenache and (Dominck's own) Syrah were very nice (the Syrah pick still dirty but much cleaner than last year), but the Mourvèdre, the Primitvo and the Petit Sirah looked and tasted especially good.

Huh? Wha? Primitivo and Petit Sirah?  If you were following the earlier emails, like last year's Mourvèdre troubles, this year there were acquisition issues with both Zinfindel and Barbara. So, an executive decision had to be made, and Saturday's group (sounding sort of like NFL GMs on Draft Day) went with "the best grape (and blend combo) available." Primitivo is certainly a functional and varietal equivalent of Zin (1),  and Petit Sirah has a long "field blend" history with Zin and Primitivo (2). So there we have it: our accidental 50/50 blend.

(1) "DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia (the "heel" of Italy), where it was introduced in the 18th century. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, and became known by variations of the name "Zinfandel", a name of uncertain origin." Mirosevic, N; Meredith, C (2000). "A review of research and literature related to the origin and identity of the cultivars Plavac mali, Zinfandel and Primitivo (Vitis vinifera L.)" (PDF). Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus 65 (1): 45–49.)

2)"Historically, California Zinfandel vines were planted as a field blend interspersed with Durif (Petite Sirah), Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Mission and Muscat. While most vineyards are now fully segregated, California winemakers continue to use other grapes (particularly Petite Sirah) in their Zinfandel wines." [Clarke, Oz (2001). Encyclopedia of Grapes. Harcourt Books]