Cellar Notes with Marc

So here's a big how ya goin' to all the tigers and tigresses out there in wine world.  What's going on?  Still drinking wine?  That's the spirit!  As for me,I will be honest, the past 2 months has been more blurrier than Keith Richard's visit to Australia in the 60s.  This whole winemaking thing sure can get intense.  So we've pretty much taken in all our fruit and are currently snuggling with our ferments, ensuring they're cared for and not feeling neglected.  As usual, some great rocking tunes were sung by the Scooby gang to the yeasts while they were being prepared, for myself it including some eclectic versions of Bush, Cat Stevens (not sure how he even entered my head),Jimmy Eat World and of course Doves. 

It was a pretty random vintage to be honest, the weather and fruit played funny buggers, teasing us with pick dates, but as always it all turned out just dandy.  I'm stoked with the quality of the fruit that came in, and the ferments that have completed or are still running. Of particular stokeability are the Pinot Grigio, Gewuzrtraminer and Sauvignon Blanc.  For the Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc ferments, I did 2 batches of each using different selected yeasts and it's brilliant seeing the different flavours that shine through.  Always great for blending trials later on!  The reds are kicking along too.  This year I've really gone overboard with open ferments, I'm such a big fan of pigeage (that's winewank for manual plung down) in uncovered bins, using a rake to push that cap down and getting your hands totally stained inky red.  It's gonna be a good year I tells ya!

Another pretty cool thing we're doing again this year is the late pick of some Bordeaux reds again, as we did in 06.  Speaking of which, I don't know if you remember that random wine I made in 06?  You know, the (take a deep breath) Cab Sauv which was harvested 13th December (2 days after first Icewine pick), carbonic macerated, fermented in oak, put back on pressed 07 skins a year later, re-pressed to old oak and brought up only recently after a total of 33 months oak maturation.  If you do, well bully for you, if you don't then get onboard. Anyway, she's bottled and hopefully will be available for your tasting pleasure soon.  I have to be honest, wow, I'm so stoked cause she's a beast!  She's like that Demi Moore chick in G.I. Jane, scary as heck but you can't look away. 

Also have bottled my (please Charlie let me steal some, ppllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaassssssseeeeeeeee) straight up Gewuzrtraminer (bone dry, steely, full of cantaloupe and pear) and Viognier (so phat she will fill your gob wholey with tropical fruits and desirable minerality).  But buyers beware, cause they're in limited stock!  So don't be shy, swing by and take a captains at these new releases.  Really that's about it.  I feel like Donna Summer working hard for the money, except she had better hair than me.  So kids, that's about all she wrote, enjoy these dying days of sunshine and remember a bottle of alcohol isn't all that bad a substitute for a warm blankie.  Keep it real and get a drink up ya for me, cheers and hooroo, marc