WOW – it’s a stunningly incredibly gloriously refreshingly sunny day at Schlumberger today! That’s one reason this week’s post is gonna be short and sweet – frankly, after the many weeks of cold rain I’d much rather go wander outside and experience the Estate rather than sit here on my computer and write about it. Besides that, my camera is busted (who knew a 2 foot drop onto a carpeted floor could turn a $200 digital camera into a disposable piece of junk?).
Anyway, last week my lovely wife and I cracked open a bottle of Michel-Schlumberger 2007 cabernet franc to drown our rain-induced sorrows. Lord have mercy, what a wine! I couldn’t get over the sheer berry-ness — oodles of dark, ripe, rich blackberry framed perfectly by a touch of cocoa and spice. Serious yummy fun.
Cabernet franc grapes
An incredibly tasty Schlumberger wine is, of course, no huge surprise. What is interesting, though, is the past history of this grape in our vineyards. For years the cab franc never quite made the cut to be considered for a varietal offering. Until Brunson stepped in. So the Question o’ the Day I posed to Mike the Winemaker is this:
How did you transform the cabernet franc at Michel-Schlumberger from a lackluster blender into a stellar stand-alone superstar?
Mike Brunson, Winemaker and Fisherman
Brunson: In 2005 we stopped inoculating with cultured yeast and made a few more changes before and during fermentation (zero temp control, smaller batch fermentation, soaking longer on the front end and pulling off skins earlier on the back end) that have given us great results.
It helps that the vines are really starting to mature as well. Out in the vineyard they’ve received a bit more nutrient in the form of fish emulsion and compost than they had prior to 2004, and the effort of our Vineyarists in cover crop and canopy management have paid huge dividends as well.
So there you have it. From the mouth of the master. And I would’ve said that is was simply magic…
Tony
p.s. I don’t mean to be a tease but this particular wine is already long gone — we only produced 280 cases and all of it was reserved as a special treat for our Wine Bench club members. The good news? There’s more cab franc and other very special offerings on the way. Stay tuned…
