Tony W 'Punching Down'

Back in the day, I used to work in the cellar here at Michel Schlumberger and during this time of year, I always get a hankering for the days of yore when I would be hauling hose, sanitizing, punching down, pumping over with the rest of the crew. Part of the joy of making wine is the camaraderie of working long hours with folks you know are working just as hard. Leading a group of bikers (spokes not motors) yesterday from New York,  I was explaining the formation of the “cap” and I saw a confused look or two.  So I brought the group over to a bin of fermenting syrah, showed them the top where the skins had formed ”the cap” and then plunged my hand through to the juice and we watched as bubbles of CO2 came to the surface. They were surprised but also immediately got the point!  That’s one of the great things about coming to the winery during harvest is that all of the things we talk about year round are right there.

Come on up to Michel-Schlumberger and join us with the hand’s on experience- then sit back and enjoy a glass.  Nice.

What do the winemaking and cellar staff do on those days when there are no grapes coming in to crush? 

The better question is-what don’t they do since there are always tasks aplenty in the cellar of a winery.  Today I jumped in and tried to lend a hand in the Michel-Schlumerger cellar.  Really I was mostly holding things,  pressing on things, filling things and watching others do them much better than I could.   A picture is worth a thousand words — but everyone should try to volunteer at a harvest somewhere.  The hand’s on experience is irreplaceable.  And it gives one such appreciation for the artistry of this magical industry.  

Cool stuff.   Thanks guys for letting me hang out for the day!

Mike and I were talking one day about vintage variation-you know-those often subtle differences between growing seasons and how it affects the wine.  This is one area that it’s really difficult to make generalizations about. This is a good year. This is a bad year.  What is a “bad year” anyway?  Is the wine “bad”?  Who decides these things? More often then not, it’s the press.  Besides questioning the very methodology of determining good and bad vintages, Mike and I are more fascinated by the subtleties and it was my ascertion that even in “bad” years the wine is still pretty darn good. It’s just different. And aren’t those differences what makes wine interesting and fun.  I think so.

One of the tastings we do here illustrates this point precisely.  The reserve vertical tasting is the best of the best.   We line up three of our reserve cabernets from the same block, made in nearly the same way with the same blend and we let our guests decide what’s what.  The vintages are well aged from 1998, 1999, and 2000.  I believe our wines really start to show their stuff at about 8 years so these wines are in their prime.  This special tasting is available here daily and we’re always happy as your hosts to crack them open!  

As Mike and I were chatting we came up with a good way of describing vintage variation.  It’s like a thumbprint.  Our vineyard is as unique as the grooves on your thumb.  It is particular to this place and has definable qualities of soil, slope, spacing, and plant material. All of these things are the physical characteristics of what we call “Bloque Loco.” It’s one of the best spots for Cabernet on the lower ranch. Now the non-physical aspect of this block is how it responds to the growing season. That’s how hard you press down on the thumbprint.  When the vintage is easy and all things go smoothly, the imprint of the vintage is light. When we need to respond to certain challenges during the growing season, like frost or shatter or an increase in mildew, the imprint of the vintage is heavier.  

I think that is more illustrative way of defining the differences a vintage can have in a vineyard. Instead of writing off or presuming that “in this certain year” a wine is no good, this idea of a thumbprint engenders a willingness to taste, to experience a wine for what it is.  One of the coolest things in tasting wine is spotting those differences and appreciating that particular moment in time.

Jay Kell