by Mike on August 6, 2008
We have been working our tails off this growing season (which has been challenging to say the least) and in the past week we have seen changes in our babies. Veraison. The term that marks the point in development where the grapes begin to ripen. The whites are turning a golden color and the berries are starting to soften. The reds are a bit more dramatic, with the colors changing from green to dark purple and softening as well. It is now that sugar begins to accumulate and the acid begins to decrease. It also snaps you into the reality that harvest 2008 is upon us. It is from this point on that we start to manage the ripening of this beautiful fruit and pay particular attention to water stress, fruit architecture and of course birds!
M-S Cabernet at Veraison
by Mike on July 30, 2008
Nature Boy (aka Tony) gave you an idea about the way we farm and why we farm this way. There is one thing that I would like to add to this…we believe farming this way grows the best grapes possible for making world class wines. It may seem anecdotal (and a bit righteous), but as I’ve been here since 1994, I feel I have a pretty good chunk of history to reference. The wines from the Michel-Schlumberger are continually showcasing their immediate surroundings and the people that work with them (cultural terroir…an entire post in itself). Take for instance our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. 7 different clonal selections are blended to bring forth the cool, brown spice (nutmeg, allspice), fresh crushed raspberry driven notes that make this Cab a keeper amongst many wine lovers. We’ve all had wines that taste good upon release with alcohols driving the ship. I’m enjoy these wines. They’re fun and critics (being the fun people they are) seem to enjoy them. I actually drink a Coca Cola occasionally as well. But, I also appreciate the finer things in life…like age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon. Like penmanship, patience (especially for wine aging) is a dying quality for most humans. It’s a good thing to practice as the rewards are well worth the risk.
Mike Brunson - Winemaker
by Jay on July 28, 2008
One of the greatest parts of working in the Michel-Schlumberger Tasting Salon is meeting people from all over the country and the world. In the Tasting Salon on Saturday, we had a family from Sicily, whose kids played and danced outside while the adults tasted wine. It was fun watching the little guys play tag around the courtyard fountain. They didn’t seem to mind that there weren’t any televisions or computers around.
One of our wine educators, Joyce, met a man from the same town she grew up in. That wouldn’t be such a big deal but Joyce is from the tiny gold-mining town of Red Lake, Ontario population 4500. Red Lake is only 2400 miles away.
Sharing this spot on earth is what we’re all about here at Michel Schlumberger. We get such a kick taking people on our vineyard tours and showing them exactly where our wines originate. That sense of place, of being able to say “hey, this wine came from this particular parcel” is one of the many things that we want people to take with them. When those folks from Red Lake taste the cabernet sauvignon they bought, they’ll remember Saturday, that Joyce was a great host and how beautiful it truly is here.
