Wines & Vines

July 2016 Technology Issue

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58 WINES&VINES July 2016 GRAPEGROWING Pioneers in Polyethylene for Wine 25 Years of Experience Thousands of Tanks in Use 208-549-1861 • www.pascopoly.com Tanks 225 to 4500 Gallons QUALITY WINE ALWAYS TOP PRIORITY KiLR-CHiLR ™ Temp Control managed white wine fermentation, storage, and stabilization patented St. Regulus Automatic Fermentor patented managed red wine fermentation, self-pressing NAPA Contact us today! 575 ird St. Bldg. A Napa CA 94559 707-255-6372 | napafermentation@aol.com www.napafermentation.com Serves Your Yeast Needs Now available, Laffort's new Zymafl ore FX10® specifi cally for Bordeaux varieties. It is extremely robust in fermentation, and very neutral aromatically, for fruit expression. Also, Zymafl ore X16, X5, and VL3 for white wines. Yeast from the Enoferm and Lalvin series are available. Choose from 11 Enoferm or 25 Lalvin yeasts. Lalvin ICV OPALE® is the latest enological yeast selection from the Institut Coopératif du Vin (ICV) for higher aromatic intensity in white and rosé wines. Clues in the canopy As a vineyard manager, Hyde must strike the perfect balance of temperature, sunlight, shade and airflow around each cluster of grapes. Each variety demands its own mix of field conditions to satisfy winemakers who, like Hobbs, harvest to taste. But for Hyde and Hobbs, it's more art than science, more intui- tive than analytical. "Initially, I picked by the numbers," Hobbs says. "But for Pinot Noir, I threw out the re- fractometer years ago." Walking between rows of Pinot Noir on a misty afternoon, he stops to examine the canopy. "Are the basal leaves senescent? Are the stems turning from green to ligni- fied?" he asks. Brushing aside the canopy, he cradles a cluster of grapes to determine if it weighs enough to be ripe. "Are the grapes softening or dimpling?" he adds. Splitting a grape in half, he explains: "I'm looking for tannins in the seeds and whether the pulp is clear with red veins running through it." Dislodging a seed from the grape and then chewing it, he asks: "Has the acidity in the pulp nearest the seed given way to creaminess? Are the seeds crunchy like a dried nut?" Hobbs is searching for physiological matu- rity, an idea that reaches beyond pH, Brix and titratable acidity to the ripeness of tannins and other phenolic compounds that add color and taste to the wine. Grapes can deliver textbook concentrations of sugars and acids but lack mature tannins that add complexity to wine. "Physiologically flavors could be there," he says, "but the tannins are not ready." "It's a complicated puzzle," Larry Hyde adds. "I never really thought about it until I started making wine for myself." The Hydes joined with their cousin Pa- mela (née Fairbanks) and her husband Au- bert de Villaine, co-director of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, to found HdV Wines in Napa. HdV began using Hyde Vineyard fruit in 2000 to make California wine with French winemaking expertise. The Hyde family also began marketing Hyde Vineyard wines with the 2009 vintage, now labeled as Hyde & Sons. To elevate the craft A generation in the making, Paul Hobbs de- scribes his partnership with Larry Hyde as a dance. "After 25 years of collaboration, we've worked out our dance steps to a high degree." Their choreography has yielded full-bodied yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir that is lighter in body, yet full of complex aro- mas and flavors. "We learned from one another," Hobbs says. "I was fastidious about how I like my grapes grown, so there was a back and forth. It could have been contentious, but Larry always put quality first." Both vineyard manager and winemaker are artisans who relentlessly search for ways to elevate the craft. "Paul is willing to take chances," Hyde says. "A lot of winemakers would have said: 'Cabernet in Carneros? Forget it.'" "Larry is one of the true farmers of the Napa Valley," Hobbs concludes. "His soul is in the vineyard." " After 25 years of collaboration, we've worked out our dance steps to a high degree." —Paul Hobbs, winemaker

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