Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/70673
nor T h W e S T grapes registering more than 28° Brix plummet compared to those with less sugar. The green characters may have bottomed out, but fruit characteristics are disappearing, too. Phenolic concentration Correcting the concentration of phe- nolics in a wine doesn't have to mean risking high alcohol ferments or the loss of fruit characters. Techniques such as saignée and extended maceration during the winemaking process can boost the extraction of phenolics, while the right barrel treatment can complement hang- time decisions. "I usually don't think specifically that, 'I let these grapes hang, there- fore I have to use this kind of barrel regime,'—or, 'I didn't let these grapes hang so I have to use this kind of bar- rel regime,'" says Joshua Maloney, red winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington state. He says most winemakers will opt to let grapes hang (or not) rather than look to address deficiencies in the barrel. Hang time can contribute a greater richness and softer tannins to Chateau Ste. Michelle's grapes, he "The oak becomes a complement to the wine rather than a mask of deficient characters." —Joshua Maloney, Chateau Ste. Michelle red winemaker says, preventing the need to tightly manage extraction of compounds from the grapes or trying to cover up those flavors with oak. But the right oak program can help polish wines made from grapes with long hang times, smoothing out the flavor profile. Given enough hang time, grapes can make wines that will benefit from a slower extraction of oak flavors in the barrel. A case in point would be wines made from the Bordeaux varieties grown at Canoe Ridge, a south-facing site overlooking the Columbia River in Washington. Maloney says that grapes grown here usually hang long enough to develop an ideal balance of fruit, herb and spice characters. The resulting wines typically go into French barrels with a tight grain that results in a slower extrac- tion of oak characters and smoother integration of these flavors into the finished wine. "You've got good ripeness, but it's not over the top, and it needs some subtlety to the oak. It needs some elegance," he says. "The oak becomes a complement to the wine rather than a mask of deficient characters." 52 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 201 1