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74 WINES&VINES May 2018 WINEMAKING T he Eastern U.S. wine industry has evolved dramatically in the last 30 years and that evolution was on full display at a sold-out session focused on high-end red Bordeaux-style wines during the Eastern Winery Exposition March 6-8 in Lancaster, Pa. The conference drew more than 1,100 people for sessions on viticulture, enol- ogy, sales and marketing as well as a wine industry trade show. Two Virginia winemakers and one from New York's Long Island brought more than 100 years of winemaking experience to share. The European influence on these wines was evi- dent: Luca Paschina, native of Alba, Italy, and winemaker for Barboursville Vineyards in Barboursville, Va., started his career in the early 1980s in Italy. Just about the same time, Roman Roth, the winemaker for New York's Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, N.Y., began his winemaking efforts in Baden, Ger- many. Jim Law, owner and head winemaker of Linden Vineyards, Linden, Va. planted his first vineyards in 1985, and has travelled exten- sively in Europe, learning from numerous growers and winemakers on each trip. All three produce a high-end Bordeaux- style blend, which is the signature wine of their wineries. Attendees sampled Paschina's 2012 Octa- gon, a blend featuring 50% Merlot, 49% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Roth's 2013 Christian's Cuvée is labeled as a Merlot, with 92.5% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Petit Verdot. Law's 2012 Hardscrabble con- tained 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. All were powerful yet balanced wines from vine- yards of different altitudes and soil composi- tions, but very similar in the attention to details their winemakers employ. Law's Hardscrabble Vineyard, which pro- vides the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes for his blend, is located 1,200 to 1,400 feet above sea level. Law identifies his efforts as "declassification," where he disre- gards the specific identities of what grapes he selects. "All of our decisions are made from the palate," he said. Blending by taste, not a formula Law presses his red grapes into three fractions, and during fermentation he tastes every two days. The wine is further "declassified" into as many as 300 variable-lid drums before going into oak. Some 60 barrels from different producers and ages are used, and blending trials begin by January. The trials are done daily, and can last more than a month, when necessary. The wine will rest for 20 to 22 months before the final blending and bottling. Law produced 446 cases of the 2012 Hardscrabble, which is priced at $55. To Law, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most important varietal (the Linden was the only wine in this group containing it), but what is in the final blend is not dictated by variety, but taste. "We're not fixated on the blend," he said. Luca Paschina came to Barboursville in 1990. Barboursville Vineyards has approxi- mately 185 acres of vines at an elevation between 550 and 800 feet, and Paschina has increased the acreage of Merlot and Caber- net Franc. The vineyards are planted on slopes with grades that range from 5% to 25% and which are particularly helpful dur- ing a rainy vintage. Vineyard blocks are machine-picked accord- ing to taste, and often separated during fer- mentation according to block character. "I separate as many lots as possible and try to be open minded," Paschina said. VAN ZANDBERGEN PHOTOGRAPHY KEY POINTS Two Virginia winemakers and one from Long Island share how they make blends from Bordeaux varietials. They presented at the Eastern Winery Exposition in Lancaster, Pa. Barboursville, Linden and Wölffer focus on different varietal mixes and emphasize blending by taste. High-value Bordeaux-Style Blends Wineries in Virginia and New York succeeding with $50-$100 wines By Ray Pompilio Luca Panchina, left, Jim Law and Roman Roth.