Blog Index

2008 Harvest

The Waiting is the Hardest Part of Winemaking

Posted: 04:42 PM ET, 09/18/08

Posted by Barbara Kronenberg-Widmer

The weather here in Tuscany has not been as stable as we expected—we had some heavy rainfall, but luckily none of the threatening hail. Since last Friday afternoon, we have been picking on all estates, and during the periods without rain, we have been pulling some leaves off the unharvested vines. Read more

James Laube

What Lies Ahead for Chateau Montelena

Posted: 03:32 PM ET, 09/18/08

If you looked at Jean-Guillaume Prats’ passport this week, it would have stamps showing he’d been in France, Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Bangkok), Indonesia (Jakarta), the United States and back to France. All in one week, ending Tuesday when he left Napa. Read more

James Laube

New Montelena Owners Look to the Future

Posted: 04:16 PM ET, 09/17/08

Never mind troubled wines, a flawed cellar or even the need to replant vineyards.

The Chateau Montelena deal is all about potential and what lies ahead, Jean-Guillaume Prats said Tuesday in an interview in Napa.

Prats, general manager of Bordeaux's Cos-d'Estournel and soon Montelena, said the purchase of this storied Napa Valley winery by Cos' owner, Michel Reybier, had nothing to do with its past wines. Read more

Bruce Sanderson

The Wisdom According to Wilhelm Weil

Posted: 03:01 PM ET, 09/17/08

Wilhelm Weil had a plan.

It’s taken 20 years, but with the 2008 vintage, the manager of the Robert Weil estate in Germany’s Rheingau region will have repositioned and completed an overhaul of the estate’s range of wines. Read more

James Suckling

La Vendimia Mexicana

Posted: 01:28 PM ET, 09/17/08

I was a winemaker for a few days. I am not sure what I helped make will be vinegar or Château Rayas, but I hung out at a winery for a few days last week crushing, fermenting and pressing grapes. And it was a hell of a lot of fun.

I wasn’t at a chi-chi, mega-bucks winery. Read more

Harvey Steiman

After the Shakeup at Domaine Serene

Posted: 10:29 AM ET, 09/17/08

I paid a visit to Domaine Serene this week to taste through the 2007s in the cellar, part of a series of visits to get a handle on the vintage coming next from Oregon. Owners Ken and Grace Evenstad were there, too. I had met them at other events but they never seemed to be around on my previous visits. Read more

2008 Harvest

Oregon Hang Time: From Verbena to Banana to Blackberry in 40 Days

Posted: 11:34 AM ET, 09/16/08

Posted by Josh Bergström

Pinot Noir follows an interesting curve when it is sitting on the vine, ripening. The ultimate goal of hang time is, of course, perfection—which, in my mind, means balanced flavors and structure, as well as purity of fruit. Read more

James Molesworth

An Early Look at 2008 in the Loire

Posted: 09:26 AM ET, 09/16/08

The Rhône Valley isn’t the only major wine region having a tough go of it in 2008. The Loire Valley is also struggling as they prepare for their harvest. Following a growing season that was marked by extremes, from a severe frost in Muscadet in April to a nasty hailstorm in Sancerre in June, growers are now dealing with the effects of cool, gray days and persistent rain. Read more

2008 Harvest

Experimenting in the Vineyards to Control Ripeness

Posted: 03:30 PM ET, 09/15/08

Posted by Adam Lee

In case you haven’t been following along, Harvey Steiman, James Laube and I have been talking about ripeness in some of our recent blog posts. Jim started the discussion by talking about how ripeness shows itself in a number of different wines. Read more

Harvey Steiman

Two Boedeckers

Posted: 09:49 AM ET, 09/15/08

Husband and wife team Stewart and Athena Boedecker had a problem. As they were ramping up production of their Oregon Pinot Noir, they could not agree on what kind of wine they wanted it to be. Stewart prized delicacy, and gravitated toward the barrels in the cellar that had light texture, red fruit flavors and finesse. Read more

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