Its crazy how some wines really end up the exact opposite than you thought they would at harvest. Especially when you are working with new varietals for the first time and really your only guidelines for what to expect are other peoples wines made in the past from the same area.
2010 was a large vintage for Nottingham Cellars. The largest in our small history, including when we were making wines in Burlingame. This year I really wanted to do something special for our following, something the club members will love. The focus at Nottingham Cellars will remain Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, but we also produced small lots of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre to produce our first ever GSM and our first stand alone Grenache and Mourved - Both of which wines are absolutely gorgeous.
Lets talk Grenache - When this wine was pressed it was so light in color - a ruby red grapefruit juice color. Absolutely elegant light-bodied wine with an italian blood orange pallet bursting with vibrant flavor. In just under six months of barrel aging time I have watched this wine evolve into something tremendous. After three months, I went from describing it as light bodied to medium bodied. Now - a rich full bodied red wine. As the wine has progressed, my rationale for what was happening was that the oak extraction was providing the dark color and developing the body of the wine. I still think this is true to a certain degree. But really what I think the reason for the sudden progress is the Grenache maturing at a fast rate. It is still a beautifully vibrant ruby red hue but dark - like no other wine I've ever scene. I know that this will be instantly eaten up by the club - I've only got two barrels and one is probably dedicated to a GSM blend.
Mourvedre - An exact flip flop of the Grenache. When the wine finished fermentation it had a dark purple hue and really was showing pretty deep body for a freshly pressed wine. It still has that purple hue to it, but very light in color, almost Rose-ish. A wonderful wine with tons of flavor. It is weird how this wine really ended up developing into such a soft, elegant wine when I thought it would be such a powerhouse. I guess I know what to expect for this year's harvest - but do I really? We have to remember that this past harvest came after one of the oddest growing seasons in years.
These wines are produced purely for our valued club members in 75 case lots or smaller. This small Rhone program is "just to get my foot in the door" on what I think are the most intriguing varietals to work with and definitely grown to perfection in the Livermore Valley. I look forward to making these small lots again this year and I can't wait to share them with you when the time is right.
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