Here’s a shot of three of the Devoto bins we picked on October 3rd. It really started pouring right about 9am (Stan and his crew got started picking at 3am; I hustled to get there by 8; Penske doesn’t open until 7!) Doesn’t this stuff look delicious? Here’s a shot of Bill (who has helped me on every Devoto harvest — thanks Bill!) and Amy, Adam, and Maureen down at the winery helping me sort. Yours truly was “picking jacks”. Very little, percentage wise, wound up on the floor this year; very little rot, fruit was in great shape. Still a little light — six bins came out to 2.6 tons, not quite the 3 tons I was gunning for.
Very, very excited about making a Chardonnay this year! We decided on a 10/4 (pre-rain!) pick date this year and the numbers look very auspicious for the Chablis style I’m gunning for: 22.6 brix, 8 TA, 3.4 pH. I de-stemmed and mashed the fruit up pretty good, then let it sit on the skins for almost 12 hours before pressing, primarily in the hopes of creating a rounder mouth-feel. This contact will be all the tanins this wine sees. I pressed into a cold settling tank, then racked it into stainless where I’m doing a slow cool (10-15 degrees) ferment. Last week things were still very sweet, green apples (high malic acids) shifting into bananas (terpenes); maybe about a tenth into the ferment, I didn’t do a brix.
The weather for Fall Fest this year was gorgeous, nice and sunny down by the waterfront. Thanks to all who stopped by to taste — now don’t forget to sign up for our Wine Club! And many thanks to Kelly who helped me pour and deal with the masses, as I was at the winery most of that Sunday pressing the Flanagan fruit and inoculating the Devoto and Inspiration!
Wednesday, October 05, 2011Posted by Bobat 2:34 pmin blog0 comments
Howdy all, this is fantastic event in a beautiful setting, and Wait Cellars will be proudly serving its 09 Pinots! Soirée des Arts et des Vins – TICKETS ON SALE NOW!! You don’t want to miss this spectacular wine tasting event at our new venue, the Grand Hall of the San Francisco Ferry Building! Sunday, November 6, 2011 4-8pm Tickets are $85 and include a commemorative glass and tastings from 25 amazing vintners and importers.The event will also feature gourmet food and live entertainment in both the main hall and the ‘back room bistro’! Visit www.internationalsf.org/soiree for more information and to buy your tickets today. All proceeds benefit the school and this is an event with broad appeal – we encourage you to invite your friends, family, and co-workers to join us for this community-wide celebration. A good time for a great cause!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011Posted by Bobat 11:11 pmin blog0 comments
We are pleased to be pouring our 2009s at Fall Fest next Sunday the 9th in beautiful Justin Herman plaza in SF. This is a great event celebrating local food and wine put on by SF Magazine, and proceeds will benefit Meals on Wheels of San Francisco. Wait Cellars will be donating two rare magnums of its Pinot Noir for the benefit auction. Get tickets early. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
