2009 Vintage in (Quick) Review

Wow, what a vintage!

It has been a while, so it is rather hard to recall even what things were like back in August when Brosseau Chardonnay came in.  What is easy to recall, each time I visit a barrel, is how great the 2009 vintage is going to be.  95% of fruit was in before the deluging rains in the second week of October– however, even that fruit that came in after (Wildcat Mountain Syrah and Monte Rosso late-harvest Semillon, the latter of which is still unpicked) has shown excellence in fermenter.

Across the board, the moderate, downright cool, vintage conditions have meant long hang-times, great flavor development, freshness, and generally moderate alcohols.  This is especially so for the Bedrock Vineyard and Lorenzo’s Vineyard Heirloom Wines, both of which will most likely be bottled at less than 14.5% alcohol despite hanging two and a half weeks longer than is typical.  The inaugural vintage of a more friendly priced Sonoma Valley Zinfandel, a blend of seven different small lots, carries enormous promise.  The two heavyweights of the vintage will be the much later ripening Stellwagen Vineyard in Sonoma Valley and Dolinsek Ranch in Russian River Valley.  The Stellwagen carries classic, dark, Zin components, while the Dolinsek is showing the perfumey, blue-fruit, elements one would expect from great Russian River Valley Zin.  Both will crest 15.5%, and perhaps even 16%.

Across the board, Syrah’s are absolutely stunning– Hudson T-Block and Griffin’s Lair will most certainly compete for the best Syrah to emanate from the Bedrock Wine Co. cellars.  The Old Lakeville, Kick Ranch, and Wildcat Mountain Syrah’s are in close pursuit.  And this does not take into account the inaugural vintage of 120 year old vine Syrah from Bedrock Vineyard, which is like nothing else.

Red wines might be just a smidge stronger than whites, though the elements of Cuvee Caritas and the inaugural vintage of my project with Michael Havens, Abrente Albarino, are stunning.  The Brosseau Chardonnay is also great– it is fermenting in all neutral barrels and is smells so distinctly of fresh grapefruit that my father is afraid it will interfere with his Statin!