By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor
This video was shot last week at Freedom Run Winery in Lockport, NY. Cabernet franc and merlot were both pulled before another round of wet weather moved through the area. The vineyards are on the upper slope on the escarpment where there is a significant amount of clay in the soil and things can get very sloppy for days after serious precipitation.
The vineyard was thinned to 2.5 tons per acre, with an initial sorting in the vineyard followed by another sorting seen on the video before crushing.
From what I saw the sorting was not for rot or diseased fruit rather just to make sure any under ripe clusters didn't make it into the must. I was told there is up to a 3º brix difference in some of the redder, less ripe bunches so in a year like 2009, no one wanted to take any chances.
In the interest of science and concentrating flavors, a bleed off of juice was done on half the must, meaning there are two separate fermentations happening one with bleed off, one without. A Rhone yeast was selected for inoculation based on a desire for maximum extraction and a full mouth-feel.
Nice camera angles. You should do this for a living!
Do lots of winemakers do saignée (bleed-off) up there for Pinot?
Posted by: Tom Mansell | October 29, 2009 at 04:50 PM
Bryan,
This is the second NE piece I've seen this year in which the fruit looked really... big, I guess. Are berries up there typically larger? Or am I losing my mind or something?
Posted by: Evan Dawson | October 29, 2009 at 05:23 PM
Tom
No one I know up here does a saignée other than FRW and this is the first time they've done it as far as I know.
Evan
I use a macro lens so maybe that's what your seeing, lol. Not sure if the berries are any larger than FL as I've never seen the fruit down there because the canopy is always hiding it ;)
Posted by: Bryan | October 29, 2009 at 08:16 PM
I don't know anyone else using saignee either. I have found that using the right sized fermentation tank (ratio of cap surface area to tank volume)and extended maceration time result in better color/mouthfeel in years like this. Our berries were small this year as compared to last year - I would have thought the berries would have been large due to the rain.
It's good you are having fun with the camera.
Posted by: Duncan Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards | November 01, 2009 at 02:04 PM