Notes From The Winemaker

Westwood Pink Wine Is Coming

As I prepare to bottle the 2003 Pinot Noirs (today I am busy setting up trials to select the lot of corks to use) I am also working on one barrel of a Grenache Rosé. OK so I know that my own watchword is "Westwood makes only Pinot Noir and Syrah". And I really I don't intend at this time to lose my focus.

But I did plant a small portion of the Annadel Estate Vineyard to a few red varietals other than Pinot and Syrah: I put in a little Mourvedre, Counoise, Tannat, and Grenache (all budwood from Chateau Beaucastel via Tablas Creek Vineyards). The intention is to have "Rhône-accepted" blending options that may help increase the distinctiveness of the Annadel Estate Syrah at less than 25% of the total blend -- so I can still label the bottling as a varietal Syrah. Not trying to pull a fast one on anybody -- the actual blend will be on the back label.

In 2005 I crushed some of the Mourvedre, Tannat and Grenache for Westwood. Grenache berries are pretty big and fat, so just for fun I decided to do a 25% saignée de cuve on the this lot, to concentrate the juice on the skins before the onset of fermentation of the red lot. Rather than pour 60 gallons of perfectly good pink juice down the drain, I barreled it down and fermented it as a rosé.

The red Grenache turned out very, very well, so I am pleased with the results of the saignée. I am just as pleased with the rosé. It has a pretty color, and the aromas and flavors are fresh, fruity, and rich with sur lie fat after stirring the lees for several months.

Next month I will put it in the bottle - one barrel makes about 25 cases. By Summer I plan to release it only to the Westwood Wine Club as their first optional shipment. If the Wine Club members don't snap it all up (and they really should, if they have any love for dry rosé at all) I will sell the rest through the Salon.

posted 3/15/2006 02:41:00 PM