The nature of the project is to experiment, so it is natural to seek out new vineyard sources. Here are notes on four wines from three vineyards that we have added this year:

The vineyard sits in a sheltered slope on the east side of Sonoma Mountain. It gets almost no late afternoon sun, and is washed by constant marine breezes that pass through a notch in the mountain to its back. The coolness of the site absolutely determines the nature of the fruit. Absolutely—but not alone. The vineyard slopes in two directions and the soil is a beautiful mixture of rich hill-side loam, gravel, and cobble. This combination of cool climate and excellent drainage afford very uncommon conditions for northern California Sauvignon Blanc.

Two vineyard offered two harvests in 2005; and so, two wines. The first has had its malolactic fermentation arrested and will age for seven months in neutral oak; the second, from crushed, botrytised fruit, is already nearly dry and will age for a year or two in 50% new oak, mostly 30 gallon barrels. The wine is smoky and dense and points us to the excesses of imperial Roman banquets …

This wine has progressed from typical rich cabernet juice in early fermentation, to light, acidic, striking Barolo as it became dry; and has now returned to the world of Bordeaux grapes as it passes its first month in maceration. The wine is piercing, complex, reticent. It has a kind of nordic severity that honors the woman who planted the vineyard; there is not even a trace of the warm pleasures of the Mediterranean.

The whole Glos story remains to be told; for now I will say that I had decided this year to harvest some of the grapes of the Merlot vines that grow intertwined with the old vine Sauvignon. But in spite of the attraction afforded by this story (who could resist the fraternal twin grapes of the Sauvignon Blanc?), the intertwined merlot could not match the seriousness and intensity of the white grapes. But the vineyard has hidden corners: across the street from the old vines, we found some gangly ten-year old merlot, with a kind of alley cat unruliness. The grapes were rich and sweet like baked good by the time that we found them; their destiny seemed clear. An overripe wine, perhaps like an Amarone. We picked all of the fruit that remained soft and harvested no raisins. We left with a third of a ton. It is nearly finished fermenting and will rest in a well-ventilated barrel for a couple of years.

Tom McCormack farms the grapes that he is interested in (not necessarily what he can sell) in the rich flatlands of the Sacramento Delta. The vineyards are often below water level, surrounded by levees and sloughs. This vineyard is utterly unremarkable except for what Tom grows in it: Verdelho, Arneis, Orange Muscat—he is even considering Gruner Veltliner. The region is perfect for raising white grapes with some delicacy and freshness. The wine is named for one of the major cities of the Nile Delta; its destiny was to be bottled, very fresh, in December of 2005.

And indeed, I bottled on December 1—while the Glos merlot, the Hudson syrah, the Margit’s are all still fermenting. A friend who helped with bottling said that the wine smelled like summer. Exactly: it is a snapshot of the long, warm, fragrant days at the beginning of harvest. It summeriness makes it fantastically out place in the cold of winter. Scholium Party Wine.