Why our wines are different from the rest

When guests come for a tasting which currently takes place in our home, they are often pleasantly surprised at the flights of wine we offer. “Wow we get to try a 2004 Pinot Noir, that’s great! We’ve only been able to taste 2007 wines.”

I receive many questions from consumers, distributors and restaurants owners who taste our wines, and by far the most common question is: why are you just releasing a 2005?

The answer this question comes in a few parts. When John Bacigalupi and Tyler Heck first discussed the venture of making wine in 2001 they knew they had to offer something different. With already well known winemaking neighbors such as William Selyem and Rochioli we wanted to offer a wine program that was unique to our consumers.

John and Tyler decided to do both extended barrel and bottle aging with the wines they produced. Our first release of Pinot Noir was the 2002 vintage which we released in March of 2004.

Tyler’s winemaking program from vineyard to bottle is a slow and meticulous process. Part of his program includes an extended cold soak of the must in the tank. This process is done for approximately 10-14 days before fermentation when the grapes have just been pumped into the tanks.  Cold soaking is used to extract tannins at a slower rate, the tank temperature is reduced by using dry ice.

Cool temperatures in the tank are required to prevent any spontaneous fermentation.  One of my main jobs during harvest is the pick up and delivery of dry ice to the winery, we use hundreds of pounds throughout the season. The main advantage to cold soaking is the extraction of long chain tannins which come from the skins, not the seeds, giving the resulting wine a smoothness on the palate.  Tannins extracted by alcohol tend to be shorter, causing wines to be harsh on the finish. After the cold soak the tank is allowed to slowly warm up to a temperature which will allow fermentation. In general most wineries cold soak for 7 days or less. Many don’t have the tank space to run the process longer than that and dry ice is very costly. At John Tyler we cold soak our Pinot’s for 10-14 days, that is twice as long as a standard winery. This creates intense color and flavors in our wines. This process is very labor intensive and requires a round the clock monitoring of the grapes in the tank.

Another very important reason we age our wines so significantly is because we sterile filter them.  Sterile filtering is a process that removes any microbes from the wine and ensures the wine is stable when they are bottled and will age without spoiling from bacteria. We want our customers to be able to age our wines for 10-20 years and be happy when they open the bottle. While there is an upside to sterile filtering there is also a slight down side. Wines that are sterile filtered typically need more time in the bottle to recover, this is another reason we wait to release our wines. While some winemakers feel that sterile filtering might have some “stripping” effect on the wine, we typically don’t experience this because of the extended cold soak.

When we developed the extended aging program for our wines we also wanted our customers to be able to age our wines when they took them home to their cellar. For the most part, other California wineries do not make their wines to age. Their focus is on getting the wine from the barrel to the bottle and out the door as soon as possible.  Overhead cost for aging wines is very expensive, and many wineries have to pay for storage at warehouses. We house all our barrels and the majority of our cased goods on site in an old milking parlor that has been converted to our wine cellar. This results in little to no overhead costs and the ability to age our wines until we think they are ready to be presented to the public.

In developing this extended barrel and bottle aging program we created one-of-a-kind Pinot Noir and Zinfandel vertical collections. Guests can purchase vintages 2002-2005 Russian River Pinot Noir and 2003-2005 of the Zinfandel. We will be adding Petite Sirah to our vertical offerings this spring.  These vertical sets of Pinot and Zinfandel are so unique you cannot find them anywhere but in our tasting room.

Contact us to arrange an appointment today.

2009 Vintage Notes….just the beginning

Although we are pretty early into the 2009 season things are moving along smoothly in both the winery and the vineyard.

We have begun harvesting Russian River Pinot Noir and have so far crushed 12 tons of Wente Clone and 5 tons of Pommard Clone which increases our production slightly from last year.

Although this is a vintage where acid levels tend to be higher we were still able to achieve physiologically mature fruit. In the winery, we have 1 tank that is starting to ferment, probably one of the best Pinot Noir lots on record.

We did have some thunder storms with some rain in the vineyard. Seeing rain so early in the season was a little alarming but we did manage to get most of the Pinot Noir off the vine quickly with no issues. We have yet to begin harvesting the other wines in our program; Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. The Zinfandel bunches are looking much looser than normal which creates better coverage for rot control and will help keep the damage from the rain more manageable.
The Petite Sirah looks perfect right now, if we can get it in before the rains begins we will be in great shape.

Stay tuned!

~ Tyler Heck, Winemaker

Grape stomping at its finest, our kickoff to harvest!

With harvest just around the corner we thought it would be a great idea to start it off right with a good old fashioned grape stomp. As part of the Grape To Glass event put on by Russian River Valley Wine Growers we hosted two groups of eager grape “stompers” ready to get their feet nice and juicy. As part of the fun, the grape stomp was designed as a relay race. The groups were divided into teams of three, one person stomped while another filled up a pitcher with the freshly crushed grape juice, and they then ran to another team member to fill up 4 wine glasses. The first team to fill up all their glasses and cross the finish line was the winner! And because everyone is a winner all guests went home with a jar of Kozlowski Farms jam! Guest were also treated to a special vertical tasting of our John Tyler Pinot Noir and Zinfandel wines ranging from vintages 2003-2005. Tyler Heck our wine maker was present to taste everyone through this one of a kind experience.
The weekend was culminated at the annual Hog N the Fog BBQ hosted by Saralee and Richard Kunde at their beautiful Grove in Russian River Valley. Guests tasted from an amazing selection of highly sought after Russian River Valley Wines, including of course John Tyler! 2009 Grape to Glass is always a one of a kind experience where guests can feel up close and personal with growers, winemakers and their families. We had a great time at this event and hope to see you all at our tasting room next year!

99 bottles of wine on the wall, 99 bottles to go….

It’s that time of year when bottles, corks and capsules will soon find their long lost home, on their very own bottle of wine. These bottles will travel near and far to their final destinations from right across the street at the local wine shop to across the ocean to China. No matter where these wines end up, the fact still remains; we must somehow get the wine from the barrel to the bottle. Now back in the old days most people didn’t even bother to perform this last step and just drank the wine straight from the barrel. I think they had the right idea. To some bottling wine might seem like an easy task. If so I encourage you to experience a bottling day at a winery as it is anything but. Besides harvest, bottling is one of the most important and stressful times of year. Preparation for bottling starts months in advance from the actual bottling date. Research begins on many different levels involving the main materials used. Glass is probably the most significant item and there are many factors to consider; Local or imported? Can we use recycled glass? How much should the bottle weigh? What color? What size punt? AHHHH, it’s enough to say the heck with the bottles and let’s just sell the wine in a paper bag with a straw. Barrels must be counted to approximate the size of each lot and from there it is determined how many bottles, capsules, corks and labels we will need to order. Most small wineries like us can’t afford a bottling line (they are quite expensive to purchase and really only used a few months out of the year) so many will hire mobile bottling lines to come to the winery. We usually work with Select Mobile Bottlers who are reliable and flexible. We transport the barrels from our cellar to Mauritson Winery in Dry Creek. They are a great family owned winery who allow small wineries like us to rent their facility for bottling, crushing ect.

Working on a bottling line is very similar to working at a factory. You have one job and you do that job all day long whether it is watching the corker, filling the boxes or stacking the pallets. As most who do this on a regular basis will tell you there are ways to make the job easier, what I guess you would call tricks of the trade. Not to mention a little Johnny Cash to distract you from the tedious job at hand. As of now the 2008 wines are bottled and stored comfortably in our cellar, ready for a little ageing. Our cellar program includes and additional year (minimum) of bottle ageing before the wines are released so be looking for a pre-release of the 08 vintages sometime late next year. On to the next task….harvest and the 2009 vintage!

Challenging the status quo

It seems like there are wine writers, reviews, judgers and raters galore out there these days frankly, too many to keep up. But recently I read a column from Dan Berger’s Vintage Experience that caught my attention.

As Pinot Noir growers and now producers it seems to be more and more difficult to get some to understand our Pinot Noir program. We grow five different clones of Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley and trust me; they don’t call it the “heartbreak” grape for nothing. Pinot is a not only a difficult grape to grow but also a delicate wine to make.

Our extended ageing program in both barrel and bottle is meant to achieve the goal of releasing a finely aged, mature wine. But yet questions and confusion arise when we announce the release of our 2005 vintage…? While I realize that others are currently selling their 2007 Pinot Noir’s, we prefer that our wines are enjoyed when they are ready to drink, releasing them later then most producers.

I correlate it to the saying “wisdom comes with age.” Not only are older vintages more valuable, their quality is better, therefore creating a better experience for the customer. Wineries pushing out 2007 and 2008 vintages are usually more concerned about adding to their cash flow, but in turn the wine is released to young.

The following is an excerpt written by Dan Berger from his newsletter Vintage Experiences connecting his dilemma with having to judge young wines. Dan writes about one of his judging experiences with the late columnist Jerry Mead;

And then Jerry said, “If they’re going to keep passing laws, they oughta make it illegal to release any Pinot [Noir] until it’s 5 years old.

That thought came to mind this past Tuesday night when I joined with a host of Sonoma County wine makers to blind-taste 12 RRV Pinots from the 2006 vintage.

The conclusion everyone agreed to was that not one of the wines was in any condition to be evaluated. All were too young.

Yet every wine on the table had already been released, and most had been judged by a slick magazine or wine expert six months earlier! Pinot Noir is one grape variety ( and there are others) that simply defies any sort of critical analysis this early.

By age 2 1/2 most quality Pinots are barely old enough to crawl, let alone walk. As for displaying the depth and character of all the complexity that is in the wine, forget it.”

There are some wine writers and critics that touch on this subject but in my opinion, not as many that should.  Remembering that winemakers and producers are dealing with a living, breathing, ever changing entity helps to put things in perspective. While our reasons for releasing an older vintage when the market is flooded with new releases may be confusing to some, we stand by our philosophy and will continue to swim against the tide. After all, what’s life without a challenge?

Free the SO2

Taking barrels samples is an important and ongoing process in the world of winemaking. As the wine progresses and changes over time it is vital to consistently keep a close watch on the state of each barrel and additionally, the lot as a whole. Today we took samples of all the 2008 vintages mostly looking for levels of free SO2. Free SO2 or free sulfur protects the wine from oxidation and remains an invaluable tool for inhibiting bacteria that otherwise might spoil wine. Locally we use Vinquiry for all our wine analysis. They are quick with results and very friendly to work with. While sampling for SO2 this also gives us the opportunity to taste the lots combined to get an idea of how the wine is developing. The following are the notes from this barrel sampling.

2008 Pinot Noir Free Run, 20 barrels- At this time the wine shows a supple texture which is difficult to come by with a young Pinot Noir. You tend to get all the viscosity and weight but loose all the varietal character of the fruit. We tend to extend cap time by controlling the temperature for a long, cool fermentation

2008 Pinot Noir Free Run in T-bins, 9 barrels- We added 5 tons of whole clusters for fermentation. The whole berries lend themselves to letting you hold onto the carbonic maceration, adding more fruit character. This wine has a little sharper edge to the finish from slightly higher acid.

2008 Pinot Noir Press Wine, 2 barrels-We barrel the press wine separately from the free run so I can blend appropriately. This wine is progressing very well with good weight and nice fruit. It will assimilate nicely with the free run juice.

2008 Zinfandel Free Run, 12 barrels- What I love most about our Zinfandel is that it is technically dry (no residual sugar) but it doesn’t appear to be so when you first taste it. We are also producing a 100% Zinfandel, single vineyard designate designed to showcase the true varietal characteristic.

2008 Zinfandel Press Wine, 2 barrels- Great fruit, good acid and tannin

2008 Petite Sirah Free Run, 5 barrels- This is our inaugural vintage and what I like best about this wine is it’s incredibly balanced, already at an early stage. The trick with PS is finding the right balance between tannin and acid. Additionally like all well made wines it has a deep and vibrant color.

Top of the morning

This morning I went down to the cellar to top our 2008 Pinot Noir. They are trudging through malolactic fermentation at this time. The cold weather is slowing this process down a little but we are almost there. Topping is extremely important and with our strict barrel regime I check the barrels for topping every week. The amount of topping we do changes dramatically depending on weather, humidity and wine loss through evaporation. Topping ensures that we inhibit oxidation in the wine.
I am especially looking forward to getting the rest of the lots of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah racked and barreled so I can evaluate their progress. The 08 Zinfandel this year I feel is one of the best wines that I have made thus far. It is one of the most complete and balanced wines with virtually no drawbacks.
The Petite Sirah is looking good as well, as will be racking it for the last time this week before we start to barrel age it for the next 12-16 months. During those months I will be sampling the wines to track their progress. I am looking for them to start forming structure and balance. You can be sure I will be monitoring them carefully!

Winemaker’s journal

Tyler taking barrel samples

As winemaker for a small, family run winery we often encounter problems that the big guys don’t have to worry about. Because of our boutique production we get a limited amount of chances to get things right. We get two opportunities to make great Pinot with the focus on the two clones; Wente and Pommard. We get one chance to make great Zinfandel and one chance to make great Petite Sirah. We use no bulk wine, no 2nd crop and no blending. We are 100% estate grown, produced and vineyard designated.

What we say on the bottle is what’s in the bottle!

I take pride in the fact that we do all the work ourselves. Topping, sampling and maintaining our strict barrel regime is always high on my list as far as priorities.  Right now I am focused on barreling down the Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. I have to say that the Zinfandel is looking excellent and am convinced it will be the best vintage of Zinfandel that I have made so far. The wood that we got this year is phenomenal and I am looking forward to seeing how the wines will change overtime.

John Tyler Wines Pinot Noir

John Tyler Pinot Noir

Our family has always held a special place in our hearts for the Pinot Noir grape. Back in 1956 my grandfather–Charles Bacigalupi–took the advice of then University of California farm adviser Bob Sisson to plant Pinot in the Russian River Valley. Before this my grandfather had never heard of the Pinot grape and said he had to write the name down to keep from forgetting it.

He obtained the original budwood from Karl Wente and planted 14 acres. Today we farm 5 different clones of Pinot Noir and my dad will tell you that Pinot is definitely the hardest grape to grow. Its thin skin makes it more susceptible to mold and frost and picking must be done by hand.

We are fortunate that the Russian River provides the ideal growing condition and, despite the difficulties Pinot still remains our family’s favorite and most cherished varietal.  Carrying on my grandfather’s vision for this grape we produced our first vintage of Pinot Noir under the John Tyler label in 2002.