Bottling underway

Here are some pictures from the Cabernet Franc bottling on May 9.

Overview of the bottling line

Anna labelling

Gretchen

View of the farmhome that afternoon

Two reviews of older vintages

From dogswine.blogspot.com

2010 Viognier/Roussanne

"The wine? Very light golden color in the glass. The aromas were rich with orange peel, a touch of honeysuckle, white blossoms, and a tiny bit of lavender. The lavender was not something I was used to with this wine so I went back to sniffing four or five times with a few minutes interval between, and the nose was consistent. Very full bodied for a white wine, almost viscous in the glass. Wonderful tastes of peach and apricot and perhaps a little bit of lychee. There was a bit of fully ripe apple tastes in the wine as well. Long, dry finish that had some mineral qualities on the very end.

This is a wine that is a little bit serious and not at all shy. It more than stood up to the smoky flavors of the chicken. I really think the wine might overpower a delicate fish or bland chicken, but it certainly had a great partner with the spatchcocked chicken from the grill."

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2005 Kinkead Ridge Petit Verdot

The new white wines from Kinkead Ridge are just a few weeks away from release so some space needed to be made in the cellar for them by opening a few bottles of past vintages.

First up was the 2005 PV and a New York strip steak from the grill done on the rare side of medium with the remaining morels sauteed in some butter. Yum.

Inky dark wine in the glass, almost black, and I kept thinking back to old legends in the wine world of the "black wine of Cahors." Robust and earthy aromas of black plums, blackberries and just about any other black fruit one can name. Definitely full flavored with blackberries and black raspberries. The best thing about this wine was that the oak has finally integrated fully. With previous bottles the oak was a predominant flavor, but now it has mellowed into vanilla and cinnamon and it plays a supporting role. Very proper acidity and a lush mouth feel to this wine led to a long. slow, ripe finish with just a bit of vegetable at the very end. Absolutely perfect with the steak and morels. The best news is that there are two more in the cellar, but the wine is drinking so well right now that it will be a shame to hold on to them.