Les Blog

When we got back with the Cabernet Sauvignon, George was already beginning to set up the press for the Cabernet Franc – the first pressing of 2007. It had fermented essentially to dry, so while we had a crew on site, we figured its time was up.

Pressing is always a joyful time. You’ve tamed the bucking pony of fermentation, and now it’s time to take it out for a ride in your glass. The first step is to simply scoop and pour the must from the fermenter into the press – the juice that runs out, before we’ve applied any pressure, is aptly named “free run.” Especially because the Franc had so many un-pollinated, tiny and bitter green berries, we took extra care to scrape off the cap and liquid first, leaving the dregs (seeds and green berries) lurking on the floor of the fermenter.

Soon, the press was full, and it was time to put our backs into it …
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The Franc’s really leapt out ahead of the Merlot in the race for dryness (15 brix versus 20), and my guess is that’s in large part because it’s in a container that holds heat better (plastic versus stainless steel). Luckily, the conductivity of the steel walls also theoretically means insulating it around the outside will have at least some effect, so that’s what I tried tonight. Click on that picture: isn’t it adorable?!

With luck, the swaddling (yoga mats and a sleeping bag – yes, this is a left coast winery) will warm the merlot’s cockles overnight so we’re at least into the 70s for ferment temperature tomorrow.

That still leaves us about 10 degrees shy of where we need to peak, which is somewhere around (but not much above) 85 degrees. What we’re counting on is that as the wild yeasts currently powering our brew start to flag toward the end of the ferment, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (the “true” and more alcohol tolerant yeast varieties) will swoop down from the rafters and take the ferment all the way home. What I don’t know is if those strains will also kick out more heat and take us at least briefly through the full temperature range that will get us the rich, complex wine of our dreams.

My suspicion is that we shouldn’t count on it, and had better have a heating backup in our holster. In the past, we’ve rigged little plastic-sheet walls around the fermenters and stuck a space heater inside, something I’ve never been really jubilant about (as someone living in the wooden house just above it), but will probably have to consider. Certainly it’ll be easier with the stainless, since that will conduct heat in as easily as it conducts heat out (versus the plastic).

Any ideas? We’ll see how things go in the next 48…

Dateline Portland, Oregon — In what many consider a startling turn of events, fermentation proceeded apace today. According to documents and other data obtained by the New York Times and loaned to this blog, the Merlot has slimmed down approximately 1 brix, while yeasts within the Franc have gone on a comparative binge, gorging themselves nearly 1.5 brix.

A Les Garagiste official close to the bubbling mass, who requested anonymity so he could make up anything he wanted, said the Administration had also added 1g/liter tartaric to the Merlot “so we don’t end up fighting them over here,” and to perk the must up a bit. The slightly reeling factotum also disclosed that recent internal Justice Department memos had cleared the Administration to add another 1g/liter tartaric at a future time, without consent of Congress or the must in question.

Across the Mall, the Franc continued to bubble its way to freedom, but key Senate staffers have reported a slightly disturbing whiff of VA, or volatile acidity, in the must over the last 2 days. Punching down seems to take care of it, they are quick to say, but the Capitol remains on Yellow Alert pending further CO2 production to cover the cap.

Whit and I checked the Merlot late last night and it looks like we have ignition! The cap was just tentatively beginning to rise, and when Whit punched it down, the yeasts bubbled happily through the grape goo.

Then, this morning, I checked the Franc to discover that it has also decided to follow in its brother’s footsteps, so we’re firing on both cylinders. That means a steady regimen of punching down the cap, keeping track of sugar levels and temperature, and coming home every day to a house filled with beautiful fragrance.

Life is good!