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Dateline November 1, 2009
Post Harvest Report
The vintage 2009 harvest was a tale of two fortunes.
The good fortune was we had enjoyed ideal weather most of the year with late spring rains, good
berry set, cooler than normal summer temperatures and by all indications a
large crop was projected for harvest. An abundant crop did mature, however, the bad fortune was the market for grapes
was down due to the sluggish economy, decline in premium wine sales, and high winery
inventories. Growers who had contracts
found it difficult to sell any excess fruit after fulfilling their contract. It was estimated there were 20% unsold grapes in the
County half way into the harvest. To make matters worse a huge storm
moved into the North Coast on 10/12 lasting 3 days and dropped 4 inches of
rain on unpicked fruit. The storm was followed by grey overcast days and
heavy morning fog which didn't help the situation as reduced sugars, diluted flavors &
rot became a concern. Growers ability to secure any possible
sale for non-contracted fruit after the storm became very difficult.
As for us we were on the fortunate side as we started on 9/3 with Pinot Noir
and finished with Petite Verdot on 10/11..... 24 hours before the front hit
the North Coast vineyards. We had an excellent crop
with tonnage up considerably on both the Dry Creek and Russian River
vineyards. The only misfortunate for us was the excess fruit we could
not sell on a timely basis. We knew the storm was coming and did not
want to risk the inability to sell after the storm. One could not sleep at night leaving this beautiful fruit
to hang behind knowing all the work and expense that went into producing this
vintage. Our winery barely had enough capacity to process the
remaining fruit. We made the decision to crushed the excess Zinfandel and Petite
Sirah from our Russian River Terrace vineyard, and from Dry Creek Bench to crush the
unsold Bordeaux
varietals and to produce a Rose wine from excess mixed varietals. The
last time we produced a Rose was our 2004 Paradiso. These end of harvest
decisions resulted in doubling the production we had scheduled for this
year by a factor of two. By 10/22 we had pressed out dry our last
batch of 09 Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. It was over and
done. We sold and processed the entire crop from both vineyards.... but....
now we must contemplate how we will market all this wine????
Our 2009 wines should be excellent for they were processed prior
to the un-perfect storm. The flavors and color extraction were exceptional, and the
sugar/acid ratios and overall chemistry was excellent.
Vintage 2009 will be remembered for the terrible storm and
depressed market for wine grapes. The dollars and cents, the supply and demand
of this year's harvest remains to be seen. Hopefully the economy will be in
better shape in two years when these wines are ready for market.
Click on the Photo Gallery Link to see pictures of the 2009 harvest.
Winery News:
Our Tasting Room and gardens will now be open to public tasting
from 11-4:30 on Fridays through Sunday. For tasting mid week Monday
through Thursday it is best to make an appointment. Fall colors of the
vineyard are beginning to appear as vine leaves are turning into light
yellow and shades of crimson red. It is a great time to visit
the winery after harvest is over as the colors of the new green cover crops
from recent rains contrasting with the fall colors of the vineyard, makes
for a very tranquil setting. Bring a lunch and sit outside by
the gardens while tasting our wines and enjoy the serenity of the vineyards
and surrounding Dry Creek landscape. You might even find a few bunches
of 2nd crop Cabernet close by to munch on as a final course.
Awards and Reviews:
Our current release wines continue to receive major awards in wine
competitions and media reviews.
Our old vine Zinfandel wines from 2005 & 2006 have done well with the
05 rating 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and 2 Gold medals and the 06
winning 3 Gold Medals and came Highly Recommended by California Grapevine
Magazine. Only 34 bottles remain of the 05 Zin but a good inventory of
the 06 is on hand.
Our 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir was awarded a Double Gold in the
2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair Professional Awards. The 06 Pinot was also rated 90 points, Gold Medal
& "Exceptional" by the Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago
this year.
Our 06 Papa Nonno was awarded a Gold Medal at the North of the Gate
Wine Competition this year. Our 06 BeauSierra was awarded Gold and
rated as "Top Ten Wines at or under $20" by www.tastings.com
BTI/Chicago.
Our 2006 Cabernet has earned a Silver in International competition. I think back a few vintages where we were getting Double Golds
and Best of Class for our Cabernets and wonder where have all the judges
gone? Heavy oak seems to be the preference with judges on Cabernet as
it seduces the palate and embraces Old World Bordeaux where new oak can
approach 100%
Our Silver Medal 07 Chardonnay is near depletion as only 12 cases
remain. This wine is barrel fermented in older oak to give a roundness
to the wine without heavy oak flavors. If you like a great floral nose with
a lean crisp dry finish on the palate and bright flavors of lemon and melon.....
this is the wine you should try. This is a perfect
wine to serve with Thanksgiving turkey, seafood and fancy salads.
We are offering some exceptional specials through the Holidays on the 06 Zin
& BeauSierra by the case and also a two package special on the 06 Pinot
& 07 Chardonnay. Are we crazy
or what? No we just love and want to keep our Club Members through
these difficult economic times. Tell your friends about the advantages
of being a Forchini Carla Club Member.
What's Waiting In The Cellar?
I recently snuck out a bottle of our 07 Zin for
dinner the other night and was blown away by the quality of this wine
...but... you will have to wait for its release unless you bought futures
or are a Carla's Club Member. You also have to be patient to wait for
the 07 Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Papa Nonno, BeauSierra and the 08
Chardonnay. These wines are all bottled and ready to go but will not
be released until near depletion of the current release wines. I am
very bullish on ALL the new 07 bottled wines. If you were fortunate to
buy futures on the 07 wines, I am sure you will agree about their
outstanding qualities.
Pick-Ups and Will Call:
Everyone has been contacted but there remains some
futures that have not been picked up from the 2008 Barrel Tasting.
These are the 07 Pinot Noir, 07 BeauSierra, 07 Papa Nonno, and 07 Cabernet
Sauvignon. From Barrel Tasting 2009 the 07 Zinfandel is also ready.
Carla Club Will Call for the November
selection is also available now. You may arrange to pick up anytime or you
may want to pick up your selection on 11/7 or 8 in conjunction with the Wine
Road Wine & Food Affair and enjoy a complimentary lunch. See
Special Events link for details on this annual event.
Happy Thanksgiving:
Hope you will all be able to enjoy a festive traditional
Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. To pair with your turkey,
stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes & gravy, pumpkin pie &
whipped cream.....treat yourself to our delicious Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
wines. Enjoy!
Editor: Jim Forchini
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