Since 1984, we've been making Cadenzas in one form
or another. Back
then, we were following the same philosophy as we are now with regard to
our reserve wines. They (as now) are unfiltered and unfined.
The unfiltered bit basically means that we let the wines fall clear in
the barrels as they age. We do stir the barrels from time to time, but
as the wines get closer and closer to bottling, we stop this process and
let all the sediments fall to the bottom of the barrels. These
sediments include everything from tartrates (cream of tartar), yeast,
and any other small bits that would cloud the wine. These wines are not
crystal clear when they enter the bottle (but being reds it's hard to
tell.) On top of that, filtration is what I like to call a
"double-edged sword." Yes, it removes unsightliness from the wine, but
it also removes a certain je ne sais quoi as well. Hence, why we don't filter our best wines.
As for the sediment you may encounter, there will be some. You will
probably lose about an ounce of wine with careful pouring. I recommend
bringing the bottle out of your cellar a few days before you plan to
open it and set it somewhere that it can be undisturbed and the heaviest
particles can settle to the bottom of the bottle. Optimum serving
temperature is around 70F. If you plan to consume the entire bottle the
night you open it, feel free to pour the wine carefully into a
decanter. Even if you choose not to do that, you can simply pour each
glass carefully. The sediment is not harmful to people, it's just not
pleasant. The technical term from winemakers is "crunchies."
I also recommend the use of an "Ah-so" corkscrew (sometimes called a
"butler's friend") for older bottles. This is a two-pronged corkscrew that allows for the
cork to be removed by breaking the seal of the cork to the neck of the
bottle. This ensures a higher likelihood that the cork will come out in
one piece.
As for the "unfined" terminology, in the realm of winemaking there are
ways to remove parts of the wine by adding things to it. Normally it's
something protein-based (like egg whites or gelatin or isinglass),
although in the distant past they even used ox blood. This is similar
to filtration but focuses on usually one aspect of the wine (usually
different types of harsh tannins.) But again, the double-edged sword is
in play, and fining agents remove some good stuff as well. Therefore,
for our best wines, we do not fine them with anything.
Comments
Post a Comment
By posting on here, you are guaranteeing that what you say here is worthwhile and worth saying. And something that you would say in the presence of your mother. If not, I will be forced to remove it.