I feel quite honored to have been asked by Mike and Diane to write a little something for this newsletter. Those of you who have had the unpleasant experience of meeting me (or being tailgated by me on Wolf Road) might suspect that I would rather be fly fishing or camping with the kids than participate than writing a marketing piece, but since my passion is wine, I jumped at the opportunity.
So - what to say? Well, I thought about everything from tartrate precipitation (little crystals that form in the bottle), to what barrel selection contributes to a wine. There are really so many subjects that have an important role in winemaking, but none of them seemed to be quite right. Finally though, it hit me that I am asked frequently why winemakers like to make blends, and so I'm going with that.
The answer is simple. Although winemaking is a combination of science, dirty work, and luck, it also incorporates a bit of art. All winemakers have the hidden, and sometimes not so hidden, artist in them. Some of us even have the artist attitude to boot! Blending is one avenue that allows a winemaker to show off his artistic side and style.
The style we use at Naggiar Vineyards is to divulge the particulars of where the vines are planted and how they are cared for. And to reveal the influence of everything from the bugs that buzz around, to the soil, to the radiant temperatures due to the topography. Thanks to Matt Kramer, this style now even has a name - somewhereness.
All truly great wines have stories to them. I don't mean the story on the back label of the bottle (which by the way is a topic for another day), but the story of the land upon which it was harvested and made into wine. Some winemakers and vineyard managers believe a very heavy handed approach is the best way to make wine although this causes the story to get distorted. Some winemakers like to go "o'natural" in which case the true story is revealed. The latter is my style. I like to let the wine make itself and truly reflect the environment in which it is grown.
Now, some of you may think that natural would be easier than being overbearing, but nothing could be further from the truth. To minimize "interference" in the wine's creation, the wine begins with great vineyard managers like the Naggiar's have in Larry and Salvador. They both have a passion for growing grapes and take great pride in the end product.
Also needed to achieve minimal interference is a production team that is willing to work long hours, get dirty and receive guidance. Naggiar Vineyards is lucky to have this in Mike, who only works eight hours a day, and Salvador and his crew, who work even longer those 16-20 hour days.
All the above factors bring the story of the vineyard to the bottle, but by blending lots together, we tell the story not only of the land, but of the family. This is where a winemaker who not only has a developed palate, but the ability to blend the best lots (notice I did not say varietals) can bring out what this little part of Grass Valley has to say.
Each of the members of the Naggiar family has their own personality. By using a combination of flavors, structure, and acidity, we reflect their personalities through blends like the Black Beast and the Three Ladies. So not only do we show off the land through the blends but we also exhibit the family through the wine.
Please, enjoy these wines and this family (who have come to feel like family to me) as much as I do. It has taken a lot of hard work on the part of the vine, the earth and Mother Nature to create these works of art.
Derek Irwin
|
