NW Winemaking Notes

Test Results for NW Grapes in 2008

Last updated: Sunday November 16, 2008 10:51 AM -0800

New test results in 2008

For the first time, in 2008 we have our own professional test data on our Central Coast red grapes.  These come from the Vinquiry office in Santa Maria, nearby where we have our grapes crushed and frozen. Vinquiry has office in several places in California and is one of the premier independent testing labs for grapes and wine. We contracted for Juice Profile 3.5 on our grapes.

These data (and the other data we have from Brehm Vineyards and wineries) should be taken seriously. Our experience is that TA measurements on recently thawed grapes are unreliable.

However, we also need to recognize that a small sample of the juice from some berries at the crush may not accurately represent all berries crushed or what you get in your pail. Even though our pickings are relatively small and should therefore be fairly uniform, grapes can vary markedly from one part of a field to another and sometime even on different sides of the same row. Brehm Vineyards always warns about this with their relatively larger pickings. Doing your own tests is also a very good idea. 

This applies less to white juices which come from tanks. The juice should be quite uniform and the test numbers are probably better than you can do yourself.

For the first time we have YAN numbers for some red grapes. If you are new to YAN or are wondering about Nitrogen additions to your fermentation, there is a new note on the website concerning Nitrogen additions.

Click on the grape name below to view more specific information on sources.

Chardonnay (Central Coast  plus)

We have three sources of Chardonnay this year and most people will be getting a combination of sources.

Two Chardonnays come from 2007 and the Brehm Vineyards Spring Sale. We got 36 pails of the Monterey Santa Lucia Highlands vineyard because it came at a good price and we heard it was good (and we know Monterey Chardonnay is usually very good). We also got eight pails of the Carneros Chardonnay from the Sangiacomo Home Ranch. Sangiacomo Chardonnay is very "high end" and the Home Ranch source is the best of the best.

We also got Chardonnay from this year's harvest from our usual Santa Barbara source, Meridian's White Hills vineyard. Meridian's Chardonnay continually wins "best value" awards and our experience is that with a little bit of  care it is better than that.  As we have discovered, Santa Barbara Chardonnay has a distinct flavor profile with more pronounced tropical fruit.

NOTE: The 2008 White Hills Chardonnay may not be as well settled as we would like. It would be best to check to see if it needs extra settling before you throw in yeast. Stir the juice well once it is thawed (to make sure all the acid is re-dissolved) and then let it sit a few hours and rack off if it seems there is more sediment that you like (some sediment is a good thing!).

These numbers (except for the low YANs in the 2007 harvest) are pretty good and you will not need to do much (especially if you combine sources) except keep on top of nitrogen additions via Fermaid K and DAP.

NOTE 2 (original): As explained in a NW Grapes Update on November 5, there was a serious mix-up in the labeling of the Santa Barbara Pinot Gris and Chardonnay this year. 24 pails of Chardonnay and 49 pails of Pinot Gris all came labeled as Pinot Gris. We popped the lids on all these pails and inspected the frozen juice. On the basis of color we classified the frozen juice as either Chardonnay or Pinot Gris and distributed the pails accordingly. Pinot Gris has a distinct pinkish cast. This has been true of our Santa Barbara source in years past and it seemed to be true this year. We think we got most pails in the right category.  But when all was said and done and we should have had a couple of pails of Pinot Gris left, we had a couple of pails of Chardonnay. This means some pails were probably misclassified. You will have to check when the juice is thawed. If you were expecting Santa Barbara Chardonnay (anyone getting more than one pail of Chardonnay would have been scheduled to get at least one pail of Santa Barbara Chardonnay), it will be labeled "PG." If, when it is thawed, it has a pinkish color (as opposed to the usual light yellow of Chardonnay) you probably have Pinot Gris. We can do nothing about this at this point except apologize.

NOTE (November 16): It now seems we got many of the pails in the wrong category at the initial distribution. The Chardonnay (after more time and analysis) appears to have considerably less sediment than the Pinot Gris and to have numbers (especially pH) that are more like the numbers the winery provided. If you have lots of brown sediment and your pH is well above 3.5, you almost certainly have Pinot Gris, not Chardonnay. Numbers originally posted in the table below have often been eliminated or shifted to the PG table.)

I am not going to provide data on the Brehm Chardonnays because readings from people with reliable instruments are duplicating the results listed above almost exactly. But the Santa Barbara, White Hills, Chardonnay from Meridian is an entirely different matter. It has lots of sediment in most pails and the numbers that people are getting bare no relationship to what we were told to expect. Some even wonder whether this is Chardonnay, but those below have tentatively decided it is. However, some of these are keeping their options open by keeping this wine separate from other Chardonnays for as long as possible.

Data on the 2008 Santa Barbara Chardonnay
Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	23.7	6.6	3.38	[Originally posted as PG numbers]
B. Eyers	22.9	na	3.68	About 25% sediment (several pails) [Most likely PG]

Gewürztraminer (Summerland)

Harvested October 29; crush in Nanaimo on October 31.  From the Krieger vineyard in Summerland, the same source as the last two years. The rest of the crop (picked even later than ours) goes to Red Rooster and gets vineyard designation.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	24.0	6.1	3.37	Clear juice
N. Lemmen	23.3	6.6	3.53	Brix is conversion of SG=1.098
K. Marson	24.2	6.0	3.43	Large amount
D. Morrison	24.5	6.8	na
I. Baker	24.2	5.1	3.36	Large amount; recovered 28L clear juice per 100 lbs after freezing and resettling dregs [has winery-quality press]

 

Pinot Gris (Santa Barbara—White Hills)

This year the Pinot Gris from the same excellent source we have had since 2005, Meridian's White Hills Vineyard in Santa Barbara County.

NOTE (original): The 2008 Pinot Gris may not be as well settled as we would like. It would be best to check to see if it needs extra settling before you throw in yeast. Stir the juice well once it is thawed (to make sure all the acid is re-dissolved), add and then let it sit a few hours and rack off if it seems there is more sediment that you like (some sediment is a good thing!).  You could add your first dose of Lysozyme (see below) with your initial stirring. Just realize that this will make the juice fall very clear and you may want to carry over a bit of sediment to the fermentation. (Also see Note 2 on Chardonnay. It may be that a few pails of Pinot Gris are actually Chardonnay.)

NOTE (November 16): Most people have now concluded that the juice with the heavy brown sludge is the Pinot Gris. The numbers (see second table below) are a closed match for the winery numbers.  The juice recovery requires a two-step process. Initial settling and then freezing of the sludge an another settling. Following this procedure typically gets you about 70-80% juice recovery.  There is no reason to assume sludge was equally distributed across pails.)

You will definitely want to add some tartaric acid to your juice (probably at least 1.5 g/L), which will also bring the pH down. You almost certainly will want to avoid a MLF with this wine, so use some Lysozyme at the outset and again when the fermentation is finished. (For the use of Lysozyme, click here.) Nitrogen additions are not much of an issue with this YAN level, but always keep your nose in the ferment, and a little bit of Fermaid K is still in order.

The numbers Club members are getting are more important because of the confusion with Chardonnay. The numbers below look as much like the supposed Chardonnay numbers as they do the supposed Pinot Gris numbers!

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Morrison	22.0	5.5	na	Pail not quite full and sediment; will recover about 16L; I "think" this is PG
G. Gibson	22.0	5.5	3.81	The pails with the heavy brown sediment.
J. Taylor	21.5+	5.4	3.77	SG= 1.09 (what I now believe is the PG with the heavy brown sludge; added 3 g/L tartaric for a pH of 3.3 and TA of 8.4
D. Graham	23.0	5.2	3.71	Large amount of sediment (1 pail) [This juice was initially identified as Chardonnay.]

Riesling (2007 Washington—two vineyards, Brehm)

Our Riesling this year should be very much like our excellent Riesling last year because we have purchased additional 2007 product from the Brehm Vineyards inventory! Last year we got about equal amounts of Yakima Valley (high sugar, some botrytis) and Underwood Mountain (lower sugar, higher acid).  Most people who buy Riesling get two pails and the recommended strategy was to combine the two and proceed.  That approach has already produced competition medals, including a Gold. This is the reason we had no hesitation in returning to the 2007 grapes this year.

However, this year, besides the same 2007 Yakima Valley, we have the 2007 Columbia Gorge instead of the Underwood Mountain. Compared the the Underwood Mountain, the Columbia Gorge has less sugar but less acid also, which will make for a slightly different (and perhaps better) combination. 

The pails have been sold in pairs only (one from each vineyard) and the recommended strategy is to combine them from the outset. The average of the two vineyards produces numbers that look just about perfect.

Sauvignon Blanc (Napa, Brehm)

Our 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is a repeat of Peter Brehm's Napa Valley source, which we had last year.  The source seems to be one of the old Andretti vineyards--i.e., connected to Mario Andretti, the race driver, and the Andretti winery in Napa. (This is not the same Napa source that Brehm Vineyards used to use several years ago.)

These grapes were harvested August 26 (Sauvignon Blanc is always among the very earliest grapes harvested). The test results, also available on the Brehm Vineyards website are:

These are good numbers, with better YAN and less acid than last year. However, the grapes are still intended primarily for a spare style, without much oak and perhaps no MLF. If last year is a guide, you need to wait several months for the flavors to develop (they are worth waiting for) and you need to protect against against an unwanted MLF by using Lysozyme, if you don't successfully introduce a MLF deliberately.  With this YAN level, you will also want to add nitrogen to your fermentation.

More information is available at the Brehm vineyards website. Initial readings from Club members suggest the Brehm numbers are reasonably accurate (or vice versa).

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	23.3	6.0	3.10

 

Cabernet Franc (Santa Barbara—Valley View)

 

These are the results from Vinquiry, the lab in Santa Maria that we are using.

These are reasonable numbers except the YAN. You have room to add acid; perhaps 2/gL of expected juice is a place to start. You will want to lower the pH if you can.

The YAN figure (a total of 79) is ALARMINGLY LOW. I asked the lab if the ammonia figure of 1 g/L could be correct. An analyst rechecked the data and said there was no  paperwork error. We could have had a reanalysis done and we would not have been charged if the results were significantly different, but that option was not open to us by the time we got the first results. The analyst admitted the results were unusual, but she said she has seen readings like this before.

So you will be adding lots of Nitrogen to this ferment. Because there is no ammonia at all, you can use a higher proportion of DAP than you might normally, and these additions can start at the outset, even before yeast inoculation, if you are fermenting this Cab Franc by itself.  I would probably add 70-100 ppm DAP even before yeast inoculation. Then proceed as you normally would would other nitrogen additions.

For more on Nitrogen additions, click here.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	25.7			Used other supplied numbers to make adjustments

 

Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles—Still Waters)

The Still Water Cab hung late this year to optimize flavors.  The crop was only about 1.8 tons per acre, which explains why we didn't get all we ordered (the target is 2.5 to 3.0 tons per acre) for these grapes.

We have test results from both Still Waters winery (which takes most of the Hillside Cab we get) and our own independent lab test. The Still Waters results are after a two day cold soak and they are test results much like a sophisticated home wine maker would achieve.

The results are quite discordant. This could be because our picking was very different than the rest, because Still Waters does not measure things very well, or (perhaps most likely) because our processor did not get a very good sample from our grapes. In any case, your own testing will be important.

 

The Vinquiry results reflect what might have happened during a long hang time. The acid is down because the malic acid has respired. The Vinquiry results suggest quite a bit a of acid addition is required (at least 2.5 g/L of expected juice), which should also bring the pH down nicely.  But the Still Waters results would show less acid required. You will need to do your own testing of Brix and and see what you want to do. Our experience with acid testing on frozen grapes shows acid is consistently under-reported, which is why we wanted the lab testing. If the lab results are right, you won't get much , if any, MLF.

The lab results do show a very low YAN (122 total). You will want to stay on top of this ferment. You will need to add lots of nitrogen via Fermaid-K and DAP. At least 50 ppm of nitrogen from DAP even before yeast inoculation might be a good idea. Then proceed as usual with other additions.

For more on Nitrogen additions, click here.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	24.3			Used other supplied numbers to make adjustments
N. Lemmen	23.7	3.0	4.05	Many pails
J. Taylor	24.0	4.0	3.95	Added 1.5g/L tartaric initially

Grenache Noir (2007 Mendocino—McDowell Valley, Brehm)

This 2007 Grenache was harvested late and it was not even on Brehm's 2007 Fall list, which helps explain why it was still available in the Spring.   The first reported numbers (from the Brehm website) are pretty good.  You will need to add some acid (perhaps 2 g/L), which should also bring the pH into the ideal range. 

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
N. Lemmen	24.5	3.5	4.03	Used other supplied numbers to make adjustments

Malbec (Paso Robles—Valley View)

Our process or did not take a sample of this to the lab, so the only data we have is what the Lucas & Lewellen winery found on the grapes they took for themselves, which were picked at the same time.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
L&L Winery	22.4	5.9	3.66	We got one bin of a picking that otherwise to this winery at the same time
G. Gibson	21.5	6.2	3.89	Carefully prepared juice

 

Merlot (Santa Barbara—Los Alamos)

Our Merlot this year comes from the Lucas and Lewellen Los Alamos Vineyard in Santa Barbara County.  It was picked October 20. NOTE: The processor says he could not get the usual poundage of grapes in the pails. This is likely because there are lots of large whole berries and not enough juice was created during destemming to fill the voids in the pail. The final price per pail will be reduced proportionately, but be aware that pails may not be as full as usual when you get them and you may not get as much juice as you expect (there are lots of drier-than-usual grapes this year), but there is room for water additions.

These are the results from Vinquiry, the lab in Santa Maria that we are using.

There is obviously room for some acid addition (perhaps 2 or more g/L of expected juice), which will also serve to bring the pH down nicely.  There is still a good malic level so a MLF is in order. You will probably also want to add water to get the Brix down to 25 or lower. Make sure you use accidulated water or increase your acid addition proportionately. You will definitely need to feed this ferment given the Brix level and a YAN level of only 179.

For more on nitrogen additions, click here.

Nebbiolo (Santa Barbara—Los Alamos)

These are grapes from the Lucas and Lewellen Los Alamos vineyard, the same vineyard Peter Brehm sourced Nebbiolo from a few years ago.  They were harvested October 23.

These are the results from Vinquiry, the lab in Santa Maria that we are using.

These figures may came as a bit of a shock. We are not used to see high sugar and high acid, but this is not unusual for Nebbiolo. There is no doubt we have the ingredients for a long-lived wine, which is what you should be planning.  Most of the flavors that make Nebbiolo impressive only come after several years of aging (see the notes on this variety on the sources page).

Check the Brix you get (we don't know how much variation there is the grapes we are getting), but with 26 and this acid there is room to add a bit of water without acid.  Wineries tell us that they don't usually get involved in acid reduction with their Nebbiolo, even when it has initial numbers like this. So no initial acid reduction is advised (apart from some watering, perhaps).

The YAN levels are very good (a total of 307) so you can be relatively modest in your Nitrogen additions. A MLF is essential, however, and it may not come easily at this pH.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	26.0			Used other supplied numbers to make adjustments
J. Taylor				Some VA noted; recommend hit early and hard with sulfite [and move to fermentation quickly]

A note on controlling VA From a New bulleting on November):

With the Nebbiolo, it may be prudent to take some of these steps if you suspect a VA issue:

• Add sulfite as soon as you get these thawing (50 ppm with this pH should be adequate). Spray a bit of solution on top of the pails even as they thaw. The interface with air is where most of the action happens.
• Move to fermentation as quickly as possible. (The most common form of acetic acid bacteria on grape skins will not survive more than about 5% alcohol.)
• Double or triple your normal yeast inoculation (you should be doubling anyway for high Brix, which will help speed along the fermentation. (BM4*4, which would probably otherwise be the yeast of choice for this wine, is a relatively slow starter, so you might want to take that into account if you feel you might have a serious VA issue. DV-10 might be the best choice for a real problem must. It is rapid and is known for producing lower than normal levels of acetic acid.)
• Keep the cap wet and limit air contact during the first third of the fermentation. After that point encourage an open fermentation with lots of opportunities for volatiles to escape. The use of rack and return (delestage) is recommended. But always keep the cap wet.
• After fermentation, limit racking. The population of acetic acid bacteria increases with each racking (at least temporarily) and there can be an increase in acetic acid as a result.

And remember that some acetic acid is inevitable and actually enhances the complexity and flavor of a wine, red wine especially. Don’t panic. John Taylor’s nose does pick up VA that most people don’t notice at all, even after it is pointed out to them.

Petit Verdot (Santa Barbara—Valley View)

These are the results from Vinquiry, the lab in Santa Maria that we are using.

Except for the pH, these numbers are pretty good. Unfortunately, it seems (remember, these are only the results from a small sample that was not likely collected according to the best procedures) that there is not much room to add acid to lower the pH if you are planning to use these grapes for a varietal. You might try adding a bit of acid, however, and there is plenty of malic acid waiting for a MLF.  You will require nitrogen additions.

 

Petite Sirah (Paso Robles—Tower Oaks)

These grapes are from the same vineyard (Don Ackerman's own vineyard) that we have been using with excellent results since 2005.

We have no date of our own. Our processors forgot to take a sample to the lab. However, a winery took the main crop (a MUCH larger portion than ours), which was machine picked a day after ours was hand picked.  The wineries numbers are interesting because we have never had before and after numbers before.  The weight-in numbers are always quite  crude, with significant sampling error.

The "pressed off" data also shows alcohol of 13.45 with residual sugar of 6.8 g/L, and the estimate is the alcohol will be about 13.8 when fermentation is finally finished.

You will obviously want to do your own numbers on this, but the acid could be quite low with a fair bit of malic remaining. This will allow significant acid additions, which will help to bring the pH into a better (though not ideal) range. The YAN is not enough for these Brix. You will need to add nitrogen to your ferment.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
N. Lemmen	26.0	3.5	4.44

Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara—Goodchild)

Our 2008 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir comes from the same source as 2007: the "hilltop" portion of Louis Lucas's Goodchild vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. This is clone 667.

These grapes were picked September 29. The Vinquiry test results are as follows:

These are good number. Most people will probably want to add some acidulated water to bring the Brix down a bit. A small tartaric acid addition is probably also desirable, which will also help move the pH down a bit (to an even better position). The YAN of 271 is good, but it is heavily weighted to the amino side. This suggests the yeast will not need much on the early end of the ferment, but you will want to add some DAP (or Fermaid-K) at the 3/4 and 1/2 way points. How much will depend on how much you lower the Brix.  Remember, however, that water additions carry no nitrogen. You will need to take this into account in your nitrogen additions.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	26.0			Used other supplied numbers to make adjustments

Sangiovese (Santa Barbara—Los Alamos)

These grapes came from the Lucas & Lewellen Valley View vineyard, Louis Lucas's "home ranch,"  not from the Los Alamos vineyard that we originally thought they would come from. They were harvested October 23.

NOTE: Several people have reported lighter than normal (and somewhat drier than normal) pails for the Sangiovese. This appears to a consistent condition, which may be due to a problem similar to, but not quite as extreme, as the problem with the Merlot. Lighter pails on average end up with a lower price, but be aware that your juice yield may not be as high as you might normally expect from these pails.

These are the results from Vinquiry, the lab in Santa Maria that we are using.

High acid is, of course, not unusual, in Sangiovese, but to judge by the numbers these grapes seem on the under-ripe side. It is probably going to be best if you plan on a "super Tuscan" approach, where these grapes are blended with some higher Brix, flabbier, Bordeaux varieties. For example, three pails of Sangiovese and two pails of the Merlot we got this year will produce just about perfect numbers.

The total YAN of 327 is more than enough for these grapes at these Brix, but you will have to watch any blend you might try fermenting. You will almost certainly want an MLF.

 

Syrah (2007 Alexander Valley, Sonoma, Brehm)

We bought this from the Brehm Vineyard inventory during the Spring sale. 

Historically, this is a good source and there is no reason to think this year will be any different. It has pretty good numbers, apart from the natural nitrogen level (source: Brehm Vineyards website):

A small acid addition (1 g/L of expected juice) is called for and will improve the pH.  Brehm suggests 6 g per 50 lbs pail or about 0.5 g/L of expected juice. Twice as much might be even better, we think, and would do more to get the pH into a healthy range.

You will need to take special care to feed the fermentation well. Brehm says "YEAST FOOD IS ESSENTIAL This wine is extremely low in available nitrogen. Two substantial additions: 1. Right after fermentation gets going well. 2. When the juice reaches 12° Brix, timing is important."

Besides using Go-Ferm at rehydration, I would assume at YAN of probably less than 100 and be planning on major Nitrogen additions. For more on Nitrogen additions, click here.

Source	°Brix	TA	pH	Comment
D. Graham	25.5			Used other supplied numbers to make adjustments
N. Lemmen	21.9	4.0	4.22	Strange numbers!

Prepared by Rod Church