Spring Letter, 2009 ISSUE XXXIV

Winemaker Nicolas Sorting Out “Nick” Morlet (far left) personally supervises sorting. s with most things at Peter Michael , Hand sorting of individual berries it is not what we do, but more importantly, is the fi nal step in the attention to detail and care with which ensuring that only A we do it that makes the so special. Our dedica- the most perfect fruit makes its way tion to neo-classical is all about blending into PMW wines. traditional hands-on methods with the best of modern technology. One such tra- ditional method is sorting, as old as winemak- ing itself. Some form of sorting is practiced by virtually all top producers. Peter Michael Winery is no different, rigor- ously sorting the Inset: post-sorting, a fruit that goes into all of our wines. However, we el- handful of pristine berries contrasts evate this practice to a near obsession, blending modern vividly with the technology with traditional hand labor. As a case study “jacks” and “shot” in this attention to detail, let’s follow the fruit for Les removed by our in- tensive three-stage Pavots through the sorting process, from to sorting regime. fermentation tank. —Continued on page 2 “The idea of sorting is pretty simple Sunrise and morning fog cast a and full of common sense. It is a golden hue on a typical harvest scene in the Les Pavots vineyard. natural extension of our quality-fi rst The keen eyes and skilled hands philosophy.” of our vineyard crew ensure that —Nicolas Morlet, Winemaker only the best clusters of grapes are harvested. Although it is labor-intensive, small 20-pound fruit boxes are used to eliminate the crushing of the grapes under their own weight as the fruit is transported to the winery.

Once at the winery, all red fruit passes through a three stage sorting regime. First is an inclined sorting table, es- sentially a slow moving con- veyer belt. The fruit is spread out on the belt and several sets of hands go over it thoroughly, removing any clusters or pieces of clusters that are not up to standard, as well as any leaves that might be in the mix. The sorted clusters are passed through the destem- mer, a piece of equipment that gently removes the individual Our vineyard crew plays an important role in this story. literally before sunrise. The skill and care of the vineyard berries from the stems. The second stage of sorting From a certain point of view, the entire growing season is crew comes into play yet again as their trained eyes select is a device called “LeTrieur”, (literally “the sorter” in a sorting process. Starting in the winter with careful hand only the best clusters. French), developed, in part, here at Peter Michael pruning of the vines, we make the fi rst selection by electing The goal is to get the fruit off the vine and deliver Winery. Luc Morlet, our former winemaker and cur- to keep crop loads very low. This forces the vines to put all it to the winery in perfect condition. To accomplish this, rent consultant, collaborated closely with one of our of their energy into fewer berries, thus concentrating the we use 20-pound picking boxes. These are one fi ftieth the equipment suppliers on the concept and design. A spe- expression of the vine-yard’s . As we go through the size of the half-ton bins that are the “industry standard”. cially confi gured sloped vibrating screen separates the growing season, additional selections are made as we elect The smaller boxes, while a lot more labor intensive, en- perfectly formed berries from smaller unripe berries to remove, or “drop” in vineyard parlance, any fruit that is sure that the grapes are not crushed under their own (shot) and the fragments of stems (jacks) left behind developing less than perfectly. weight on the way to the winery. We transport the full by the destemming process. These could introduce un- Harvest provides the next opportunity to select only boxes to the winery on custom-built suspended trailers wanted bitterness and “green” fl avors into the wine. On the best from the vineyard. We pick only by hand, starting to minimize jostling. a fi nal conveyor belt, a crew of up to 16 picks through the individual berries one last time to remove any that As many as 20 sets of hands are involved in the sorting of red fruit. An inclined sorting table leads to the destemmer. After are less than perfect. destemming, individual berries are sorted twice more; once by In the end, we are left with what our winemaker special equipment and fi nally by hand. Nicolas Morlet calls the “caviar”, the most pristine, Inset: The attention to detail of our vineyard staff is the back- perfectly formed berries. These are gently transferred bone of our harvest and sorting operations. Individual berries pass over the gently shaking screen of “LeTrieur” under the whole into our custom designed tanks to start macera- watchful eye of vineyard worker Mario Garcia. tion and fermentation. The extra care we take to de- liver only the best fruit to the fermenters ensures that ing but worth it. Nick sums it up this way. “The idea of only the purest expression of the vineyard makes it into sorting is pretty simple and full of common sense. It is a the fi nished wine. natural extension of our quality-fi rst viticulture philos- Slowing fruit processing to as little as a quarter ton ophy: There are no excellent wines without excellent per hour, our intensive sorting process is time consum- grapes handled with a lot of care.” 2009 Spring Release 2007 Cuvée Indigène The Growing Seasons The Winemaker’s Tasting Notes and Harvests A very intense and expres- By Nicolas Morlet, Winemaker 2007 La Carrière sive nose of brioche, peach Estate Vineyard Chardonnay blossom, candied orange, The 2006 Terroir-driven minerality lemon oil, yellow peaches Winter and spring were very wet, with remains the signature of and dry apricot interacts with vanilla, toasted ha- some hail and snow. A late spring cold snap Mountain this vineyard, with aromas zelnut, meringue and subtle white truffl e to form a resulted in slight frost damage, but did not “ of pastry, lily, hazelnut and multi-layered and very intense bouquet. Very com- affect the quality of the harvest. Throughout , pear. Accents of mandarin orange, acacia, honey plex, creamy, ample texture, a lot of “gras” and bal- the estate, bud break, bloom and set occurred and vanilla complete the bouquet. Presenting won- anced with a lingering perfumed fi nish. This vintage classical a little bit late but very evenly for all varietals. derful concentration and elegance on the palate, the of Cuvée Indigène will age and continue to express wine is sculpted, rich, intense and creamy. Notes of its potential for two decades, much like its Burgun- The weather was nearly perfect for fruit devel- winemaking, opment from May through harvest. While there citrus oils, white peaches and lemon frame the min- dian cousins from Corton-Charlemagne. limited erality. Its bright acidity and minerality will allow was one sharp heat spike in July, diligent atten- it to age for 2 decades, much like its Burgundian 2006 Les Pavots tion by the vineyard staff prevented any crop production cousins from Puligny-Montrachet. Estate Vineyard Red Bordeaux Blend damage. As the fruit matured, hand thinning ” Dense, almost black in color, carefully trimmed the yields to a moderately 2007 Belle Côte 2006 Les Pavots reveals a low level, allowing a pure expression of our dif- Estate Vineyard Chardonnay profound bouquet of black ferent . Excellent sunny conditions and Very intense and hedonistic cherry, licorice, black currant, two periods of strong wind signifi cantly acceler- aromas of lychee nuts, cit- blueberry pie and blackberry, ated the phenolic and physiologic ripening. Then rus, rose petal and orange combined with chocolate, vanilla, coffee, black tea, warm and mild conditions set in, allowing us to blossom come to mind subtle spice notes of cloves and cinnamon and its calmly pick each micro-parcel at the peak of with a background of mineral, bergamot orange, distinctive “garrigue” touch. Very full-bodied yet ripeness. The harvest fi nished relatively late on candied orange, peach, nutmeg, whole nut and graceful, the wine confi rms the same rich, ripe November 2nd. 12400 Ida Clayton Rd. toasted almond. The rich seamless palate is weighty fruit impressions on the palate with spice and black Knights Valley in the mouth and very creamy. Notes of brioche and truffl e. The mouth feel is massive and round with The 2007 Vintage Calistoga, CA 94515 pain grillé coupled with crisp natural acidity com- silky tannins and hints of mocha leading to a very The 2007 growing season began dry. Bud 800-354-4459 plete the mouth feel. The 2007 Belle Côte is already long fi nish. Complex and intense, 2006 Les Pavots break, bloom and set occurred a bit early and expressive and will continue to develop its unique will benefi t from three years of cellaring and will very evenly. The weather was ideal for fruit de- Fax 707-942-0209 character for at least a decade. age gracefully for two decades or more. velopment from May through harvest, with per- petermichaelwinery.com fect warm days and cool nights. This contrast of SAVE THE DATES! day and night temperatures is ideal for the bio-

Two exceptional culinary experiences in 2009 to synthesis of the aroma and phenolic compounds. benefi t the Sir Peter and Lady Michael Foundation These perfect weather conditions allowed us to Thursday, April 30th Hands and Hearts New York Hosted by the Michael Family calmly pick the Chardonnay at the peak of ripe- Menus by Chef Thomas Keller Dinner and Live auction at Per Se in ness. As a result, the 2007 wines are very in- WRITTEN BY Time Warner Center Wines by Peter Michael Winery tense and complex with a pronounced bouquet THE STAFF AT Service by Per Se and French Laundry PETER MICHAEL WINERY Saturday, August 8th of blossoms, fruit and mineral. The length of the Reservations being accepted at Stars 2009 at Côte Deux Mille wines is impressively lingering and perfumed, PHOTOGRAPHY BY 415-339-0400 M.J. WICKHAM Dinner and Live auction on the promising excellent aging potential. Peter Michael Estate www.petermichaelfoundation.org DESIGN BY LEANNE SCHY