I got a sneak peak at the Reds this week while I racked the White. It was time to rack the Grenache Blanc this week. Racking is taking the juice off of the solid particles that filter down to the bottom barrels, cleaning the barrels and returning the “clean” juice to the barrels for further aging. The solids include things like dead yeast, grape skins, leaves and other naturally occurring things which we don’t want to drink. Keeping the solids in contact with the wine for too long may lead to off tastes, colors or odors that, of course, we seek to avoid. The racking process also helps to naturally clarify the wine by eliminating as many of the foreign particles as possible without the use of any chemicals or harsh processing.
I should note that the Grenache Blanc is looking, smelling and tasting fantastic and will be bottled along with the Rosé on the first weekend in April. Please, no April fools jokes. Bottling is a lot of fun. Normally it involves food, friends, a BBQ and quite possibly some drinks. The White and Rosé should be ready for sale by May 1, 2017, and boy are we excited! You may call or email to place a pre-order any time. It is LIMITED so get your order in EARLY so you do not miss out.
In equally good news, I was able to sneak the thief (that long, glass probe thing you use to extract samples out of barrels) into the Tempranillo and Syrah barrels for a taste. The color and clarity of both was brilliant. The nose on both was equally on point. I must say, that I was really blown away by the Syrah. I have always said that we build wines to drink here in California and this is very true about the Freedom Wine Company Syrah. I am anxious to get our Syrah into a bottle just so I can show it off to my friends! I found it to be very approachable, not requiring food to make it enjoyable.
The Tempranillo, which I actually tasted second (and should have tasted first because it is a lighter wine) struck me as almost like the little brother to the Syrah. Remember that they are both from the same vineyard in Santa Ynez. The Tempranillo had solid tannins and structure, as well as nice fruit and a great nose. I think this will also be a great stand alone wine, and will work well into dinner, lunch or dinner including poultry, herbs, mushrooms and lighter meat dishes. We anticipate that the Reds will be bottled around September and we will keep you updated. As for me, I think I need to go back and re-visit the reds. This time I promise to try the Tempranillo first.