This week I gave my 2010 Chardonnay its final racking in preparation of bottling in the next few weeks. While racking is an exceedingly simple task, I’m apparently unable to complete it without first spilling half a bottle or so on the basement floor. Nonetheless, I ended up with one 5-gallon carboy and two 750 ml wine bottles of crystal clear Chardonnay remaining to enjoy. I couldn’t be happier with how the wine is tasting. It’s buttery, medium bodied with heavy fruit throughout. Just how I had hoped. I even shared a pre-release bottle at our Friday night family barbecue and it got nothing but rave reviews.
I’m now in a routine of spraying my Corot Noir vines once every 7 to 10 days, which will continue until the berries bulge and start to turn purple. The clusters are currently in their blooming stage, when little, tiny flower caps form, open and fall away. I’m several years into this winemaking experiment and up until a month ago I didn’t know what a flowering grape cluster looked like. The education never ceases. The shoots of the vines are now growing inches by the week, and at the Hilton estate I took the considerable time to tie each shoot vertically to the wires of the trellis to ensure the leaves receive maximum sun exposure. Soon I’ll have to begin the regular, tedious process of removing excess leaves one at a time to prevent shading of the many grape clusters, but in the meantime it’s back to the bottle label design. I’ve got a Chardonnay release party to plan.
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