Tasting things
Late December is a not a generally a good time to taste the wines out in the winery. Everything’s too cold to really taste, the wines made in the fall are still too young, and I really don’t want to end up spending a lot of time cleaning up or working when it’s 40 degrees, dark, and damp out there. But, tonight I was in the mood (had a few), so I went out to take care of a couple things that have been on my mind — and also to see how my babies are doing.
The 2009 Malbec is going to be wonderful. It’s soft, has really nice tannins, and smells like black cherry and vanilla. I could drink this all night. I can’t wait to bottle it. I topped it up, and we’ll leave it alone until we get close to bottling (February?).
The 2010 Zin is starting to become more complex, although it’s still a little sweet and maybe still the slightest bit fizzy. I’m pleasantly surprised by it, frankly, because it started out as less-than-wonderful grapes. I think it could be a very drinkable wine after it finishes fermentation in the spring and spends another 12 months in the barrel.
