2001 Chambourcin American

Retail: $13.00, Released September 2004

Variety: 100% New York Chambourcin

Harvest: The 2001 season was hot at the onset with a warm fall, which allowed for the grapes to fully ripen.

Technical: 21 degrees Brix. 3.5 pH, and 1.10 g/100 ml acidity, Bottled 213 cases on December 31, 2001, pH 3.5, acid 0.71 g/100 ml, residual sugar <0.2%, alcohol 12% by volume.

Description: We made only nine barrels of Chambourcin in 2001. Eight were French oak and just one was American oak. American oak can be overpowering but by using restraint, we produced a wine with just the right amount of spice to balance Chambourcin's natural jammy-berry flavors.

Vinification: The grapes were contract pressed in New York, chilled to 28 F, and delivered to the winery where it was transferred to 9 small French oak barrels, of which 3 were new. When the temperature reached 45 F, the must was inoculated with two different yeast strains. The wine was fermented to less than 0.2% residual sugar. When the temperature reached 70 F, each barrel was inoculated with Leuconostoc oenos and all barrels proceeded with a secondary malo-lactic fermentation. Once fermentation ceased, the wine aged in the oak for 11 months.