2001 Chambourcin American

Retail: $13.00, Released September 2004

Variety: 100% New York Chambourcin

Chambourcin is one of the more recent French hybrids, developed by Cornell University and first commercially available in the early 1960's.

It's known for it's deep color, yet despite its rich appearance, it makes a light red wine, much like the fruity reds of northern Italy.

Chambourcin makes a good choice for grilled foods, even if you slather on a hot and vinegary barbecue sauce.

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. After primary fermentation (yeast converts sugar to alcohol) each barrel was inoculated with a culture to induce secondary (malo-lactic) fermentation. Once fermentation ceased, the wine aged in the oak for 11 months.