Institute of Masters of Wine - 2012-13 Cabernet Sit-Down tasting
Hyatt, San Francisco
Tasted Monday, October 24, 2016 by RajivAyyangar with 548 views
Introduction
The Panel:
- Mary Margaret MW (Screaming Eagle)
- Cathy Corison
- Todd Mostero (sp?) - dir. of viti and winemaking at Dominus
- Chris Carpenter (Lokoya)
- Jean Viev Jensons - Mondavi (dir. of winemaking since 1997)
- Beth Novak Milliken - Spottswoode
- Rob McCollough MW - helping in winemaking this vintage at Spottswoode
2012 vs. 2013 vintage comparison
- Mary Margaret / Screaming Eagle - 12 is more fruit driven. 13 is more muscular, structured, for laying down.
- Corison: no heat spikes in either vintage. 13 was early - early budbreak. Didn't get spiky until June (which affects quantity more than quality). Nights were cool in both vintages. 2013 was a high-yielding vintage. Drought year - only rained 4 inches before harvest. 2012's tend to be a little more structured thatn 2013's (opposite of what Mary Margaret said).
- Todd Mostero - agreed that lack of heat spikes made the wines so good.
- Chris Carpenter - yeah, no heat spikes. When flavor and sugar are developing, the rise in heat drives sugar more than flavor. So it's nice when there's no heat spikes, you can make decisions based on flavor, not on sugar.
- - at 5:30pm it's the hottest part of the day. If you have a north-south vineyard, fruit gets burnt (unripe raisins). So they shifted the orientation to east-west planting (the shift took 30 years).
- - Density: originally was 10'x12' planting, but shifting to 9'x4'. There are underground springs that allow dry farming and denser planting. But can't go to 1mx1m like in Bordeaux because we don't have summer rains.
- - California sprawl --> went from Vertical trellising to a U-shape (so fruit at the bottom is protected by the canopy). Fruit still got burnt. Tried a V. Then tried a Y - protects the grapes both at Mid-Day and later in the day.
- Jean Viev Jensons - To Kalon has a lot of structure. 2013 was difficult - too much structure. Wasn't super happy in the vineyard in 2013. Extracting tannin too fast during fermentation - not very happy. But then tannin evolved very graciously (though not quickly).
- Rob McCollough MW - the difference is tannin extraction. In Spottswoode - 2012 had a larger berry size. Relatively less concentrated compared to 2013. Extraction needed to be pushed more (heat is the main force - also agitation, liquid contact, heat, contact with alcohol). Aron believes heat is the main driver. In 2012, kept post-fermentation maceration hot (84F, 28.5 C) and long
Flight 1 - Corison Kronos (2 Notes)
“I do a risky fermentation - inoculated with a strong finisher but doesn't use SO2 before Malo. I wouldn't do it with anyone else's fruit, but I've been doing it for 30 years." - Cathy Corison
Flight 2 - Dominus Estate (2 Notes)
“Native fermentations" are often commercial yeasts that have won out in the winery. Dominus does sample fermentations, then PCRs them to identify indigenous yeasts. They inoculate with 3 indigenous yeasts, and only one has the performance to complete fermentation. They don't do simultaneous inoculation of yeast and lactobaccilli.
Flight 3 - Lokoya - Spring Mountain (2 Notes)
- Does native fermentation - has strong yeasts that live in the winery.
- Chris makes four Lokoyas: Diamond, Howell, Veeder, and Spring mtn.
- Chris emphasized the tactile sense of wine - his are lusher than the others on the panel, and maybe this tactile emphasis is part of it.
- Lokoya seems riper and more structured by tannin than acidity.
Flight 4 - Mondavi To Kalon and Stags Leap (4 Notes)
To Kalon: neither of these seem to have black fruit or pyrazines. Maybe Black Cherry. Lean, tannic, high acid.
Stags Leap: Had more black fruit, cabernet character.
Flight 5 - Spottswoode (2 Notes)
- Used to be on AXR1, 8x10 spacing, but now they're off AXR1 because of phylloxera - 5'x7' spacing. St. Helena, alluvial soils. It's a warm site. 60% new oak (not 100%). Winemaker must also be the vineyard manager.
- Rob McCollough: In 2014 - switched to optical sorting. The grapes go through a triple-sorting process. Reject rate is 2-3% of all the fruit harvested. Previously, it was between 3-5% (sorting by hand). This is a small rate. Dominus and Spottswoode use a viticultural tool "Pressure Bomb".
- There are lots of different techniques of pumping over
- - - old way is the "firehose" - very intrusive, violent. Breaks the berries.
- - - as soon as they can, they change to a more gentle pump, introducing oxygen to help the fermentation yeast.
- - - max 2 pumpover per day - each time you do a pumpover, you lose heat. It's the most gentle extraction force.
- - - Some people do 6 pumpovers per day, but that's a crazy amount of work.
- - - First 2 days is violent. Then more gentle.
- - - Once you go to mid-fermentation, you don't need as oxidative pumpovers.
- - - As the cap starts to fall down, they go back to a pump that can handle more solids.
- - - Then they're just wetting the cap each day, and using heat to finish off extraction.
- - - The secret of Spottswoode is gentle irrigation-style pumpover that maximizes heat.
- - - Extraction/pumpovers are decided on a tank-by-tank basis, and go several weeks. In other wineries, they might go shorter - e.g. Mtn. Fruit at Lokoya might go for only 6-10 days.
- 1982's are drinking beautifully - AXR1, 100% cab, 8'x10' spacing. 12.5% alcohol.
- They inoculate with yeast and then do Malo afterwards. High sugar levels, so they don't want stuck fermentation, and you don't want a "stressed" character - stressed aromas from having to re-inoculate.
2012 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
- Vibrant medium ruby in the glass.
- Tight nose of blackcurrant, slight cedary oak, cherry. Ripe - no noticeable pyrazines.
- m+ body, m alcohol (feels 13.5%), m+ acid, m+ tannins, not particularly savage.
- Oak presents as cedary baking spices - still a touch un-integrated, but modest. Fresh acidity on the finish.
Very nice! - Around 9
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2013 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
- Dark ruby, opaque in the glass.
- Much more expressive nose than the '12 - modest brett, slight savory stewed bell pepper pyrazines.
- darker on the palate - more concentrated, higher tannin. Medium alcohol. Great flavor concentration. Fresh acidity on the finish.
I prefer this to the ’12: Around 9-9.5
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