Scholium

originally posted by Tom Glasgow:
ScholiumAnyone one go to either of the Scholium tastings that were held recently?
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Robert Dentice posted his impressions of one over at WLDG.

Mark Lipton
 
I loved the extended aged, skin fermented Pinot Grigio but I am sure I am in the minority on that.

The Sauvignon Blancs were excellent.

The flor-affected Chardonnay was Juraesque and nice.

The Gewurz and Verdelhos were very good.

The Bricco was my favorite of the reds. In time the Hudson Syrah will be amazing.

All of the reds are big but balanced and unique without a ton of overblow ripe fruit despite the high alcohol.

By the way Abe has added pieces on alcohol and reduction to his website.

Why are the alcohols so high?

Reduction
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:
I loved the extended aged, skin fermented Pinot Grigio but I am sure I am in the minority on that.

The Sauvignon Blancs were excellent.

The flor-affected Chardonnay was Juraesque and nice.

The Gewurz and Verdelhos were very good.

The Bricco was my favorite of the reds. In time the Hudson Syrah will be amazing.

All of the reds are big but balanced and unique without a ton of overblow ripe fruit despite the high alcohol.
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I think Robert pretty much nailed it.
That said, these are not wines for everyone - rather they are experiments that have a certain appeal to those who can taste outside the box. I suspect the whites will be more pleasing to most people than the reds.

And the extended age, skin fermented Pinot Grigio is the most extraordinary beverage I have tasted in many years. I'm not sure I'd call it wine; rather it references certain digestifs I have had. But I loved it, whatever it is.
And bought it.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
Regarding reduction, what does he mean by "nutrients"?
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Mostly, yeast assimilable nitrogen, which is required to keep yeast from creating excess hydrogen sulfide (among other things). Depending on the condition of the fruit at pick, the YAN number may vary - if it is less than ideal, nutrients are added. There are also other nutrients (potassium, amino acids, etc.) that make a ferment move and healthy.
Reduction, no matter how people use the term, actually refers to hydrogen sulfide production in greater numbers than the matrix of the wine can balance. Hence, a smell (egg salad, rubber, etc.) that is difficult to get rid of - not that winemakers don't try - everything from racking, getting oxygen into the mix, exposure to copper, etc. - in an effort to reduce sulfides.
And if they continue to accumulate, they can morph into mercaptans or disulfides which can permanently mar the smell and taste of wine.

Proper yeast "nutrition" during fermentation is a very hot topic among winemakers.

One of the interesting things about Abe's theories of winemaking is his belief that wine needs to be "accustomed" to oxygen - he does not fear oxidation but rather, specifically creates an oxidative environment for many of his wines.
I don't pretend to understand his theory nor do I think it makes for fine table wines but I would argue that it does make for some very interesting wines that stretch the notions of how to make wine.
One may not like his results, just as one may not like the results of a more traditional winemaker, but I think his experimentation is the kind of individualistic, albeit esoteric, thinking that makes winemaking endlessly fascinating.
Not to mention, the tasting.
Best, Jim
 
Thanks, Jim. So some winemakers keep a jar of YAN on hand in the cellar, so to speak?

The wines sound interesting, and the rap doesn't seem like hyperbole.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
One of the interesting things about Abe's theories of winemaking is his belief that wine needs to be "accustomed" to oxygen - he does not fear oxidation but rather, specifically creates an oxidative environment for many of his wines.
I don't pretend to understand his theory nor do I think it makes for fine table wines but I would argue that it does make for some very interesting wines that stretch the notions of how to make wine.
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Up until 40 or 50 years ago these kinds of practices were pretty much everywhere.
For reds with a considerable phenolic load its only quite recently, within the past couple of decades that winemaking has moved away from an appreciation of oxygen towards a fear of it.
 
originally posted by Bruce G.:
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
Thanks, Jim. So some winemakers keep a jar of YAN on hand in the cellar, so to speak?
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Yes, but the YAN would be likely be labeled DAP.
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Joel,
Bruce speak truth.
There are other nutrients that may also be on that same shelf but DAP is probably the most prevalent and useful.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Bruce G.:

Up until 40 or 50 years ago these kinds of practices were pretty much everywhere.
For reds with a considerable phenolic load its only quite recently, within the past couple of decades that winemaking has moved away from an appreciation of oxygen towards a fear of it.
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What are your thoughts on why the move?
BTW, if you have not tried the Scholium wines, its a pretty interesting experience.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
What are your thoughts on why the move?
BTW, if you have not tried the Scholium wines, its a pretty interesting experience.
Best, Jim
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Jim:

I think the move was facilitated by the rise of newish, affordable technologies, mainly inox, refrigeration, and commercially available yeast preps. Other technologies, especially those associated with grape/must handling (newer technology presses, filtration equipment, etc) also probably get an assist here.

And this was all made to seem a good thing to do because of certain trends in wine consumption, primarily the ascendancy of varietal labeling and the internationalization of the wine market.
Fruit preservation became possible, and was sold as the defining mark of good wine.

Re: Scholium... have tried several, but not enough to draw any conclusions beyond the general.

Regards,
 
What are your thoughts on why the move?
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Applicable to this, ref. this encounter in the Piedmont. I'll quote the relevant part so you don't have to read the whole thing:

There was [here in the Piedmont, but also elsewhere] a silent revolution that no one wants to talk about. That is: the change from botti (the large, and old, wooden casks traditional to the region and still employed in some form by many producers) to stainless steel. This was great for hygiene, but the problem is that stainless steel encourages the polyphenolic structure to reduce. Thus, in these post-revolutionary times, the choices faced by a winemaker are less polyphenolic content or aging in wood. Since smaller wooden containers provide faster oxygenation, the use [of barriques] became almost mandatory.
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Suggesting, I think, that for some the trend has gone too far in the other direction. Aside from all the other problems with that paragraph, that part is probably right.
 
originally posted by Bruce G.:

Fruit preservation became possible, and was sold as the defining mark of good wine.
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Not surprisingly, Abe at Scholium says that he does not place fruit aromas and flavors as his first goal in making wine; he is more concerned with other aromas and flavors and so he intentionaly runs afoul of such a defining mark.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
What about large wooden casks that are clean. Isn't this done in other places?
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FWIW, Scholium as a number of very large wood fermentation tanks.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Bruce G.:
Fruit preservation became possible, and was sold as the defining mark of good wine.
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I'm still digesting this.

So is this a fairly clear cut paradigm shift (parallelling technological developments) at a certain time in the last 20-30 yrs? 40-50 yrs?

Before such a shift, what was the defining mark of good wine? (And are we talking about dry reds mostly, or wines of all sorts? Depending on the grape at least, hasn't capturing fruit been on the list of priorities, if not at the top, for longer than that?)
 
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