Texier/winemaking query

S

SFJoe

Joe Dougherty
So my fascinating multiminivolume set of Volume 18 of View from the Cellar arrived today. In the very nice article about Eric Texier, John says, "The Brzme bottling in (sic) pumped over during the fermentation, whereas the Pergault is left with the cap, with no punch downs or pump overs during its two weeks of fermentation." I have never made so much as a glass of wine, but isn't an untouched cap of grape skins floating on fermenting wine for two weeks more or less an invitation to bacterial cofermentation and va?

But I have had the '06 Pergault, and it, in addition to its many virtues, is a wine that I find to be unmarred by va. Not that I'm as sensitive as certain of my friends, you know who you are. Am I missing va in this wine? Do I misunderstand the winemaking issue? Is there enough of a CO2 blanket from the fermentation to prevent oxidative bacterial metabolism even in an open fermenter?

Anyhow, I love the wine, it's beautiful, and whatever Eric is doing is just fine with me, but I was surprised to read this.

Thanks.
 
OK, so good ol' Xinha is totally foiled here, and the tags it puts in don't do squat. Is this new?

I hate to compound my winemaking query with a tech query, but I'd welcome insight on either.
 
I haven't tasted the '06 Pergault (yet), but I was very happy to see this article in my inbox today. Congratulations, ric!
 
Un petit dessin valant mieux qu'un long discours,

here is a small sketch about the very old system of "claie marc" something like cap immersion grid...

Claie_marc.jpg
I hope this is clear enough.

Eric
 
originally posted by SFJoe:

OK, so good ol' Xinha is totally foiled here, and the tags it puts in don't do squat. Is this new? I hate to compound my winemaking query with a tech query, but I'd welcome insight on either.
Click to expand...

It looks like they've ditched HTML and gone to bulletin board code, which is better protection against pesky Albanians.
 
originally posted by Don Rice:
Thanks EricIt looks like the wooden grid holds the cap submerged beneath the juice level. Is that right?
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That makes sense. Less oxygen, no drying out, slow gentle extraction that gives the polished tannin of the Pergault.

The first angle couldn't have quite been the story.
 
Wow! I wish I had a nifty little drawing about a winemaking trick at Finca Sandoval to show here, like ric does! I'm really very envious!

But I'm clumsy as a draftsman, and our spoofulator is really too complex a machine...
 
You are a purist, ric, and I don't want you to have to learn the appalling, almost unbearable details of our operation!

We even have two hand-operated 'piges' I bought in Meursault... Imagine.

Joyeux Nol toi et toute ta famille!
 
originally posted by Brad L i l j e q u i s t:
Do you guys like John Gilman's stuff?I am assuming so.

Depending on who the "guys" are, tho, I guess.
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er, this "guy" says yes altho I wish he'd slow down long enough to proofread and edit. Lots of repetition in the introductory essays, among other things.

But I liked the shout-out.
 
originally posted by Brad L i l j e q u i s t:
Do you guys like John Gilman's stuff?I am assuming so.

Depending on who the "guys" are, tho, I guess.
Click to expand...
Yes, although I wouldn't pretend to be objective, and he does the regrettable points thing.
 
originally posted by Scott Kraft:
How does this method affect the va?
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I'm not sure how, but I can say that leaving the cap without pumping over or punching down or CO2 blanket would affect the VA level...

See the numerous so called "vins natures", which are left on their own during fermentation in order to not disturbe the pure expression of "nature".

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Eric
 
originally posted by maureen:
originally posted by Brad L i l j e q u i s t:
Do you guys like John Gilman's stuff?I am assuming so.

Depending on who the "guys" are, tho, I guess.
Click to expand...

er, this "guy" says yes altho I wish he'd slow down long enough to proofread and edit. Lots of repetition in the introductory essays, among other things.

But I liked the shout-out.
Click to expand...

Choose your poison, Maureen. You'll either get repetition in a wine tasting note these days, or you'll get wine notes for several wines which look suspiciously similar.
 
originally posted by Scott Kraft:
How does this method affect the va?
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It minimizes the opportunity for bacteria to get a niche, one where they can access oxygen. Put those two together and you get plenty o' va. But drown the bugs in low pH wine, cover all with a blanket of CO2, bubble-stir wine away from the surface so any absorbed O2 is mixed into the whole, and you protect your wine.

Or at least that's my guess.
 
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