Newsletter Archive
Hunter Wine Cellars Fall Release of 2005 Single Vineyard Chardonnay & Pinot Noir
Hunter Wine Cellars Fall Release of 2005 Single Vineyard Chardonnay & Pinot Noir The 2005 Vineyard designated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays have just been released. The 2005 is thought by many, including everyone here at the winery to be the finest ever for these varietals in West County.
First, an update on the challenging 2006 vintage. A large crop to begin with, incessant rain in April pumped up the berries. Then a heat of several consecutive days over 100 degrees in May caused berry damage which hampered anthocyanin or color production in the Pinot Noirs. To remedy these situations we had to do two things: first, we dropped fruit on the sun side of the canopy to reduce the crop of the affect fruit. Second, at harvest we drew off juice at the fermenter as the fruit was being destemmed, referred to as saignee in French meaning ‘to bleed’, in order to obtain a higher solid to juice ratio which makes for a more concentrated wine. We typically do this every year but in 2006 three times the volume was drawn as opposed to other years. Expensive decisions but essential to produce the kinds of wine expected from this winery. We are pleased with most of the lots, and these are the only ones which will make the Chasseur cut. Also, we may be declassifying some vineyards in order to keep the same consistent quality at a given price point. Interestingly however, we see two new promising vineyards which could possibly be added to the vineyard designated program for 2006; Dave Umino’s vineyard on Blucher Valley Road in Sebastopol in the Russian River Valley and Diana and Charles Karren’s Terra de Promissio vineyard in the Sonoma Coast.
For Chardonnay the spring rain set the stage for things to come at harvest. These rains caused difficulty in keeping up with spraying for fungal microbes. When the autumn rain, of which some comes with every harvest, arrived the botrytis spores which were lying in wait bloomed and grew exponentially. The difficult decision was how long to let the fruit hang to get the flavors needed before the mold inundated the fruit. When we finally did decide to pick, the growers we work with were diligent in sorting out botrytisized bunches in the field and brought us extremely clean fruit for us to process. We are very pleased with how these wines turned out. This is the advantage of working with growers who are on top of their game and it is they who deserve all the credit.
Back to the 2005 Single Vineyards. Unfortunately due to club demand, at this writing the Pinot Noirs have been sold out save for a few bottles of a new vineyard called Sexton. We do however have some Chardonnay still available. We have four vineyard designates this fall. The first is from the Lorenzo vineyard. I just returned from New York to present this wine on a panel with eight other wineries hosted by James Laube at the Wine Spectator’s Wine Experience. The Durell from the Sand Hill block is also among the four. Rounding out the four are the Sangiacomo Green Acres Hill and the Twin Hill. For reviews of these wines see the news and events page on our web site. The Connoisseur's Guide was particularly kind as well as Robert Parker. For information on them please see the notes for each on the corresponding wine page.
Once again club members receive one bottle of each of these wines now and two bottles each of our Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley appellations wines in the spring, all for 20% off the retail price. Each member also receives a complimentary bottle of our Vin Gris. There is a 10% discount for a case or more for non members and members get 20% off all subsequent purchases regardless of quantity.
01/31/2008 - 2008 Winter Update
10/30/2007 - Fall 2007 Chasseur Newsletter
10/22/2007 - Pinot On the River
10/18/2007 - Chasseur Wines will be released to the General Public
09/04/2007 - Fall 07 Pinot Noir Legacy
09/04/2007 - Fall '07 Chardonnay Vineyard Designates
09/04/2007 - Fall '07 Pinot Noir Vineyard Designates
06/13/2007 - Chasseur 2007 Spring Chardonnay Newsletter
07/14/2006 - Chasseur Wines Fall 2006 Newsletter
05/09/2006 - Chasseur Wines 2006 Spring Release of Chardonnays
02/22/2006 - Chasseur Wines 2006 Spring Release of Pinot Noir
09/06/2005 - Fall 2005
05/17/2005 - Chasseur Wines Spring 2005 Newsletter
True Wine Afficionados appreciate great Whites.
Chasseur Wines is known for not only great Pinot but also some amazing Chardonnay. Click Here for more information.