JANUARY TASTING NOTES:

The Making of a Meritage-January 17th, 2004, with guest speaker Peter Bell

Entry Wine:

2002 Fox Run Dry Riesling

Tasting Wines:

1) 2002 Fox Run Merlot Component

2) 2002 Fox Run Cabernet Sauvignon Component

3) 2002 Fox Run Cabernet Franc Component

4) 2002 Blend of the above (50M/10CS/40CF)

5) 2001 Fox Run Meritage $30-$35

6) 2000 Hedges 3 Vineyards Red Wine (Washington) about $16

7) 1995 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre
(St Julien, Bordeaux) at release, $35

8) 1999 Franciscan Magnificat (California) about $28


No votes were taken.

Program Notes:

Jan Klapetzky welcomed our guest speaker Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake. Jan explained that he had previously heard Peter at the 2002 AWS Conference giving a fascinating description of how the Fox Run Meritage is produced.

Peter explained that the term "Meritage" was first coined in 1988 by a group of American vintners to identify wines blended from the traditional Bordeaux varietals. These vintners felt that single varietal wines did not reach the same quality levels as could be achieved by suitable blends of grapes. A Meritage association was formed which places restrictions on the wines' composition if the term Meritage is to appear on the label. For red Meritage the rules are as follows:

A red Meritage is made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec,
Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenere. No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend. (continued)

Program Notes continued:

Bordeaux originally planted a variety of red grapes in the vineyard to provide insurance against loss of one particular crop due to inclement weather or disease. The quality advantage is an additional benefit. Peter stressed that the importance of barrel aging has only been recognized in the last 30 years or so.

The goal is to make a better wine than the individual component wines. The resulting blend should display complexity, balance, a long finish, and longevity.

At Fox Run in July of 2003, 37 barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 of Merlot, and 20 of Cabernet Franc were available from the 2002 vintage. These varieties are grown on different soils, and are vinified separately. From each of the 87 barrels 200ml samples were drawn for sampling.

Those with less attractive aroma were "deselected" for use in the single-varietal wines. After a process of iteration, the sample-size was reduce to 8-10 barrels. Over the course of a week 150 trial blends are produced from these barrels. Typically Cabernet
Franc and Merlot each represent 40-50% of the final blend with Cabernet Sauvignon around 10%.

Peter showed charts illustrating how the three grape varieties contribute to taste. Whereas Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be hollow in the middle palate, but excellent in up-front impression and finish, Merlot shows peak performance in mid-palate, and Cabernet Franc is a more even component.

We had great fun making up our own blend of the three 2002 components using the proportions shown overleaf. A clear improvement on the individual wines! The 2001 wine had somewhat different make-up, 60%M, 35% CF, 5% CS. This wine was also doctored with a little added alcohol and tannin, and acid was slightly reduced.

The rest of the tasting was devoted to tasting other examples of red wines made from these mixtures of grapes. As expected, Peter regarded the Bordeaux as the best of these.


Committee:
Jan Klapetzky, Tom and Linda Hickey, Tone Kelly, Rich and Pam Hemmenway, Joe Moore, Chris and Terri Smith, Ken and Eileen Beard, Fred and Molly Fant.

CHAPTER BUSINESS

" Church Donation:
We will be donating $200 from our funds to the Church (we have received favorable comments from the Church staff regarding how clean we leave the rooms after our events).

" Chapter Anniversary
John Tuller pointed out that the Rochester Chapter will be 30 years old in May! We must celebrate this with our Warfields's Dinner in May.

" Angel's Retirement Angel Nardone was given a standing ovation to commemorate her many years of service as AWS Executive Director. Angel will be stepping down gradually bringing her successor "up to speed".

" Chapter Website
Jan Klapetzky has set up a website for our local chapter. It can be accessed at:

www.elmeda.com/awsroch.htm

The site contains will contain newsletters, the latest flier, and a link to the National Chapter web-site.

IN THE NEWS

" New Glass Stopper

We've seen plastic "corks" and screw-caps, now a new glass-based stopper has hit the market in Germany. Schloss Vollrads, a leading estate in the Rheingau, has decided to move at least 50% of its 2004 production to the new type of closure. The "Vino-Lok" closure is a glass bung surrounded by a plastic membrane and held in place with an aluminum cap. It is 100% neutral, resealable, recyclable, and aesthetic, according to the official blurb on the German website of the manufacturer Alcoa, a major company specializing in aluminum products.

UPCOMING TASTINGS

March 20th Zinfandels from Ravenswood and Ridge (Brian Thomas)

April 17th : Value Reds (Jan Klapetzky)