8:30 AM - Mike Savino drops in. He & Pam are making wine with us this year!
9:00 ish - We hot the road: Savino and me in one car, James and Peter and Lori in another. Peter is set on Muscat. Lori and I are set on a Merlot - Cab S. blend, somewhere around 75% / 25%. Mike is set on a Rhone blend, if Syrah can be found.
9:30 ish: we haunt Lapide and Pagano. James makes mysterious calls that result in a discount at Lapide. Peter sticks with Muscat. Mike finds Syrah juice at Pagano (Lodi), and buys it to blend with Grenache grapes from Lapide (Pagnani). Steve and Lori decide to change the blend to 70% Merlot, 20% Cab. S., 10% Petite Syrah. We all go with the default yeast of Lapide - Montrechet Red Star.
Until 2:00 ish: after a quick coffee at Provini and Mike picking up Pam, we start by pressing the Grenache (4x36 #), and dividing the Syrah juice (6 gal) between 2 carboys. The juice is very cold (~50'). Pam sets to destemming the Grenache.
We crush the blend into two 50 gal. drums. Lori starts destemming.
I break out the last of the anisette and a little cheese, which keeps James and me from fainting away. James leaves ~ 2:30.
2:30 ish: Lunch! Mike has brought lobster salad and Rolls from the Red Hook Lobster Pound. Life is worth living again.
Until 5:00 ish: Pam yeasts the Grenache and the Syrah juice. The Savinos leave.
Lori continues destemming.
Peter and Steve pick over the Muscat, and crush it, then press it. The grapes taste delicious, but there are a surprising number of broken and browned ones. Crushing yields only about 7 gallons - only half of what we were expecting. Lots of difficulty with the press, and the grapes clearly have a bunch of juice left in them. We divvy the juice between two carboys with the plan of letting it settle for a day, then racking it, then yeasting it. The white juice is the opaqueness of apple cider - we're hoping for a lot of settling.
(I should say that the Merlot grapes were beautiful. The Cab. S, had minimal rot, and the Petite Syrah had a bunch of mild / mildew. All grapes and must tested between 24 brix and 26 brix.)
Until 6:30 ish: Clean-up - Esteban and Nixon from Peters' restaurants come over to help put, breaking up and bundling the crates, washing, etc. An amazing help. Bernardo visits, and brings desperately needed cold beer. We combine the two partial barrels of the blend, and Lori yeasts it. Worried about the white juice sitting for a night, I KSO2 it, 3/4 tsp to the 5 gallons. Caps and airlocks on the white juice and the Syrah juice.
7:30: We're too pooped (long silences, staring) to make good guests at the Savinos' , but not too pooped for Peter to scooch us in to Locali. Then a nightcap at Provini. Then... back to the cellar.
10:30: The Grenache and the blend are both already showing early fermentation signs. There's slight but real bubbling on the Syrah. Photographed everything, and will start the regular measurements in the AM.
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