Vintners crafting a 2012 wine at Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Howard County, Maryland spent Saturday and Sunday racking their wine from one barrel to another. I decided to check the progress of my Atlas Peak AVA Cabernet Sauvignon. Prior to putting the wine in a Taransaud barrel last November, the wine exhibited a bit of herbal and vegetative nuances on the aroma and taste. When I tasted the wine on Saturday, gone were the herbal and vegetative hints that I picked up four months ago. The wine has some influence from the oak, but at the moment it is more subtle than “in your face.” For only four months in French oak, the wine had a wow factor.
Dave Zuchero, head winemaker, gave me a challenge to decide to rack or not rack my wine. After some research, I decided that I’d let the wine age for several more months sur lees. I want the wine to be complex, and many winemakers like the aging on the lees. I did stir the wine while in the barrel so the wine could access the oak under the lees. At the moment of tasting the wine on Saturday, prior to stirring it, I was impressed with its maturity. This wine may represent a vintage year for Napa Valley and 2012 may just be one of the best in the last several years. I’m glad to have a barrel of it.
Cheers,
Terry
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