A Proper Barrel Tasting Weekend

This Saturday and Sunday the Livermore Valley Winegrowers’ Association is holding its annual barrel tasting weekend fundraiser. Hundreds of visitors will descend on the valley to sample wines from over 35 participating wineries. The event is crowded, and the crush of people prevents us from providing any real education about how barrels are used in the production of wine. That is why last weekend, we hosted a private barrel tasting for our members and their guests. In this more personal setting, we provided our members the opportunity to experience first hand how we use barrels in our winemaking. We demonstrated how barrels are used to add flavor, alter the texture, and stabilize the color of our wines.

At the suggestion of our members, I am posting the tasting menu along with a few notes about the wines.

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TASTING MENU

2014 Chardonnay – Del Arroyo Vineyard – French Oak

2014 Chardonnay – Del Arroyo Vineyard – Acacia (Black Locust)

Our thought behind this tasting was to show how different woods, for example oak and acacia, work to frame components of the wine differently. The acacia enhances fruit and aromatic qualities of the wine, while the oak adds seasoning components.

2014 Rosé of Pinot Noir – Del Arroyo Vineyard – Acacia (Black Locust)

Here, acacia acts contrary to expectations, lifting the fruit but also adding smoke notes to the wine.

2013 Merlot – Thatcher Bay Vineyard – French Oak

We began the tasting of our red wines with the 2013 Thatcher Bay Merlot because it is the closest to being ready for bottling. This wine showed the end result of 16 months of aging in French oak – the flavors are well integrated and the tannins have been rounded.

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 4 – Del Arroyo Vineyard – French Oak

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 4 – Del Arroyo Vineyard – French Oak

Everything else being equal, this tasting was designed to show how the wine develops from a young, rough character at 3 months to a complex, layered wine after 16 months.

2014 Zinfandel Ancient Clones – Del Arroyo Vineyard – American Oak

Everyone loves Zinfandel, and we felt this was a fun way to introduce our members to the unique properties of American oak barrels, and why we believe they work wonders on the “American” grape.