Vintage Updates

November 1, 2008
Vineyard Report
Eric Miller, Winemaker

We went into the 2008 harvest expecting a smaller vintage with a certain amount of ease. But that's not what we got. Things got off to a really bad start in mid-August, when our crop at the Miller Estate Vineyard was virtually destroyed by a violent hail storm. The long and the short of it is that our little 30 acres site was devastated by a maelstrom of sharp heavy disk-like hail. Apparently a twister-like force circulated those little knives through our primo blocks of Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Barbera, turning leaves into confetti, slicing shoots and clusters, splitting berries, stripping vines of leaves, splitting fresh growth open, and for all intents and purposes, ending the growing season on the Miller Estate, site of the top quality, vineyard-designated small lots that comprise our high-end Portfolio Collection.

If there is a silver lining in this decimation, it is that the Miller Estate accounts for just about 40% of our total production. The balance comes from other nearby vineyards, contracted last winter, and we were relieved that none had any hail damage. I am greatful to Philip Roth, Paradocx Vineyard, Waltz Vineyard, Penns Woods Winery and Twin Brook for their offers to help us thru this difficult time. At the same time I want to thank Mary and Mark Gruber and Ed and Linda Jansen for their continued efforts to produce exemplery regional grapes. And our far-off growers in Erie, Trolly Line and Arborhurst, for their outstanding ongoing contributions.

Begininng the Harvest

We entered September with perfectly clear warm sunny days, no fog, low dew point and cool nights, the same kind of Mediterranean conditions that were the wonderful signature of '07. Then we took two significant wetting periods that delayed early varieties like Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. When they did come in, there were inconsistencies. We took in some of the worst fruit I have ever seen, and some that rates with the best. We had to make cuts to keep up the quality (gonna’ be some great Sangria next year!).

Fortunately, the late season varieties like Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot look to have great potential. We took in the last at the very end of October, just a week ago, so it's a bit early to make predictions. But if I were a gambling man, I'd say it's looking like a small exemplary vintage of familiar varieties like Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Cabernet. And later down the line you might also find some great deals, like the '08 Proprietor's Reserve Red that will have some interesting Barbera and Sangiovese (think Due Rossi) blended in.

Volume-wise, the bad news is that the 2008 vintage has come in substantially lower (in gallons) than the great '07 vintage. The good news is that we blew the grape purchasing budget in '07 and are sitting on a bigger than usual inventory....particularly in Merlot, Cab, Pinot Noir and Barbera. We will be bottling these '07 beauties in early '09, releasing them next summer and fall, and they are extraordinary. Make a point of looking for these '07s. Lay them down. Drink them when you can find them!

Changes at the Miller Estate Vineyard

Our vineyard manager Brett has completed the pull-out of our largest Vidal Blanc vineyard, which has been virused and bringing in reduced crops for the last five years. In the Spring we will re-plant this section with Pinot Grigio vines.

The big question is, what is the prognosis for our hail-damaged vines? Syrah and Barbara have been exhausted in their effort to recover from the leaf defoliation. We dropped the crop within days of losing leaves, tons of clusters thrown on the ground. Only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir seemed to ripen their wood, and hopefully their buds. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc barely grew enough leaves to ripen their wood. At this point we just don't know how they will re-cover, but I'll keep reporting as we begin pruning this winter.

9-1-08 Cellar Report

For those of you who missed the '07 Barrel Tastings in July, you can taste the forerunners of the vintage in the early bottlings of our Proprietors Reserve White and Red and the '07 Naked Chardonnay, set to be released as I write. The '07 Syrah and Rubino are now assembled and lined up for bottling before harvest so keep your tongue out for them.

If you can't wait for the rest of the brilliant '07 reds and the Miller Estate Chardonnay, we are now releasing the best of the '06 vintage. I am grateful for receiving accolades on the '06 Pinot Noir, recently named "Best of Philly" wine by Philadelphia Magazine. But the real gold is in the later-picked wines like Merlot, Rubino and Syrah - all of which are currently on the shelf. You can find spec sheets, with my tasting notes, on this site under "wines".

Cabernet Sauvignon '06 has a special place in my heart, but frankly, it is still tight and enjoys being decanted for an hour or two before drinking. This "little Merican" is complete with its blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. And while it may not yet have the breadth of our current release '04 Merican (once it is decanted and aired) it held its own in a recent tasting with the U.S. Sommelier Society.

And just a few more thoughts, on two of my favorite wines in the cellar. Cellarmaster Jim, enologist Jen and I have had some serious discussions about delaying bottling of '07 Miller Estate Pinot Noir and Due Rossi but decided to let the tannins work themselves out. Not so hard to do knowing we still have a little of the '05 vintage of each on the shelves. If you remember, we skipped bottling a Miller Estate Pinot Noir in '06 because we felt it was not up to the '05 level. We DID make an '06 Due Rossi, but ended up releasing it before the '05 because it was drinking so well and frankly the '05 was worth waiting for - it's now drinking like a King. It should be in stock until around Christmas and, in my opinion, is regal, stately, sophisticated and the most exciting wine I have ever made.

The long and the short of it is that we have a cellar full of wonderful, exciting wines from both '06 and '07, which will serve us well considering the shortage in '08 I mentioned above. As always, if you have any questions about current or past Chaddsford wines, please feel free to contact me at eric@chaddsford.com.