Vintage Updates

Fall Vineyard Report
December, 2011
Eric Miller, Winemaker

It seems crazy to say this has been one of the most wonderful and painful harvests I have ever experienced but I’ll tell you why. Charged with adding to our stable of growers so we can continue to fuel the explosive growth of our sweet wines, I have spent a lot of time in the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie Region. And not only are those unspoiled parts of the East Coast beautiful, but each of my forays was accompanied by absolutely perfect weather. Not surprising, on the way I found some sweet hotels and exciting restaurants and the awesome New York State Wine and Culinary Center where I was treated to a delicious array of NYS wines and locally grown foods. It was pure heaven. (Although these trips were more vineyard and less winery oriented let me know if you need any suggestions about stops on your wine route to the Finger and Great Lakes.)

The vineyards that Chaddsford works with in our part of PA got warmed by a sunny dry summer and then pounded by pre-harvest rains. Reminded me of 2002. Only the best growers and sites were able to stay clean of pests and only the steeliest luckiest made the right calls in this unusually long season as to when to pick and when to let ‘em hang.

I have the greatest appreciation for our growers who worked so hard under severe conditions to bring us the best grapes they could – but make no mistake, 2011 was a “winemaker’s vintage”. Most years the cellar crew has an occasional night off, but this year it took every watchful eye and every functioning nose to spot potential problems, measure their status and deal with them immediately. That said, I can also report that I’ve recently had some very satisfying tastings of the 2011 Spring Wine, Proprietor’s White and Proprietor’s Red components…and the Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir showing bright drinkable fruit forecasting some delicious bottles ahead.

Come get the first early preview of the 2011 harvest in March when we participate in the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail’s annual “Barrels on the Brandywine” program!

WHAT’S IN THE CELLAR?

While we’re waiting for these marvelous 2010s however, here’s a few notes on current wines on the shelf.

2007 Merican: The beautiful 2007 vintage Merican, another very good year that I expect to rival or surpass the 2005 is on the shelves.

2009 Pinot Noir: This wine is light, but very intense, and all about cherry and smoke.

2009 Merlot (coming soon): Now here we have a real Monster - where did that come from? Must be because we bled off the first 20% (free run juice) in the Saignée style, to concentrate the remaining 80%. It's all jammy cooked fruit, tobacco, and tannin.

2009 Cabernet Franc: This wine is part of a series of small scratch batch "Craft Cuvées" that we developed in 2009 (all under 200 cases, all under $20) that allows me to experiment with new things without the commitment of a large commercial lot – see also our Craft Cuvée Chardonnay and Jansen Estate Chambourcin. But back to the Cabernet Franc (our first since 1998). A wine like this could get a complex. Fact is, it comes from the other side of the tracks because it's not a Cabernet Sauvignon and it's not a Merlot (did you know it did the dirty with Sauvignon Blanc and is daddy to Cabernet Sauvignon?). At first it was a bit pudgy and awkward, but today it is trimmed down, cherry and warm with layers of oak and pencil lead in a fine understated balance. No marathoner but something to make cellarmaster Jim proud for not missing a trick in the cellar.

If you have any questions about other Chaddsford wines, past, present or future, just send me an email and I'll be happy to share my thoughts and tasting notes.