Vintage Update

Vineyard Report
June 2007
Eric Miller, Winemaker

Earlier in the season I visited a few of our vineyards and observed that, overall, we had wintered well with little damage accountable to the warm '07 January and nasty cold of February. But you really can't see much till mid-May when the buds break and the shoots begin to show crop. Since that time I have been busy looking at, checking out, and surveying all the Chaddsford vineyards, our own Miller Estate and the associated vineyards that supply the rest of our fruit. I'd sum it up by saying we have a good average crop out there. The weather was particularly kind in May, with low humidity warm sunny days and cool nights - assuring us of clean green shoots and unblemished flower clusters and healthy, moderately vigorous growth. But the devil is in the details.

During the warm-then-cold winter, Brett, our vineyard manager, decided to leave 100% more buds than typical this year. Turns out that our Chardonnay was hit pretty hard, and despite his conservative pruning, we are starting out with about 50% crop loss. It appears that the Miller Estate Pinot Noir, Cabernet and Cab Franc were also affected, but the extra buds left should keep us in the ballgame.

I'm happy to say that other sites will compensate for our own reduced Chardonnay, but I am distraught to learn that there will be no production from the old vines at the famed Philip Roth Vineyard, the benchmark for ultra high-end Pennsylvania Chardonnay. Fortunately, we will continue to enjoy the Roth Vineyard Pinot Noir. On another high note, our still young Syrah vines look good and production will be on target. (Watch for our first release of '05 Syrah this summer!)

And, most exciting to me - drum roll please - last growing season I hybridized two of my favorite reds, Chambourcin and Zinfindel, and this Spring 9 seedlings actually sprouted! So I am a father again, and in a mere 10 years or so we may be drinking a new big-ass fruity red from the Atlantic Uplands. Nothing like delayed gratification, eh?

As for '07, there's a whole lot more season to go, so I'll be reporting more as things progress. Keep your fingers crossed for more of this great weather!

The '06s In The Cellar

You know from what I wrote last fall that I had some serious concerns about the 2006 vintage. We were struggling when the late season rains came and we took it on the chin with the early varieties. It was not a happy time meeting and greeting Chardonnay that did not have sugars like '05. I sold off a lot of juice/grapes and we made a few early cuts that precluded some of our high-end single vineyard bottlings. We waited to pick Pinot Noir until it was raisining, but I still did not taste what I wanted....so all the Miller Estate Pinot Noir was de-classified down to a "Barrel Select" lot.

But things got a lot better from there. Almost a fortnight later-- after finally getting some sun and warmth -- we began to take in Syrah and Merlot. We let the Chambourcin, Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon hang even more. We watched the Sangiovese and Barbera (which had been hit earlier by hail) go to deep blue color and pass into jammy fruit. We held off picking past the first frost that took most of the leaves, and still we let it hang a few more days. Finally, we crushed and went for max extraction.

And then in January we completed the final blends and cellarmaster Jim, enologist Jen and I settled in to taste what happened. We met stable dense color and no one said much. Smells began to fill our crummy bombed-out production office. Flavors were tight. Tannins were smooth and grainy. And slowly the three of us began to smile. And get chatty.

It began with the small cuvee of Miller Estate Chardonnay that we had not blended off into the Naked Chardonnay. Wow, the fruit came up to grab us. There were sweet smells coming out of the Pinot Noir. Tasting the Seven Valleys Chambourcin, the Jansen Estate Chambourcin, Merlot, Rubino and Cab blends was like Christmas all over again.

Suffice it to say, I was more than surprised. And very very happy. I have no regrets for making everybody so worried, because my fears that 2006 would be a less than a stellar vintage made everybody work a little harder. Or maybe the gods were just looking out for us. Hail 2006.

Hail 2006 for the whites that show cool bright fruit, like '06 Spring Wine and Pinot Grigio. Dig the three barrels of Mliler Estate Chardonnay that ended up as our special 25th Anniversay Cuvee, which will be released this summer at our 25th Anniversary Celebration events.

Hail the '06 Pinot Noir and Syrah for their delicate ripe red peppery fruit. Hail but hold back a few years for the mouth-filling tannins of my 25th Anniversary Merican/Meritage blend. The Cab and Merlot may come on a bit sooner as their fine grainy tannins subside.

Hail 2006 because it has turned out to be right up there with other good-to-great vintages I've been so grateful for. And mark your calendar for our annual July barrel tastings (July 21st and 28th) when we will show and sell as Futures the best lots of the vintage (see more details on events page).

Cellar Report On The 2005 Vintage

While we're waiting for the '06s, I offer you the delayed, barrel-ripened and vineyard designated reds from '05. Some of you may recall that I rated the brilliant '05 vintage a perfect 10 out of 10, one of those super-ripe year when the grapes achieved full potential. We did extended skin/seed contact for greater mouth-feel. We brought in an incredible amount of new barrels for extended aging before bottling. We used a high percentage of heavy toasted oak. We went all the way and I am happy to say the resulting kick-ass reds, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Merican, are packed with rich deep color, sweet extracts and mouth-filling tannins.

Sadly, the '05 Pinot Noir (which had incredible reviews including a notice by Eric Asimov last fall in the New York Times) is all gone, sold out shortly after it's release. But we have the '05 Barrel Select Pinot Noir on the shelves right now, as well as the '05 Rubino which is the hands-on crowd favorite. Coming soon is the' '05 Miller Estate Pinot Noir, the '05 Due Rossi, the '05 Syrah, the '05 Cabernet and the '05 Chambourcin from both the Seven Valleys and Jansen Estate Vineyards.

As for the whites, most are now gone and giving way to the young fresh '06s...but the cream of the crop, the Roth Vineyard Chardonnay, is here awaiting you. Yes, Roth Chardonnay! In this, our first Roth release since 2001, we have embarked on a partial malo-lactic fermentation, retained a natural acidity, brilliant fruit and creamy apple-pie flavor swollen into sweet vanilla. I am so excited about this lot, especially since there is no ''06 and will be no '07 from Roth.

There, now you have lots of reasons to come out this summer.

Eric Miller, Winemaker