Musings

Don't Call It Durif

Submitted by Clark Smith on

 

Just returned from a very interesting day at the 7th annual symposium of PS I Love You, featuring a wide variety of interesting speakers including a presentation on the Petite Sirah Heritage Block which is being created as part of the extensive UC Davis Vit and Eno Dept. makeover, which will include eight clones of Petite Sirah, four of its mother Peloursin, and hopefully a clone or two of its father, Syrah.

Crossflow Pros and Cons

Submitted by Clark Smith on

 

We have a mobile cross flow filtration business in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. We use a 2008 Koch machine with hollow fiber cartrdiges which will remove particles to .2 microns. I recently had a winemaker note that he thought the Pinot we filtered took out some of the "greeness" of the tannin profile in his 07 wine. (A vintage known for unripe fruit in some cases.) Is there any science to support this claim, and how does the filtration process affect structure in our Pinots?

Pinot Noir Color

Submitted by Clark Smith on

 

Dear Clark:
I met a wino a few weeks ago who spouted a term at a lecture that described the color deficient qualities of Nebbiolo, Pinot noir and Grenache. He said that they were all "monosomething saccharides". Do you know what the term is (and, hey, do you agree with him)? 
PS: Great piece on PSs.

-Patrick

Dear Patrick:

Regional Diversity in Petite Sirah

Submitted by Clark Smith on

Now that I have sold off the high tech service business, I get to have true fun tasting through and characterizing the AVAs of North America for AppellationAmerica.com, my new day job. I recently worked closely with the folks at PS I Love You and in particular with Petite Sirah guru Robert Brittan to tease out the true nature of this awesome New World varietal.

Pages