Bastianich-The Buzz

Scenes from San Martino

You learn something new every day...

Today is November 11th, which, in Italia, is the Festa di San Martino.

San Martino is the official end (end therefore also beginning) of the agricultural year. Traditionally it is the day when you pay your debts from last year... your rent for land, your harvester's wages... and the day when you renew your contracts for next year. There are a lot of harvest festivals and various celebrations. I'm sure it's no coincidence that it's so near the American Thanksgiving...

Also common is the the phrase L'estate di San Martino, which is like our Indian Summer, but has the stipulation that the lovely warm weather (like we are having in these days) comes after the first frost...

In celebration of San Martino, and the beautiful weather, here are a few scenes...

Beginning Pruning

Changing colors.

Monte Matajur (1641m, 5384ft) looking over our vineyards. The Proximity to these pre-Alpine mountains in the Valle di Natisone is the source of our evening breezes and cooler microclimate in Cividale.

Mountains and birds

Just a couple of things I wanted to share...

The weather has been cold and rainy for about a week, but once the clouds clear a little, I can safely say that I have a beautiful morning commute...

 

And then I have this little guy constantly flitting and chirping outside my office window:

 

In the winery, we've started pressing some of the appassimento grapes. We use the basket press for these because there simply isn't enough volume to fill a pneumatic press. Unfortunately the guys in the cellar got the grapes in the press before I even arrived at the winery today, but I'll catch them later on and post a few pictures.

Quick note on eMail subscriptions

Unfortunately I've had to move everyone's email subscriptions to a new service.

Don't worry... I've done all the dirty work (I literally entered all email subscribers BY HAND)

You're welcome!

Just expect a confirm email and click on the link inside. I promise, it's legit.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Sun sets on Vintage 2009

The sunsets have become early and golden, like every Fall in Friuli. And the last grapes have come in. Friday October 9th marked the official last day of harvest. It was a long season this year that saw a little of everything, heat, cool, dry, rain... but the drawn-out harvest made for a low-stress vintage with humane rhythm and timing. The generally accepted judgment for '09 is EXCELLENT.

I'm going to close with just a few images for now. It's been so long since the last blog, but that doesn't mean my camera's been idle...

Christian feeding the destemmer...

Chris and Davide makin' it happen...

 

I thought this one kinda looked like the moon...(?)

...but it's just crushed grapes going in here:

 

2009 Vintage Update - RAIN!

Don't Panic.

We harvested some Tocai and some Merlot before the weather turned bad Last Sunday. Everything looks great.

Rain is actually welcomed at this point because it had been SO DRY that maturation wasn't advancing as quickly as it should have been considering the great weather. The vines were a little stressed from lack of water, and when vines stress, they go into a "survival mode" where available energy is diverted from maturation and the grapes are actually used as a source of energy themselves. Under severe conditions, the vine can use the grapes as a source of water, causing the berries to shrink...

We didn't get that far, thank goodness.

2009 is still shaping up to be a great vintage. This rain is just what the doctor ordered. For the later whites and the rest of the reds to come in perfectly, the rain will have to stop and we'll need just a little more warmth and sun.

A taste of what it takes...

Luke (left) and Paul are sommeliers visiting from Carnevino and Enoteca San Marco (both in Las Vegas) to get a little taste of what it takes to make good wine...

 

Here they are getting their hands dirty and picking some Chardonnay. I was worried because Gigi came into the office at about 11 am saying the Americans weren't going to last until noon. When I got out to the vineyard to photograph their distress, they were fresh as daisies... 

Way to make me proud guys...

 

Grapes coming in!

You can't believe the weather here. Absolutely stunning. Warm, sunny days and cool evenings. Harvest 2009 is shaping up to be a beauty.

SO.. Here's a look at the work involved in receiving grapes.

Step 1: You get a trailerload of beautiful Sauvignon Blanc, freshly picked...

 

You could send these grapes through a crusher/destemmer (More on that later...) or you can toss them in the press in whole bunches, which is a nice way of really getting to the pure flavor of the grapes. This is best used only on perfect fruit. Since these grapes will probably go into Vespa Bianco, we'll press them whole. (Stems also act as a sort of "drainage mesh" allowing juice to drain more easily.)

Step 2: Into the press!

Andrea is up on the trailer putting the grapes into the press. On the ground you have Ettore and Cristian waiting to rinse the grape cassettes with our home-made, hi-tech, semi-automatic hi-pressure cassette washer (TM).

Step 3: Toss the empty cassette to Ettore...

 

... And Ettore runs it through the washer...

 

and the rinsed cassettes are stacked into 3-packs...

 

...and then the clean cassettes are taken back out to the vineyards to be refilled by the pickers...

VENDEMMIA 2009 BEGINS!

Welcome to the first grapes of 2009...

 

This is some lovely Sauvignon Blanc, freshly picked at about 8:15am Manzano-time. These are grapes from the famous "Petr" rental property we have. If you think this looks good, wait 'til we go and get his Friulano...

The vineyards were sun-drenched and cool, with a hint of a breeze. Very nice picking conditions...

 

The fruit is really healthy and ripe, with nice acidity. I don't have any numbers yet for the geeks, but I'll post them when I get them.

The picking team this year is a nice mix of folks from last year and some new, young faces...

 

I said this last year (and it's worth repeating) that picking isn't just picking... Pickers need to know how to look at a bunch and get rid of anything that isn't close to perfect. Here's Greta picking...

 

...And here's Greta cleaning off the imperfect grapes...

That's the kind of vendemmiatricce you want. Someone who cares enough to do the job right.

The vendemmia has begun!

It's HOT.

Thursday and Friday have been the hottest days of the Summer here in Friuli. 95 degrees F, and as you can see, a glaring, blaring sun.

Good for the grapes. Things are ripening well. Rain at the beginning of the year and in July have prevented any water-stress, so the grapes aren't shriveling in the heat. Often in weather like this, you see patches of vineyard going yellow from lack of water. Not this year.

(Another side effect of the early rain has been a reduction of malic acid, which means pH is right on and sugars aren't too high...)

It looks like a GREAT year for Friulano, with everyone raving about the taste of the grapes on the vine. I'm looking forward to that.

The winery is Buzzing with activity...

 

Here you have Gianna, Davide and the 2 Bastianich boys, Ethan and Miles getting the barricaia Spic n Span. This is just a snapshot of all the cleaning and organizing and pre-harvest maintenance on equipment that's happening right now. Because...

WE PICK SAUVIGNON ON MONDAY!

I'll be there for the first grapes bright and EARLY on Monday and a little update on reds as well...

STAY TUNED!

LA MOZZA welcomes Gabriele Gadenz

I know that the vast majority of what I post here concerns Bastianich and Friuli, but  it’s important to remind you that we do have another winery near Grossetto, La Mozza, in the Maremma area of Tuscany. Since I live and work at the winery in Friuli (with an occasional trip to La Mozza), I tend to focus on things here.

La Mozza was founded by Joe and Lidia Bastianich along with Mario Batali, in 2000. We have about 80 acres of vines and produce only 2 wines: A Morellino di Scansano and our Super-Mediterranean blend called Aragone. Super-Med is our term for Aragone because it incorporates great grape varieties from around the Mediterranean sea. Along with Sangiovese we blend Syrah, Alicante and Carignan. Each uniquely adapted to hot, dry weather and giving a wine that’s never too dull or heavy.

Today,  I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to someone who has just signed on with us at La Mozza. His name is Gabriele Gadenz, and he has officially taken over the management of winemaking and vineyards for La Mozza...

Gabriele, who graduated from the University of Pisa, is just 32, but he has worked in such far-flung places as Romania and Argentina. His various experiences have brought him in contact with grapes as different as Rkatzitelli to Carminere.
While he was working at Col D’Orcia in Brunello, he started working with our own Maurizio Castelli, and through Maurizio he came to work for us at La Mozza.
Gabriele has a great palate, and is so well-organized it makes a casinista like me jealous. He has a real passion to make the best wines possible for La Mozza, and he has integrated seamlessly into the team. Welcome aboard, Gabriele!