MARCH 2008 NEWS
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DEAR FRIENDS OF THE WINERY
With each business my father has owned, his favorite part has been the challenge and the journey. I have always admired him for this and it recently struck me that a new journey and challenge was what I need to keep my perspective of our business fresh. And so this spring, while Lino was pruning the vines and keeping an eye on bud break in the vineyard, and Eric was following the 2007 malolactic fermentation in the cellar, I’ve been living in the heart of Bordeaux, learning how the French make and sell their wines, improving my own tasting skills and, of course, refining my French.I’ve had the opportunity to meet the most sincere, honest and hard-working people. All have an incredible passion for their art but ultimately, like in the United States, one gets the sense that wine is made in the vineyard and that individual terroir can make the difference between a good and a great wine.
Making good wine is a challenge; making great wine is even tougher. Through my experience these past few months I have discovered that the magic is in the everyday decisions. As you read this, Lino is considering which and how many spurs to leave on the vine and how much to water each vine. These questions may seem mundane when compared to larger influences on quality, like deciding when to pick–but the smaller decisions made today will affect our entire harvest. Similarly, Eric is faced with his own vinification concerns: completing malolactic fermentation in tank or in barrel; deciding upon barrels (new French barrels are about $1,100); which barrels to select for the blend, calculating how many new, how many old, and at what time barrel aging is complete. With all these choices, the winemaker modifies and adjusts, trusting in past experience, in order to create the wine that best represents the individual terroir of that vintage.
More than one winemaker in Bordeaux expressed to me that ‘we are all apprentices’. This view seems wonderfully modest and respectful, and it’s typical of the quality of people I have had the opportunity to meet. I started my trip intending to learn the concrete and scientific aspects of winemaking; in the end, I have come to know that winemaking is just as much of an art and a feeling. Having physically tasted the soil at Chateau Pétrus, I still can’t explain what in that soil, creates its wine’s unique flavor but having had this experience, I realize I am passionately in love with wine and with the people behind it.
A Votre Sante,
Nadia and my father Selim
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WINEMAKER NOTES
2007 Progress Report“How do you rate your 2007 Pinots?”
When people ask me this, I find I am often too quick to respond. I tell them “It’s not 2006, that’s for sure.” But am I being fair? The 2007 harvest was punctuated by rain, long periods of not picking while waiting on things to ripen, the low crop, and my own sometimes grumpy harvest attitude. I have to ask myself if my answer is a reflection on those difficulties, or if it’s really a statement about the wines.
Thankfully, it’s not: I can say that the 2007 wines are very good.
Often you hear people describe wine as interesting, and this is what I would use for 2007. That’s no backhanded compliment. For me, interesting means layered, and often times having different aromas and flavors. Not the kind of flavors that depart from the terroir of our vineyard, but ones that stack on top of the typical. An extra layer of spice, or exotic fruit, or herb and citrus characters that stretch the tasting experience.
So have a bit of patience (while enjoying the phenomenal 2006 vintage) and lets see if some of those “interesting” characters are around in a year!
Cheers, Eric
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DOWN AND DIRTY WITH LINO BOZZANO
It has been a welcoming start to 2008. We have had enough rain to refresh our soils and fuel our covercrops. The recent warm weather has started bringing everything to life. The vineyard floor and hillsides are glowing green. Bud break has started and will soon see the first leaves of the season, which brings me to my next point: goats! (Sheep, too.)
This year we implemented a new sustainable practice, using herds of sheep and goats as weed control among the vines. The cold winter weather and short days provide us with the luxury of vine dormancy. In the late fall, the temperature falls and the vines drop their foliage and go to sleep. During this time of the year we can put our herds in the vineyards to clear weeds because the vines don’t have leaves for the goats and the sheep to eat. We were able to use the animals to control the weeds on fourteen acres this year. Now that bud break has begun, however, the herds will have to go back to the hillsides. I look forward to expanding this acreage next year.
Ciao, Lino
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SCORES AND MORE
Wine News, January 200893 Points, Laetitia NV Brut Rose
“Attractive tangerine hue. Sweet nose of cherry and light yeast. Soft, very foamy palate with strawberry and light caramel flavorings. Drying on the close with tart cherry-and grapefruit-inspired acidity.”
90 Points, Laetitia NV Brut Cuvee
“Zesty citrus aromas with hints of lemon curd and minerals. Rich honeydew melon flavors with tart apple and apricot notes. Youthful acids spark the close with a drying minerality.”
Points 87, Laetitia 2004 Brut Coquard
“Fresh, lemon-lime aromas with notes of vanilla and yeast. Citrusy and flinty with youthful astringency. Sweet finish has cleansing acidity.”
Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2008 ‘Top-Rated 2005 California Pinot Noirs’
“96 Points Laetitia 2005 Les Galets Pinot Noir; A sensational Pinot Noir for its complexity, ageability and sheer deliciousness. The parts haven’t come together yet, but each is great. Smoky new oak dominates, closely followed by enormously ripe crushed cherry, black=berry, pomegranate, cola and mocha flavors. There’s a rich tannin-acid structure and the sweet, spicy oak reprises on the finish. This big, masculine wine needs time to come together. Should open by 2008 and increase in desirability for a number of years. Editors’ Choice.“
2008 Dallas Morning News Wine Competition:
Gold Medal Laetitia 2006 Pinot Blanc
Gold Medal Laetitia 2006 Pinot Noir Reserve
Silver Medal Laetitia NV Brut Rose
http://www.dailymantra.com/2008/02/the_new_face_of_sustainable_wi.html
Laetitia Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, La Colline,
Arroyo Grande Valley ($60)
Lots of checks and balances going on here. This is a hugely extracted Pinot Noir (not my favorite kind of thing).....but.....it’s from one of the coldest places in California, the Arroyo Grande Valley of Monterey. So what you end up with, bizarrely enough.....is a big, serious red wine....that also goes with BBQ! Fairly dark garnet in glass. Restrained nose showing the mineral-y, geranium-like side of Pinot more than anything else. Fruit rises on the palate, along with subtle hints of herbs. What I like here is the paradox: it’s weighty, New-World-rich— good for BBQ!—but at the same time it’s nimble, tart, and soft in tannin. With air, and with your focus, a good deal of big-league subtlety emerges.
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MARCH 2008 WINE CLUB SHIPMENTS
View Mixed Club selections for March
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THE SOCIAL SCENE.....
SAVE THE DATE!
Mothers Day Brunch:
May 11 @ Noon,
Laetitia Estate House,
$45 members/ $65 non-members
Contact Sherry Harper for more details
Sherry@laetitiawine.com or (805) 474-7641.
Wine Club Appreciation BBQ:
June 21 @ 2:00 PM,
Laetitia Estate House,
$40 per person
Contact Sherry Harper for more details
Sherry@laetitiawine.com or (805) 474-7641.
Click here to view a detailed list of upcoming events in the country
May 11 @ Noon,
Laetitia Estate House,
$45 members/ $65 non-members
Contact Sherry Harper for more details
Sherry@laetitiawine.com or (805) 474-7641.
Wine Club Appreciation BBQ:
June 21 @ 2:00 PM,
Laetitia Estate House,
$40 per person
Contact Sherry Harper for more details
Sherry@laetitiawine.com or (805) 474-7641.
Click here to view a detailed list of upcoming events in the country
