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Finding a place in the Napa Valley to grow grapes and wine, James and Neil Sullivan, founder of Sullivan Ruder Ford State, and his wife, Joanna, bought a special 26 acres of land in the heart of the region in 1972, a man known as Dean of American Wine Making. State flagship bottles, which, the founder of the Sullivan founder, Merlot and Cabinet Swagnen, score a lot of years with critics years and are bounced by those who know the collectors, but they somehow fly under the radar of the people who love wide wine. As we tasted through samples over the past year, we marked the founder of the founder of 2021 as a one to see the reserve caranet Swagenon, and it was not surprising that after the last best tasting of our excellent blind, we wear it the best American Cabinet Swagne. But when we honored him, we wanted to further find out how this great wine was collected.
Sullivan State Dah’s turn Ruder Ford is on the northern edge of the Valley on the northern edge of the Apple, where mainly gravel, sand and loom soil provide the best natural drainage and result in less enthusiasm and low yields in the good year. In 2021, it decreased by 30 %. The reserve of the Sullivan Ruder Ford State 2021, who was identified by the Vintage, was made with a slight grape, with a slight grape, which was the soon -to -be -consuming proportion, which allowed the wine maker Jeff Cole, a fermentation, and the wine -ferrous fermentation. Highlights the role of, its black fruits, sewage undertones, jokes dry herbs, and signature minerals that explain both the site and the wider appeal. ”
These barrels are where magic is.
Sullivan Ruder Ford State
Once the grapes arrive in the winery, Cole soak with three pump overs a day in a seven -day cold. He then increases the temperature to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, vaccinated with yeast, and reduces the pump overs twice daily. When the wine is completely dry, the temperature is reduced to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the wine sits on its skins for four to six days. Subsequently, the free -run juice is extracted in another stainless steel tank and 80 % is warm for a week before moving to the new French oak barrel.
Instead of opening each barrel once a month, instead of removing them from the top and testing the surface of sulfur dioxide, Coal uses a method that he calls “hard Banging” to make more concentrated, extracted wine. This happens when magic happens. “The idea came to me when I started thinking about how much we lose alcohol from the vapor,” says Cole. “I thought, if I could create a Hermatic sealing environment that allows the vapor, ultimately focuses on alcohol?” Under normal circumstances, as soon as alcohol takes both natural conditions and regular samples, it causes a headspace, which allows alcohol to come into contact with oxygen. Most liquor makers use silicone bungalows on their barrels, which make them a good seal, but it is easy to remove them so that the barrel can be filled from the top to reduce head space and oxygen contact.
Coal’s Hard Banging Protocol takes a very different approach. Instead of opening the barrel regularly, he uses and rotates wooden bungalows to close them swelling and completely barrel, which creates anarobic atmosphere closed, hirmitic seal. “Only oxygen is displayed by natural micro -oxygen, which is not through the barrel, but through the barrel stos,” says Coal. “This process helps maintain freshness, reduces the risk of volatility acidity, and eventually leads to alcohol that is more dynamic, stable and concentrated.” It is mostly different philosophy from the use of alcohol makers, “is based on minimizing an oxygen and maximizing natural concentration that is caused by controlled vapors,” he says.
Through the test and error, he found a “sweet location” for six months, which offered enough time to maximize the vapor without reducing alcohol. Cole explained, “Every six months, I reopen the barrel, check the sulfur levels to prevent microbial activity, and prevent them from alcohol, which has the same process.” He repeats the cycle and repeats the bicycle for 18 months with each alcohol, which allows three complete cycles of vapor and concentration. The last mixture is made before the last sixth month setting so that the wine can come together in the barrel until it is ready for the bottle. Cole believes that most of the napa alcohol are already excellent, but the challenge for alcohol makers is to move forward. Its it, this is the best, and the smalmal is about to look small, extra benefits – which he doesn’t think is using Napa or even in the world – color, tann and phenolks that are rich in red wine with its depth and complexity.
Some credit should go to Ruder Ford itself. Cole recognizes the daily coastal air coming from San Pablo Bay, which cools the turns and helps maintain acidity with hot, sunny days in the middle of the valley so that the perfect combination of cooking and freshness can be brought to the wine. The Hachailistaf himself had developed the term “Ruder Ford Dist” in the nearest Baulio Wine Yard for more than 30 years before he agreed to buy his property here. Cole believes that the purpose of this phrase was to achieve the features of the unique, old world that you only get from the fruits grown in Ruderford. “It is a dark, sarcastic profile, dry herbs, minerals, bitter baking chocolate, Earth Late Tones.” “These are the real features of the Ruder Ford Cabinet.”
Cole admits that Sullivan Ruder Ford State is a touch of “secret sauce” in 2021 2021 that reserves of the Sullivan founder reserve caryat -souvenan: 11 % of the word growing in the property, which has been mixed, “while most of the alcohol makers use their colors or structures. He says he has promoted the dark, sewage note that Ruder is known for Ford and the State. He says, “I want to say that I want to make the most roder Ford kernel in Ruderford, and Pat Wordot helps me do it exactly.” Surrounded by high -profile neighbors such as Anglinok, Beyulio, circle basement, and Quantisa, it takes a long time to stand, but between tough Banging and secret sauce, Coal considered us the best American Cabinet Swagunnan released last year.
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