Saturday, May 04, 2013

Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2013.

Today was the 13th annual Afternoon in the Vineyards, a casual meet-and-greet event sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners that allows Napa Valley residents to get up close and personal with their friendly, neighbourhood viticulturist/vintner.
Vinomaker and I decided to pop over to Ackerman Family Vineyards which is a stone's throw, well, maybe two stones and two throws, from Vinoland.  The past couple of days I have been busy suckering vines, so this was to be a pleasant diversion.  It was a glorious day, maybe perhaps a little too warm to be stomping around a dusty vineyard other than my own little corner of Eden, but I always enjoy visiting new vineyards...besides there are usually wines to be sampled.
The Ackerman family have a very nice vineyard which is planted to modified-lyre, head trained, cane pruned (the tour guide's description, not mine) Cabernet Sauvignon vines and is certified organic (don't get me started).  A lot of rescue horses (the horse-stall barn was very fancy).  And a nice location with extensive Coombsville vistas.  Unfortunately, the two vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon that I tried, the 2007 and 2008, both wonderful vintages for Napa in general, were not to my liking.  Both wines displayed stewed-fruit characteristics which, given the relatively cool climate in Coombsville, I can only attribute to something amiss in the winemaking department, perhaps.  But then, what do I know?  I just know they weren't to my taste...beautiful property though.

5 comments:

New Hampshire Wineman said...

Vinogirl, I was trying to guess where you have been; you've been "suckering vines" and getting "friendly" with your neighbors; just how would Shakespeare's "slings and arrows" cook the subtleties of stewed Cabs? I'm wondering if there isn't a Charlotte Bronte affinity lurking in the vineyards of Napa Valley!
Your neighbors are rich indeed:-)

Thud said...

Stewed prunes...reminds me of St.Aidans.

Vinogirl said...

NHW: Ah, the outrageous fortune of producing an overly ripe Napa Cabernet...some people make $$$ doing it!
As for a Brontë "lurking in the vineyards of Napa..." let's go with Emily as she had the good taste to pick Liverpool as Heathcliff's home :)

Thud: No child should ever have to experience stewed prunes!

Thomas said...

Stewed prunes could very well be bad winemaking practices, as in heat/cooked.

Vinogirl said...

Tomasso: I suspected as much and it was that way with both vintages.