Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Good old mould.

These Semillon grapes are looking good, or rather bad - which is a good thing when they are destined to become a late harvest wine.  This Coombsville vineyard is the source of Semillon grapes for Far Niente's Dolce, a delicious late harvest blend of the aforementioned grape and Sauvignon blanc. 
It hasn't been the greatest growing season for late harvest wines.  It has actually been too warm and dry - there has been no rainfall in October.  Last week there was heavy ground fog nearly every day, which is a more desirable climatic condition for Noble Rot, but it may be too little, too late.  Last Tuesday, whilst driving to work, I did espy a vineyard crew working their way through the vineyard with 5 gallon buckets, no doubt making one of many picking passes, selecting only clusters that were showing a good dose of Botrytis cinerea.  I hear the Dolce harvest can last up to 6 weeks.  It's not a cheap wine, but it is a great tipple.

4 comments:

New Hampshire Wineman said...

Vinogirl, Dolce, "soft and sweet", is such a beautiful word!
The relationship resembles a type of symbiosis just for us tipplers!

Thud said...

I wouldn't mind a go at that...or did we already try it?

Vinogirl said...

NHW: Ties in with the whole Far Niente thing (dolce far niente). Have you tried this wine?

Thud: I don't think you have had this. We shared a bottle of Grgich's Violetta once - also a late harvest, botrytised wine, but a blend of Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.

New Hampshire Wineman said...

Vinogirl, no, but that one and the Shafer Firebreak Dessert Wine are two I'd really love to find and tipple 8-)