Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. One of the best sites in California for these two varieties. The Merlot is unlike any other in the State, and resembles more the wines of Pomerol, with dense structure, lush mouthfeel and a rich core of fruit. The site’s high altitude dispels any herbaceous character in either variety and imparts firm tannic framing to the Cabernet Franc and an aggressive spiciness which perfectly complements the softer Merlot.
The result is a complex mixture of bright red fruit aromas: grenadine, white cherry and black raspberry which are well preserved by the lake effect which cools the vineyard each afternoon. Droughty herbs that surround the site impart “air-oir” – sage and bay laurel elements which are apparent in the nose. The volcanic soil imparts a racy mineral energy to the palate and gives the wine a prolonged aging trajectory. After 51 months in neutral cooperage, the wine remains fresh and purple, and will repay extensive further cellaring. Delicious now or in two decades. Recommended with rosemary lamb, wild mushrooms or ratatouille.
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owners: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the world’s largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with California’s winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become an renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 “Crucible” Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy Côtes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself “What is this wine trying to teach me?” Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wine’s true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2013 WineSmith Cellars Meritage - $80 = 28.56%
Hi everybody! I’m very excited about this new WineSmith line. Those of you who remember the Diamond Ridge Aspects blend will recognize similarities here: the bright red fruit, solid, ageworthy structure, and racy minerality you’ve come to expect from this vineyard year in and year out.
However, there are nuances here I managed to coax out through different yeast selections, aging without sulfites until near bottling, and more prolonged barrel age that impart a decidedly Bordelais tertiary bouquet with carob, tobacco and leather nuances that are to me very sexy, plus a remarkably refined, plush tannin that’s eminently drinkable but also built to last at least another decade in a good cellar.
Since it’s a new wine for us, we’ve sent out several samples to our intrepid lab rats, so I hope they’ll chime in soon with comments and questions.
I’m also happy to field questions about what has proven a unique harvest full of unusual challenges but also remarkable quality.
Looking forward to Ron’s report (plus from whoever else is ratting). We had this at the RPM Tour farewell dinner in July, but my palate was not in any shape by then to be evaluating wine.
Hello to Clark and congratulations to Sandra on her promotion to assistant winemaker!
I am waiting on a bottle of this to arrive for ratting purposes but sadly it appears that it will not get here before the end of the offer. Suffice it to say that I have greatly enjoyed Clark’s wines over the years and am already in for a case of this Meritage on blind faith alone, haha.
The last Meritage I tried from Clark, a 2006 Planet Pluto, was still going strong as of last year. It was one of those bottles that was so good I almost regretted sharing it with friends from work!
I am willing to share up to 6 bottles of this with the usual NE Ohio suspects. Cheers!
@chipgreen@mrn1@pjmartin@scott0210 Okay, sounds good to me. I am likely to be teaching my Fundamentals of Wine chemistry class for Ohio winemakers next Spring or Summer, as I imagine we could piggyback on that. I’ll talk to veteran State Enologist Todd Steiner about the dates that will work for him, then work towards a venue.
@mrn1@pjmartin@scott0210@winesmith
I think they were talking about meeting each other in Wooster to split the case of your Meritage, haha… but Wooster could also work for a vertical tasting, especially if Todd gets involved (which shouldn’t take too much arm twisting).
@xn42 Ok, I’ll pick up a case, and if anyone else in the area wants some, there will be some extra available. Otherwise I can probably get someone from work to take a few bottles off of my hands.
@mb1973. I’m sorry I’m late to the game! If there are any bottles left over I would love to help share the case. I’m in Madison, but I find myself close to Milwaukee frequently.
@mb1973@uww27225
After consulting with the boss I would prefer to take only 3. Would one of you like extra? If not I’ll take all four, I will just knock over a Kwik-E-Mart on my way to pick them up.
@uww27225@xn42 Ok, I’m on the northwest side of Milwaukee, so could we meet somewhere between here and Public Market? Tough for me to make the entire round trip downtown over lunch.
WineSmith…A New Wine…Nothing else to know, in for a Case, and sorry Noooooo sharing!!
Thanks Clark, everything we have tried has been Spectacular.
We still have 2 - 2005 Faux Chablis, yummy yummy.
What are those 2- 2007 Crucible doing there???
@PLSemenza Because I left the 2007 Crucible extra time in old wood, it’s more accessible than the 2005 right now, and quite ready to drink. It’s also very well built and can easily go another 10 years at the minimum in a good cellar.
I really like the way the 2005 Faux Chablis is beginning to open up finally. It is of course totally dry but because it’s become so lush, one guy recently compared it to Sauternes!
What’s really amazing though is the way the 2001 is drinking - pure silk and incense. See my note on the vertical tasting tour I’m setting up. Hope you can hook up.
@PLSemenza Glad to see that the 2005 Faux Chablis is opening up - I have 10 bottles, mostly 05 but with a few 04’s mixed in, plus one last bottle of the 2003 Chardonnay. I do need to start drinking those!
In other news, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for WineSmith devotees. I am now down to one case of library wine of most of the six Faux Chablis vintages (2001-2006) and the four declared Crucible vintages (1999, 2004, 2005 and 2007), so we are organizing a twelve city tour to sit down with 12 - 20 locals and taste these classics (plus a few mystery wines), now valued at about $3,000, for $200 per seat.
We will be coming to Chicago, Toronto, Miami and of course Sonoma in the Spring. If you live near one of these, please let me know if you’re interested.
If not, let us know where you’d like us to stage the other five events. Seattle, Boston, Denver, Boston, New Orleans, LA and San Diego come to mind. Anywhere we can put together at least a dozen people is possible.
@knlprez Sounds good. We have about 100 former wooters plus 100 winemakers I’ve worked with, so it’s a likely prospect.
Let’s pick a venue. We can do it at somebody’s home or a restaurant’s private room as part of a dinner with split checks, or a rec room at a condo complex. Any ideas?
Once we get the venue and the date nailed down, we can send out an announcement.
@winesmith actually in Houston but back/forth to home Denver over the next month. Back to US occasionally over next six months; I could find one of your locations.
@jchasma Sure, I have a lot of fans in the DC/Virginia area. Baltimore not so much because of the arcane shipping laws. Please PM me your contact info and we’ll go to work on it.
@GatorFL Please whisper me your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue. If you have suggestions for an appropriate venue or if you have a posse that would also wish to attend, include those details in your message.
@southpaw25 Please whisper me your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue. If you have suggestions for an appropriate venue or if you have a posse that would also wish to attend, include those details in your message.
@Rooboy Also, any MN folks want to come to the vertical Faux Chablis (six vintages) and Crucible Cab Sauv (four vintages) in Minneapolis this Sunday? See message above.
I can labrat, although I wasn’t sent a bottle from this particular offer. I’m the one who created the CT listing for this wine (I hope it’s correct).
My wife and I tasted this (along with 12(!) other wines) in an epic tasting and dinner with Clark and Mike Faulk in Santa Rosa in early September. I remember liking the Meritage a lot during the tasting, but honestly was probably not in great place that late in the night to give accurate notes.
I did order a mixed case that had 2 bottles of the Meritage, and we enjoyed one of them a week ago. We had some cheese and Journeyman salumi (amazing!) and eventually chocolate while polishing off the bottle. I opened the wine and immediately double decanted and returned to the bottle to get it moving.
Those of you who are familiar with the 2010 WineSmith Cabernet Franc will recognize elements of the nose and palate, especially the white cherry aspect of that wine. Great balance, fine/polished tannins, a little rounder than the CF, with some complexity of leather, herbs, etc., and the energetic minerality that I get in all of Clarke’s wines.
Clarke’s CF and his Two Jakes Merlot are two of my favorite wines, so this is kind of their best of both worlds baby. Totally another winner from Clarke, drinking beautifully now, but clearly tons of upside for holding/aging as well. As far as I know, this is also (case price) the absolute cheapest price to get your hands on this wine. Highly recommended.
@wnance Thanks, Wes. It was great to meet you two in person and inspect the line-up together. I hope other CaseMates will know they have an open invitation to do likewise.
Putting my money where my mouth is, and waiting for Clarke to get the “new” 2008 Pinot and the “new” 2013 Cab up on Casemates as well.
/giphy silent-hushed-sand
@wnance@winesmith Is there a 2008 Pinot? For some reason I thought 2007 was the last one you were making. But what do I know? That is my all time favorite Pinot Noir though.
@scott0210 I’m drinking the 2008 WineSmith Pinot as we speak. Figured I’d open it in honor of this offer. It’s more tart than the 2007, and comes from different area vineyards in CA, so just a California designation. Seems great with food, taking some time to open up. More info on the WineSmith website…
The Seattle crew had a a chance to taste this over the weekend. It was well received and we personally really enjoyed this wine. I have notes to post, which will come later in the day once I can find my sheet and works stops getting in the way.
@radiolysis I’m pretty much always a sucker for Winesmith wines, and I don’t have any of this yet. I’m in for some, though not six. Maybe see if anyone else decides to bite?
@radiolysis@rjquillin It sounds like me and @radiolysis would be fine with 3 each so far, leaving six from a first case, so it depends on how many more SD peeps chime in. Are you saying you’re interesting?
@tklivory i think Ron jumped on a case for himself. If we can’t get another few people, i’m out. I really should start making prudent choices to make room for BD. And just room for other good offers here.
@radiolysis@tklivory@klezman wanted four. I could supply from my case or he could do the split with you two. Easy enough for me to give him bottles and grab some from your case to make the exchange easier. @technoviking in Vegas was also looking for a split and we’ve done deals with him as well.
@klezman@radiolysis@rjquillin@TechnoViking Well, I’m good for up to 4 bottles, so if the splits all work out that way, I’m happy to be in. Just need to figure out the final logistics and stuffs.
@klezman@radiolysis@rjquillin@TechnoViking All right, the case has arrived. Unfortunately I won’t be able to hand it out for at least week or two, but if anyone really needs it for Thanksgiving, reach out to me and let me know so that I can make arrangements.
Anyone in the Syracuse area?
WineSmith makes some excellent wines. I particularly liked the Mokelumne Cab Sauv (Yeah, Lodi! for those of you snubbing Lodi recently). It had a brightness to it that was very enjoyable, and if you look at Cellartracker, it got mainly 90 & 91 scores.
I, however, lived a bit higher in the Sierras and swam in the North, South and Middle Forks of the Mokelumne River…upstream from Mokelumne Hill.
2013 Winesmith Meritage (81% Merlot, 19% Cab Franc)
PnP. 58F. Nose isn’t showing much initially or after 10 minutes in the glass. After some heavy swirls we are getting some sage/tarragon notes but not a whole lot of fruit, perhaps some cherry. The palate however was bursting right out of the gate with opulent plum and a nice white pepper spice to it. Medium acid, medium+ tannin, lengthy finish at 20+ seconds. There is a ton of tannic grip in this wine, but it is not particularly drying or bitter.
We took this along with us to a casemates gathering after the note above. I checked in on it for a couple small pours at 3 and 4 hours after opening, but don’t have details notes from that. Tannins smoothed out a bit and the fruit started picking up more spice. This was enjoyed by many and was gone rather quickly considering we had about 15 bottles open.
Clearly will age for a couple decades, and I would take a guess at the peak drinking window not starting for another 5-7 years.
Is this (81% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc) the same wine as the one discussed in the video ( about 2/3 Merlot, 1/3 Cabernet Franc, “with a few other things thrown in”)?
Disclaimer:
A weekend in Napa/Sonoma wrecked havoc with a decent rat, as I just got home ~90 minutes ago to open a too warm bottle. That said, a quickie for this evening with additional tomorrow…
Cork: Natural and looks like this was just bottled; minimal surface coloring.
Nose: Herbaceous, in a pleasent garrigue/savory kind of way, no pyrazine taint, and bright fruits.
Entry: Bright tart acid and fruits, cherry and berry. Much of the tartness quite likely to the elevated temperature; ~22C. Need to revisit at a reasonable temperature.
Mid and finish: Plush but crisp fruits enhanced by a lingering pleasent tannic finish.
I would not have thought Merlot; Cab Franc, yes. Not sure I can cite another wine I’ve had similar to this blend, but it certainly works well with the fruit Clark has sourced. This has the stuffing to cellar well for some time, while still being quite approachable now, in it’s (WineSmith) youth.
Yes, I’m a fan and enjoy what Clark does, and did grab a case already.
More tomorrow…
Question for Clark;
You cite pH at bottling. How does pH change, if at all predictable, from harvest to bottling.
Tim and I were at Bell over the weekend and I was looking at the labs on the bottles, where pH generally seemed to decrease.
Part two:
I know, buy on bread, but this is quite respectable with some BeeHive TeaHive too…
Served at a more acceptable, for me, 19C, the flash of bright acidity I was getting yesterday is much more controlled.
Picking up some nice dustiness in the nose as well that was hidden earlier in addition to all the former.
Clearly for me a food wine. This is working well with a light white pasta that includes basil and cherry tomatoes. Doesn’t overpower, but clears out the creaminess of the sauce.
Later on, with bread and brie (didn’t have that other fancy cheese in the larder), they again complement one another.
A good buy and drink now, with a short decant, or hold and see what happens.
Need a case to do that, and one is on the way.
Thanks @winesmith for the opportunity to rat the bottle.
Let’s start by saying what pH is. It is not the human sensation of tartness, crispness, or sourness which stimulates our salivation. That is measured by TA: titratable acidity. An hydrogen atom is comprised of a proton (positively charged) nucleus with an electron (negatively charged) in orbit around it. Frequently these hydrogen atoms can participate enthusiastically in molecular assemblies called molecules. Acids are such substances that can spin off the proton part, retailing the electron. Such substances are called acids.
In inorganic mineral acids such as sulfuric, nitrric, and hypochloric acid, the moment they hit water, these substances disassociate, jettisoning the positively charged proton and leaving behind everything else, such remnant gaining the title of the corresponding acid anion or conjugate base, but it’s really just the whole molecule minus the proton.
In wine, these mineral acids aren’t much present. The organic acids such as Tartatic, malic, suscinic, lactic and acetic, exist mostly in the conjugate base forms in equillibrium with those who have set free their protons to wander around and perhaps return.
A full count of available protons determines the sensation of tartness and the extent to which neutralizing juice salivary glands pump onto the mouth when a wine is placed there. The availability of these protons for service determines degree of the human sensation of crisp, tart, sourness.
It matters not whether they are free or bound. Like the Minutemen at Lexington and Concord, the availability of patriots, whether walking the streets or asleep in their family beds, determined in 1775 the strength of the resisting army that dispelled the British regulars and sparked our historic revolution. It didn’t matter what state they were in, only their availability.
By duplicating this process in the lab, we can measure this effect for a particular wine we are making. We make a neutralizing solution of a know strength how much of it is require to measure a given amount of wine, then scale it up to grams of acid per unit volume.
Sometimes the acid in question has two or three protons. In grape juice, the main acids are tartaric and malic acids, each of which has two acidic protons that can pack and leave town. If one departs, we are left with bitartrate and bimalate half salts. If both are missing both prodigal protons, we call the abandoned parents tartrate and malate.
When we taste wine, we are brought into the appropriate degree of acidity. We generally want enough to bring liveliness to the mouth to prevent dullness, but not so much that any balance is lost.
The free proportion of protons is measured by pH. Just as TA measures the titratable protons, the pH measures just the ones that are unbound, walking the streets and having a great many effects on microbes and chemicals grape juices contain.
What decides what state the are in? Why, quite obviously it is the availability of replacement protons. The more densely such protons are floating around, the more likely the bereaved conjugate bases are to make whoopie with them and, well, conjugate, resulting in protons back tucked snugly in their beds and not wandering the streets of free acidity, restored to proton babies of their own, whatever their identities.
The pool of free, available, promiscuous protons is measured by the pH. The small “p” is a negative power of ten, so pH means one proton for every thousand water molecules, while pH 4 means one proton for each ten thousand. pH has no direct link to taste, smell or any other humand perception. It just decribes how many of the proton cops are out on thestreet fighting crime (i.e. noxious microbes and disagreeable chemical states.) Managing this dichotomy is a major focus during harvest and beyond.
Now to your question. Grapes begin with high malic acid levels which are metabolized during ripening into energy used to transport sugar into berries, beginning wit high TAs around 20 grams per liter and pHs in the low 2’s. By the time of harvest, ideally grapes are around TAs of 8 gms per liter and pHs around 3.45.
The main events that change these numbers are, in whites, the precipitation of potassium bitartrate, which lowers both pH and TA so the result is TAs around 7.0 and pHs around 3.3, resulting in more or less crisp wines that retain freshness and don’t age very rapidly.
In reds, skin contact and malolactic fermentation cause TAs to fall and pHs to rise. Together with potassium bitartrate precipitation, these effects move reds into the region pH region of 3.7 to 3.9 range with TAs around 4 to 6 gm/liter, where there is less salivary protein to combine with tannins and result in coarseness.
Once skin contact, malolactic fermentation, and tartrate stabilization are complete, pHs don’t change very much. In long aging reds, the oxidation of the protective additive sulfur dioxide into small amounts of sulfuric acid cause pHs to lower and TAs to rise slightly. The result is that reds have less crispness and freshness, but are smoother in the mouth and age and develop more rapidly into mature, complex and profound wines which make up for their diminished fruity grapiness with soulfulness, profundity and ageworthiness.
@winesmith Now this took a direction I hadn’t expected, but in a very educational way for us all.
I didn’t intend to imply pH rather than TA was related to tartness but it seems I may have.
I do (incorrectly?) seem to associate lower pH with palate cleansing ability of a food friendly wine, and at the warmer temperature this clearly seemed to fit that bill. Is it really TA that is more important?
I was just curious based on looking at labs where the pH did seem to fall.
Really did like this blend, and look forward to a more proper messing this evening.
Dare I inquire about music?
@rjquillin@winesmith This was a great read. From the tasting notes to the pH breakdown. I love learning about what I’m drinking and why I painstakingly search for those balanced or tailored wines.
I’m curious where the 22C~ temp would make it have a different taste profile. I know it does have an effect, but not really how. Can either of you two share an explanation?
@MaceKates@rjquillin 22 C, which is 71F, is a perfectly fine temperature for these wines. Most connoisseurs prefer cool cellar temperatures around 55-60F, but in truth, most wines are consumed at American room temperature around 70F, which is where the ones cellared at 55F end up in the glass unless very special care is taken.
The effects of elevated temperature bring out the volatile aspects of the wines, which along with oxygenetic decanting can be a blessing for young wines that need help opening up, but a curse for overblown wines with excessive alcohol. This Meritage is neither, though some lab rats have disagreed, hinting that the wine is still on the uphill side of its drink window, to mix metaphors. I like my wines a little tight; to me the residual ageworthiness tells me I have done my job, so I tend to drink them around this temperature. Structured, ageworthy whites too.
@rjquillin The pH of a wine shifts very rapidly in your mouth as saliva enters. This is why you taste the different acids in different places in your mouth according to their relative strengths (in chemistry we call these strengths pKa’s: the pH(s) at which the acid gives up its proton(s). Tartaric is first (pKa1=3.0), then malic (pKa1=3.5) on the center palate, then lactic (pKa=3.8), and lastly acetic in the finish and back of the throat (pKa=4.8). The degree to which these impart souness or crispness is measured by TA. This is because humans are much bigger than the glass of wine, so they overwhelm (or “titrate”) and neutralize all the acid in the wine.
pH is an equilibrium measure which applies in storage to molecular chemistry and the environment of microbes before the wine is consumed. It also exerts an influence on the volatility of aromas in the glass. Low pH wines tend to be fruitier, and very low pH whites such as German Rieslings at 2.9 pH can push even small amounts of SO2 (freshly struck match) into the nose. Very high pH reds over 4.0 will be dull and soapy in the nose.
@mwfielder This is actually excerpted from my Fundamentals of Modern Wine Chemistry, a class that boils down a Davis Enology degree into a single weekend. I have taught this popular course throughout the USA since 1984 to over 4,000 winemakers. If you are thinking of making your own wine, you really must take it.
In for a case! Willing to share some. Anyone in South East Florida insterested?
Big fan of Clark’s juice. Previously bought a few mixed cases, a few Victories from WW and more recently the 2010 Cab Franc which are all uniquely exceptional.
@southpaw25 The '04 is definitely ready to go, but will certainly hold up in a good cellar for another ten to fifteen years in a good cellar. Since I know this is not Florida’s strong suit, you might start thinking about an appropriate occasion to open one and plan to save the other for a good long while down the road. Also, if you are able to schlep down to Miami for the vertical tasting, you can taste it without needing to open either one. Much depends on how much you like older well-aged wines. Not everybody does.
If you wish to attend a vertical Faux Chablis / Crucible tasting in a given city please email me at winesmith@winemaking411.com your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue.
@southpaw25 I just saw your question about cheeses. It’s been remarked that this wine is sexy and I think so, too, whatever that means. It refers to certain firm yet silky texture and to the suite of earthy tertiary aromas it exudes. As a result, it works for me with very ripe brie, Delice de Bourgogne, Italian fontina and Epoisse, but a ten year old black diamond cheddar should serve very well also. My old friend Denis Kelly used to say there is only two kinds of cheese: FROMAGIO and banana. This wine demands the former and would insult the later I should think.
That’s just my spin. Folksinger/songwriter Peter Alsop reports that he gets his jollies by donning pantyhose filled with strawberry jelly. Your personal proclivities likely vary from mine in this area, so I recommend experimentation without prejudgment.
Anyone wishing to attend a vertical Faux Chablis / Crucible tasting in a given city please email me your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue. If you have suggestions for an appropriate venue or if you have a posse that would also wish to attend, include those details in your email.
@cdn1127 I am interested in 3 since funds are a little tight. (Otherwise I would just grab an entire case! It is Clark.) I know that isn’t much help in swaying a case purchase, so if I don’t hear any news by 5pm-ish I will just order myself a 3 pack, but I would split if others chime in or that works for you.
Anyone in the Seattle area interested in splitting a case? I have just moved here from the bay area and could use making casemates friends along with the break in my bank account. This is a deal that is hard to pass up though.
I met Clark at the casemates launch party and really enjoyed his conversation and his wines. Everything he was doing from grape selection to timing of harvest through blending seemed like a calculated dance. Where he was picking through the California regions, using technologies and processes that fit the vision of what he wanted to make, and ending up with some very cool wines.
Anybody in the Balto region interested in a 50-50 split on a case? I’m in a 6-3-3 split right now, but could upgrade if somebody who isn’t seeing the Balt region chat is up for it.
So, even though my last WineSmith order got cooked (the wine was still spectacular) and Fed Ex routinely changes their delivery dates I cannot resist this offer. The WineSmith CF is by far one of my favorites! Hoping this will be as interesting.
@GatorFL I have used the Walgreens myself on occasion. The time the wine got cooked I was not aware of that option; I have used it since, but today, for example, my case of Pedroncelli was supposed to deliver, and now it is bumped to tomorrow, and I won’t be home, so that is what I will end up doing. First world problems for sure, but it pisses me off that FedEx pretty well does as it pleases and there is nothing I can do about it because no one holds their feet to the fire. Thanks for the tip, however; hopefully those unaware of that option will get the message.
Tasting Notes
Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. One of the best sites in California for these two varieties. The Merlot is unlike any other in the State, and resembles more the wines of Pomerol, with dense structure, lush mouthfeel and a rich core of fruit. The site’s high altitude dispels any herbaceous character in either variety and imparts firm tannic framing to the Cabernet Franc and an aggressive spiciness which perfectly complements the softer Merlot.
The result is a complex mixture of bright red fruit aromas: grenadine, white cherry and black raspberry which are well preserved by the lake effect which cools the vineyard each afternoon. Droughty herbs that surround the site impart “air-oir” – sage and bay laurel elements which are apparent in the nose. The volcanic soil imparts a racy mineral energy to the palate and gives the wine a prolonged aging trajectory. After 51 months in neutral cooperage, the wine remains fresh and purple, and will repay extensive further cellaring. Delicious now or in two decades. Recommended with rosemary lamb, wild mushrooms or ratatouille.
Specifications
Price Comparison
$510/case at WineSmith Cellars (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owners: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the world’s largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with California’s winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become an renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 “Crucible” Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy Côtes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself “What is this wine trying to teach me?” Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wine’s true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, November 15th - Monday, November 19th
WineSmith Cellars Meritage
3 bottles for $69.99 $23.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2013 WineSmith Cellars Meritage
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2013 WineSmith Cellars Meritage - $80 = 28.56%
Hi everybody! I’m very excited about this new WineSmith line. Those of you who remember the Diamond Ridge Aspects blend will recognize similarities here: the bright red fruit, solid, ageworthy structure, and racy minerality you’ve come to expect from this vineyard year in and year out.
However, there are nuances here I managed to coax out through different yeast selections, aging without sulfites until near bottling, and more prolonged barrel age that impart a decidedly Bordelais tertiary bouquet with carob, tobacco and leather nuances that are to me very sexy, plus a remarkably refined, plush tannin that’s eminently drinkable but also built to last at least another decade in a good cellar.
Since it’s a new wine for us, we’ve sent out several samples to our intrepid lab rats, so I hope they’ll chime in soon with comments and questions.
I’m also happy to field questions about what has proven a unique harvest full of unusual challenges but also remarkable quality.
Good to be back on Casemates!
Looking forward to Ron’s report (plus from whoever else is ratting). We had this at the RPM Tour farewell dinner in July, but my palate was not in any shape by then to be evaluating wine.
@klezman I remember tasting it too, but no notes were taken by the end of the week and the end of the night!
Hello to Clark and congratulations to Sandra on her promotion to assistant winemaker!
I am waiting on a bottle of this to arrive for ratting purposes but sadly it appears that it will not get here before the end of the offer. Suffice it to say that I have greatly enjoyed Clark’s wines over the years and am already in for a case of this Meritage on blind faith alone, haha.
The last Meritage I tried from Clark, a 2006 Planet Pluto, was still going strong as of last year. It was one of those bottles that was so good I almost regretted sharing it with friends from work!
I am willing to share up to 6 bottles of this with the usual NE Ohio suspects. Cheers!
/giphy prickly-likeable-fight
@chipgreen I’ll gladly take 2-3 of your shared bottles. Flexibility for the OH crowd
@chipgreen @pjmartin PJMartin takes 3, I take 3, you get 6…case done!
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin You guys think we can achieve critical mass in Ohio for a Faux Chablis / Crucible vertical tasting? (see below)
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin @winesmith yes to vertical in cle area. + 2, could get another couple or 2 to meet needs.
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin @winesmith also would make available from my case as group needs. In Ashland.
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin @winesmith I’d be in for the vertical in Northeast Ohio. Would bring one other couple at least.
@msten You want to split that case 6 and 6? In Canton. Could meet in Wooster or so?
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin @scott0210 Okay, sounds good to me. I am likely to be teaching my Fundamentals of Wine chemistry class for Ohio winemakers next Spring or Summer, as I imagine we could piggyback on that. I’ll talk to veteran State Enologist Todd Steiner about the dates that will work for him, then work towards a venue.
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin @scott0210 @winesmith
Sales map shows Ashland County pretty dark. Would the other Ashland County case mate DM me so we can work out future splits?
@mrn1 @pjmartin @scott0210 @winesmith
I think they were talking about meeting each other in Wooster to split the case of your Meritage, haha… but Wooster could also work for a vertical tasting, especially if Todd gets involved (which shouldn’t take too much arm twisting).
I will proudly declare “First Sucker” on this offer since OH is the only state lit up on the map right now.
Ooh a winesmith wine I’ve never tried! I would take 4 of a case order if any other PDX people are interested!
@CruelMelody Count me in for another 4!
@LambruscoKid @cbrehman ordered a case! Whisper me your email, I’ll email you when it’s in my possession!
Anyone in SE Wisconsin want to split a case? Very happy with my last WineSmith purchase.
@mb1973 I’ll take 3-4 depending on if there is anyone else who wants in.
@xn42 Ok, I’ll pick up a case, and if anyone else in the area wants some, there will be some extra available. Otherwise I can probably get someone from work to take a few bottles off of my hands.
@mb1973 @xn42 I’m in Milwaukee and would be in for up to 4 bottles.
@uww27225 @xn42 Ok, so does 4 bottles each sound good? If so, I can let you know when the case arrives and we can work out meeting times.
@mb1973 @xn42 Sounds great to me!
@mb1973. I’m sorry I’m late to the game! If there are any bottles left over I would love to help share the case. I’m in Madison, but I find myself close to Milwaukee frequently.
@uww27225 @xn42 The case came in on Friday. What days/times work out best to meet?
@mb1973 @xn42 This week, I could do Tuesday or Wednesday night, Saturday during the day or Sunday before noon.
@mb1973 @uww27225
I could come up Wednesday or Friday and pick up at your work if that is okay, or on your lunch
@uww27225 I could do tonight, but it would be tight. Leaving work soon.
@xn42 Friday would work over lunch. Let me know if that’s a possibility.
@mb1973 @xn42 sorry - i missed a bunch of messages. i could also do Friday at lunch, after 12:30. i work right next to the public market
@mb1973 @uww27225
After consulting with the boss I would prefer to take only 3. Would one of you like extra? If not I’ll take all four, I will just knock over a Kwik-E-Mart on my way to pick them up.
@uww27225 @xn42 Ok, I’m on the northwest side of Milwaukee, so could we meet somewhere between here and Public Market? Tough for me to make the entire round trip downtown over lunch.
@xn42 I can take your extra bottle
@mb1973 would something like Miller Park be a good midpoint? also , i’ll be taking 5 bottles so let me know how much $$$ i owe you
@uww27225 @xn42 How about something along the north part of the I-43 corridor? I’m at 76th and Good Hope, so maybe someplace like Bayshore?
Total for 5 bottles is $87.50.
Total for 3 bottles is $52.50.
@mb1973 @xn42 I can do bayshore. I can be there around 1pm
@mb1973 @uww27225
Today’s not going to happen for me, sorry. I could make Monday work or any other day then Thursday.
@mb1973 do you still want to meet today or wait until @mb1973 is available?
WineSmith…A New Wine…Nothing else to know, in for a Case, and sorry Noooooo sharing!!
Thanks Clark, everything we have tried has been Spectacular.
We still have 2 - 2005 Faux Chablis, yummy yummy.
What are those 2- 2007 Crucible doing there???
@PLSemenza Because I left the 2007 Crucible extra time in old wood, it’s more accessible than the 2005 right now, and quite ready to drink. It’s also very well built and can easily go another 10 years at the minimum in a good cellar.
I really like the way the 2005 Faux Chablis is beginning to open up finally. It is of course totally dry but because it’s become so lush, one guy recently compared it to Sauternes!
What’s really amazing though is the way the 2001 is drinking - pure silk and incense. See my note on the vertical tasting tour I’m setting up. Hope you can hook up.
@PLSemenza Glad to see that the 2005 Faux Chablis is opening up - I have 10 bottles, mostly 05 but with a few 04’s mixed in, plus one last bottle of the 2003 Chardonnay. I do need to start drinking those!
In other news, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for WineSmith devotees. I am now down to one case of library wine of most of the six Faux Chablis vintages (2001-2006) and the four declared Crucible vintages (1999, 2004, 2005 and 2007), so we are organizing a twelve city tour to sit down with 12 - 20 locals and taste these classics (plus a few mystery wines), now valued at about $3,000, for $200 per seat.
We still have three seats available for the Minneapolis tasting next Sunday Oct 28th and for the NYC tasting at Peter X’s wonderful restaurant in Yonkers Sunday Nov 4th.
We will be coming to Chicago, Toronto, Miami and of course Sonoma in the Spring. If you live near one of these, please let me know if you’re interested.
If not, let us know where you’d like us to stage the other five events. Seattle, Boston, Denver, Boston, New Orleans, LA and San Diego come to mind. Anywhere we can put together at least a dozen people is possible.
Just email us at WineSmith @winemaking411.com.
@winesmith Denver for sure!
@knlprez Sounds good. We have about 100 former wooters plus 100 winemakers I’ve worked with, so it’s a likely prospect.
Let’s pick a venue. We can do it at somebody’s home or a restaurant’s private room as part of a dinner with split checks, or a rec room at a condo complex. Any ideas?
Once we get the venue and the date nailed down, we can send out an announcement.
@winesmith Denver please!
@winesmith Denver, when might that be? I go back to India in 5 weeks
@winesmith Lookinng forward to meeting you in Miami!
@mddyka I’m not opposed to trying to squeeze it in while you’re still here, but it would be a challenge. Will you return next year sometime?
@winesmith Atlanta? I can guarantee at least 12
@winesmith I’d love a visit in Baltimore or the DC area!
@winesmith actually in Houston but back/forth to home Denver over the next month. Back to US occasionally over next six months; I could find one of your locations.
@nostrom0 If you can, I’m there. Please PM me your contact details and let’s find a venue and fix a date.
@jchasma Sure, I have a lot of fans in the DC/Virginia area. Baltimore not so much because of the arcane shipping laws. Please PM me your contact info and we’ll go to work on it.
@winesmith I live in Seattle and think we could rustle up a few folks. Any bonus points for growing up in Clearlake?!?
@winesmith I’ll email you with some info.
@GatorFL @winesmith Count me in with a few other WineSmith fans in SoFlo!
@GatorFL Please whisper me your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue. If you have suggestions for an appropriate venue or if you have a posse that would also wish to attend, include those details in your message.
@southpaw25 Please whisper me your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue. If you have suggestions for an appropriate venue or if you have a posse that would also wish to attend, include those details in your message.
@winesmith Boston please!!! Would love to attend - big fan of your wines. Will whisper you my deets!
@winesmith I’m near Denver and would be interested.
Any MN folks want to split a case?
@Rooboy Also, any MN folks want to come to the vertical Faux Chablis (six vintages) and Crucible Cab Sauv (four vintages) in Minneapolis this Sunday? See message above.
@Rooboy South Dakota here - close enough. I’d be up for 3-4 bottles!
@Rooboy I’m in for 3-6, Mpls-downtown-area exchange easily arranged… I have a tough time receiving the cases though.
Is there anyone in Nashua NH who would like to share a case?
@raccoon81, and @SDL3 Hello, anyone interested in splitting …just recall you guys from last WineSmith offer
@tnguyencase yeah, we are in. I love me some WineSmith!
Anyone in SE Michigan interested in splitting a case?
I can labrat, although I wasn’t sent a bottle from this particular offer. I’m the one who created the CT listing for this wine (I hope it’s correct).
My wife and I tasted this (along with 12(!) other wines) in an epic tasting and dinner with Clark and Mike Faulk in Santa Rosa in early September. I remember liking the Meritage a lot during the tasting, but honestly was probably not in great place that late in the night to give accurate notes.
I did order a mixed case that had 2 bottles of the Meritage, and we enjoyed one of them a week ago. We had some cheese and Journeyman salumi (amazing!) and eventually chocolate while polishing off the bottle. I opened the wine and immediately double decanted and returned to the bottle to get it moving.
Those of you who are familiar with the 2010 WineSmith Cabernet Franc will recognize elements of the nose and palate, especially the white cherry aspect of that wine. Great balance, fine/polished tannins, a little rounder than the CF, with some complexity of leather, herbs, etc., and the energetic minerality that I get in all of Clarke’s wines.
Clarke’s CF and his Two Jakes Merlot are two of my favorite wines, so this is kind of their best of both worlds baby. Totally another winner from Clarke, drinking beautifully now, but clearly tons of upside for holding/aging as well. As far as I know, this is also (case price) the absolute cheapest price to get your hands on this wine. Highly recommended.
@wnance Thanks, Wes. It was great to meet you two in person and inspect the line-up together. I hope other CaseMates will know they have an open invitation to do likewise.
Putting my money where my mouth is, and waiting for Clarke to get the “new” 2008 Pinot and the “new” 2013 Cab up on Casemates as well.
/giphy silent-hushed-sand
@wnance @winesmith Is there a 2008 Pinot? For some reason I thought 2007 was the last one you were making. But what do I know? That is my all time favorite Pinot Noir though.
@scott0210 I’m drinking the 2008 WineSmith Pinot as we speak. Figured I’d open it in honor of this offer. It’s more tart than the 2007, and comes from different area vineyards in CA, so just a California designation. Seems great with food, taking some time to open up. More info on the WineSmith website…
@winesmith @wnance Hey Clark! Is that giphy a tombstone made of sandstone??!!!
Anyone in southwest Florida interested in splitting a case?
always great to have Clark with us!
/giphy dense-lively-bard
Love Clark’s wines. At this price it’s a steal.
/giphy sweltering-flashy-jar
The Seattle crew had a a chance to taste this over the weekend. It was well received and we personally really enjoyed this wine. I have notes to post, which will come later in the day once I can find my sheet and works stops getting in the way.
Any case buyers in NYC interested in parceling out a couple of bottles to a like-minded wine drinker?
Any San Diego interest in a case split?
@radiolysis I’m pretty much always a sucker for Winesmith wines, and I don’t have any of this yet. I’m in for some, though not six. Maybe see if anyone else decides to bite?
@tklivory yep. Three would be ideal for me, four is doable.
@radiolysis @tklivory Sounds like we could use a second case down here.
@radiolysis @rjquillin It sounds like me and @radiolysis would be fine with 3 each so far, leaving six from a first case, so it depends on how many more SD peeps chime in. Are you saying you’re interesting?
@tklivory i think Ron jumped on a case for himself. If we can’t get another few people, i’m out. I really should start making prudent choices to make room for BD. And just room for other good offers here.
@radiolysis Ah, got it. Yeah, I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread, then.
@radiolysis @tklivory @klezman wanted four. I could supply from my case or he could do the split with you two. Easy enough for me to give him bottles and grab some from your case to make the exchange easier. @technoviking in Vegas was also looking for a split and we’ve done deals with him as well.
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin @TechnoViking Well, I’m good for up to 4 bottles, so if the splits all work out that way, I’m happy to be in. Just need to figure out the final logistics and stuffs.
@klezman @rjquillin @TechnoViking @tklivory I’ll bite for four max. You mind ordering tk? If we reduce to less than four, I’m even happier.
@klezman @radiolysis @TechnoViking @tklivory
I’ll take any overage, and be smiling when you wish you had additional.
Just got home and poured a glass for round two; we’ll see what it brings.
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin @TechnoViking Smiling or drinking?
Anyway, case has been ordered.
/giphy meticulous-rewarded-walnut
@tklivory great!
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin @TechnoViking All right, the case has arrived. Unfortunately I won’t be able to hand it out for at least week or two, but if anyone really needs it for Thanksgiving, reach out to me and let me know so that I can make arrangements.
@tklivory no rush for me.
Anyone interested in our WineSmith Vertical Tastings please contact Sandra @ sandra.winesmith@gmail.com to be added to the list.
@Sunflowermama Tastings held at the winery?
@Sunflowermama Unhide some of the top comments above to find Clark’s description of the tastings.
@nostrom0 @Sunflowermama Unhide some of the top comments above to find Clark’s description of the tastings.
@InFrom @Sunflowermama We will do a tasting in Santa Rosa, but it’s a twelve city tour. See the tasting event description on our website.
Any Chicago people wish to split a case?
Any Iowans interested?
@Kildahl I would be interested in 3 or 4. Any other Iowans out there following along? I’m in central Iowa btw.
/giphy enchanted-confident-start
Anyone in the Syracuse area?
WineSmith makes some excellent wines. I particularly liked the Mokelumne Cab Sauv (Yeah, Lodi! for those of you snubbing Lodi recently). It had a brightness to it that was very enjoyable, and if you look at Cellartracker, it got mainly 90 & 91 scores.
I, however, lived a bit higher in the Sierras and swam in the North, South and Middle Forks of the Mokelumne River…upstream from Mokelumne Hill.
@FritzCat I could be interested in 3 or 4. LMK what you are thinking. I am VMP with free shipping
@NatasG Sounds good. I only want 3 or 4 or 6, so maybe we can find another local to split? Otherwise, 6 each?
@FritzCat My wife works in Liverpool and we’d pick up 3-4 if there’s a way to work out an easy pickup…
/giphy atomic-miraculously-swan
@domels @FritzCat OK everyone Order is in!
Is the background changing color because it’s almost sold out?
2013 Winesmith Meritage (81% Merlot, 19% Cab Franc)
PnP. 58F. Nose isn’t showing much initially or after 10 minutes in the glass. After some heavy swirls we are getting some sage/tarragon notes but not a whole lot of fruit, perhaps some cherry. The palate however was bursting right out of the gate with opulent plum and a nice white pepper spice to it. Medium acid, medium+ tannin, lengthy finish at 20+ seconds. There is a ton of tannic grip in this wine, but it is not particularly drying or bitter.
We took this along with us to a casemates gathering after the note above. I checked in on it for a couple small pours at 3 and 4 hours after opening, but don’t have details notes from that. Tannins smoothed out a bit and the fruit started picking up more spice. This was enjoyed by many and was gone rather quickly considering we had about 15 bottles open.
Clearly will age for a couple decades, and I would take a guess at the peak drinking window not starting for another 5-7 years.
@trifecta I wrote a note to myself that I would describe the tannins as “Sexy”. Its got sexy tannins.
@trifecta @Twich22 That’s my term, too, along with the aromas the texture integrates and supports.
Like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography, I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.
Is this (81% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc) the same wine as the one discussed in the video ( about 2/3 Merlot, 1/3 Cabernet Franc, “with a few other things thrown in”)?
@DickL Sounds likely since I am not aware of another wine that it could be?
@DickL Looking back on my records, I see I was wrong about this. We never had to top with another lot, so the 81% / 19% is actually all there is.
/giphy knobby-marvelous-tiger
Disclaimer:
A weekend in Napa/Sonoma wrecked havoc with a decent rat, as I just got home ~90 minutes ago to open a too warm bottle. That said, a quickie for this evening with additional tomorrow…
Cork: Natural and looks like this was just bottled; minimal surface coloring.
Nose: Herbaceous, in a pleasent garrigue/savory kind of way, no pyrazine taint, and bright fruits.
Entry: Bright tart acid and fruits, cherry and berry. Much of the tartness quite likely to the elevated temperature; ~22C. Need to revisit at a reasonable temperature.
Mid and finish: Plush but crisp fruits enhanced by a lingering pleasent tannic finish.
I would not have thought Merlot; Cab Franc, yes. Not sure I can cite another wine I’ve had similar to this blend, but it certainly works well with the fruit Clark has sourced. This has the stuffing to cellar well for some time, while still being quite approachable now, in it’s (WineSmith) youth.
Yes, I’m a fan and enjoy what Clark does, and did grab a case already.
More tomorrow…
Question for Clark;
You cite pH at bottling. How does pH change, if at all predictable, from harvest to bottling.
Tim and I were at Bell over the weekend and I was looking at the labs on the bottles, where pH generally seemed to decrease.
H/T to @trifecta for a nice rat.
@rjquillin I was waiting to see whether you wanted a split post-rattage. Let me know…
Part two:
I know, buy on bread, but this is quite respectable with some BeeHive TeaHive too…
Served at a more acceptable, for me, 19C, the flash of bright acidity I was getting yesterday is much more controlled.
Picking up some nice dustiness in the nose as well that was hidden earlier in addition to all the former.
Clearly for me a food wine. This is working well with a light white pasta that includes basil and cherry tomatoes. Doesn’t overpower, but clears out the creaminess of the sauce.
Later on, with bread and brie (didn’t have that other fancy cheese in the larder), they again complement one another.
A good buy and drink now, with a short decant, or hold and see what happens.
Need a case to do that, and one is on the way.
Thanks @winesmith for the opportunity to rat the bottle.
Let’s start by saying what pH is. It is not the human sensation of tartness, crispness, or sourness which stimulates our salivation. That is measured by TA: titratable acidity. An hydrogen atom is comprised of a proton (positively charged) nucleus with an electron (negatively charged) in orbit around it. Frequently these hydrogen atoms can participate enthusiastically in molecular assemblies called molecules. Acids are such substances that can spin off the proton part, retailing the electron. Such substances are called acids.
In inorganic mineral acids such as sulfuric, nitrric, and hypochloric acid, the moment they hit water, these substances disassociate, jettisoning the positively charged proton and leaving behind everything else, such remnant gaining the title of the corresponding acid anion or conjugate base, but it’s really just the whole molecule minus the proton.
In wine, these mineral acids aren’t much present. The organic acids such as Tartatic, malic, suscinic, lactic and acetic, exist mostly in the conjugate base forms in equillibrium with those who have set free their protons to wander around and perhaps return.
A full count of available protons determines the sensation of tartness and the extent to which neutralizing juice salivary glands pump onto the mouth when a wine is placed there. The availability of these protons for service determines degree of the human sensation of crisp, tart, sourness.
It matters not whether they are free or bound. Like the Minutemen at Lexington and Concord, the availability of patriots, whether walking the streets or asleep in their family beds, determined in 1775 the strength of the resisting army that dispelled the British regulars and sparked our historic revolution. It didn’t matter what state they were in, only their availability.
By duplicating this process in the lab, we can measure this effect for a particular wine we are making. We make a neutralizing solution of a know strength how much of it is require to measure a given amount of wine, then scale it up to grams of acid per unit volume.
Sometimes the acid in question has two or three protons. In grape juice, the main acids are tartaric and malic acids, each of which has two acidic protons that can pack and leave town. If one departs, we are left with bitartrate and bimalate half salts. If both are missing both prodigal protons, we call the abandoned parents tartrate and malate.
When we taste wine, we are brought into the appropriate degree of acidity. We generally want enough to bring liveliness to the mouth to prevent dullness, but not so much that any balance is lost.
The free proportion of protons is measured by pH. Just as TA measures the titratable protons, the pH measures just the ones that are unbound, walking the streets and having a great many effects on microbes and chemicals grape juices contain.
What decides what state the are in? Why, quite obviously it is the availability of replacement protons. The more densely such protons are floating around, the more likely the bereaved conjugate bases are to make whoopie with them and, well, conjugate, resulting in protons back tucked snugly in their beds and not wandering the streets of free acidity, restored to proton babies of their own, whatever their identities.
The pool of free, available, promiscuous protons is measured by the pH. The small “p” is a negative power of ten, so pH means one proton for every thousand water molecules, while pH 4 means one proton for each ten thousand. pH has no direct link to taste, smell or any other humand perception. It just decribes how many of the proton cops are out on thestreet fighting crime (i.e. noxious microbes and disagreeable chemical states.) Managing this dichotomy is a major focus during harvest and beyond.
Now to your question. Grapes begin with high malic acid levels which are metabolized during ripening into energy used to transport sugar into berries, beginning wit high TAs around 20 grams per liter and pHs in the low 2’s. By the time of harvest, ideally grapes are around TAs of 8 gms per liter and pHs around 3.45.
The main events that change these numbers are, in whites, the precipitation of potassium bitartrate, which lowers both pH and TA so the result is TAs around 7.0 and pHs around 3.3, resulting in more or less crisp wines that retain freshness and don’t age very rapidly.
In reds, skin contact and malolactic fermentation cause TAs to fall and pHs to rise. Together with potassium bitartrate precipitation, these effects move reds into the region pH region of 3.7 to 3.9 range with TAs around 4 to 6 gm/liter, where there is less salivary protein to combine with tannins and result in coarseness.
Once skin contact, malolactic fermentation, and tartrate stabilization are complete, pHs don’t change very much. In long aging reds, the oxidation of the protective additive sulfur dioxide into small amounts of sulfuric acid cause pHs to lower and TAs to rise slightly. The result is that reds have less crispness and freshness, but are smoother in the mouth and age and develop more rapidly into mature, complex and profound wines which make up for their diminished fruity grapiness with soulfulness, profundity and ageworthiness.
@winesmith Now this took a direction I hadn’t expected, but in a very educational way for us all.
I didn’t intend to imply pH rather than TA was related to tartness but it seems I may have.
I do (incorrectly?) seem to associate lower pH with palate cleansing ability of a food friendly wine, and at the warmer temperature this clearly seemed to fit that bill. Is it really TA that is more important?
I was just curious based on looking at labs where the pH did seem to fall.
Really did like this blend, and look forward to a more proper messing this evening.
Dare I inquire about music?
@rjquillin @winesmith This was a great read. From the tasting notes to the pH breakdown. I love learning about what I’m drinking and why I painstakingly search for those balanced or tailored wines.
I’m curious where the 22C~ temp would make it have a different taste profile. I know it does have an effect, but not really how. Can either of you two share an explanation?
@winesmith I feel like I should get some college credit for reading this. UC Davis online course, say Chemistry 4001, Titratable Acidity and you.
@MaceKates @rjquillin 22 C, which is 71F, is a perfectly fine temperature for these wines. Most connoisseurs prefer cool cellar temperatures around 55-60F, but in truth, most wines are consumed at American room temperature around 70F, which is where the ones cellared at 55F end up in the glass unless very special care is taken.
The effects of elevated temperature bring out the volatile aspects of the wines, which along with oxygenetic decanting can be a blessing for young wines that need help opening up, but a curse for overblown wines with excessive alcohol. This Meritage is neither, though some lab rats have disagreed, hinting that the wine is still on the uphill side of its drink window, to mix metaphors. I like my wines a little tight; to me the residual ageworthiness tells me I have done my job, so I tend to drink them around this temperature. Structured, ageworthy whites too.
@rjquillin The pH of a wine shifts very rapidly in your mouth as saliva enters. This is why you taste the different acids in different places in your mouth according to their relative strengths (in chemistry we call these strengths pKa’s: the pH(s) at which the acid gives up its proton(s). Tartaric is first (pKa1=3.0), then malic (pKa1=3.5) on the center palate, then lactic (pKa=3.8), and lastly acetic in the finish and back of the throat (pKa=4.8). The degree to which these impart souness or crispness is measured by TA. This is because humans are much bigger than the glass of wine, so they overwhelm (or “titrate”) and neutralize all the acid in the wine.
pH is an equilibrium measure which applies in storage to molecular chemistry and the environment of microbes before the wine is consumed. It also exerts an influence on the volatility of aromas in the glass. Low pH wines tend to be fruitier, and very low pH whites such as German Rieslings at 2.9 pH can push even small amounts of SO2 (freshly struck match) into the nose. Very high pH reds over 4.0 will be dull and soapy in the nose.
@winesmith This depth of knowledge and fastidious attention to detail explains, in part, why your wines consistently wow.
@winesmith So much for the short version.
(Actually, I suspect that we just read a section from your book.)
@mwfielder This is actually excerpted from my Fundamentals of Modern Wine Chemistry, a class that boils down a Davis Enology degree into a single weekend. I have taught this popular course throughout the USA since 1984 to over 4,000 winemakers. If you are thinking of making your own wine, you really must take it.
In for a case! Willing to share some. Anyone in South East Florida insterested?
Big fan of Clark’s juice. Previously bought a few mixed cases, a few Victories from WW and more recently the 2010 Cab Franc which are all uniquely exceptional.
Questions for Clark @winesmith :
What’s your go to food/cheese pairing for this new Meritage?
Also, I have a pair of 2004 Crucibles in the cellar. What’s the current drinking window?
Thanks and looking forward to your Miami visit!
@southpaw25 The '04 is definitely ready to go, but will certainly hold up in a good cellar for another ten to fifteen years in a good cellar. Since I know this is not Florida’s strong suit, you might start thinking about an appropriate occasion to open one and plan to save the other for a good long while down the road. Also, if you are able to schlep down to Miami for the vertical tasting, you can taste it without needing to open either one. Much depends on how much you like older well-aged wines. Not everybody does.
If you wish to attend a vertical Faux Chablis / Crucible tasting in a given city please email me at winesmith@winemaking411.com your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue.
@southpaw25 I just saw your question about cheeses. It’s been remarked that this wine is sexy and I think so, too, whatever that means. It refers to certain firm yet silky texture and to the suite of earthy tertiary aromas it exudes. As a result, it works for me with very ripe brie, Delice de Bourgogne, Italian fontina and Epoisse, but a ten year old black diamond cheddar should serve very well also. My old friend Denis Kelly used to say there is only two kinds of cheese: FROMAGIO and banana. This wine demands the former and would insult the later I should think.
That’s just my spin. Folksinger/songwriter Peter Alsop reports that he gets his jollies by donning pantyhose filled with strawberry jelly. Your personal proclivities likely vary from mine in this area, so I recommend experimentation without prejudgment.
@winesmith awesome! Lol
Clark with a blend of two of my wife’s favorites? (especially the Cab Franc) We’re in!!
/giphy astute-pale-sponge
I have no room, but also no Winesmith. So…
/giphy kooky-busted-attack
Anyone wishing to attend a vertical Faux Chablis / Crucible tasting in a given city please email me your name, email, phone number and city of residence so we can communicate developments to you and work together to achieve a 12 - 20 person subscription in a convenient venue. If you have suggestions for an appropriate venue or if you have a posse that would also wish to attend, include those details in your email.
Thanks!
Best email for me is winesmith@winemaking411.com.
Any CMH / Central Ohio folks up for a split?
@cdn1127 I am interested in 3 since funds are a little tight. (Otherwise I would just grab an entire case! It is Clark.) I know that isn’t much help in swaying a case purchase, so if I don’t hear any news by 5pm-ish I will just order myself a 3 pack, but I would split if others chime in or that works for you.
DFW splitters?
Anyone in central CT want to split a case?
Anyone in the Seattle area interested in splitting a case? I have just moved here from the bay area and could use making casemates friends along with the break in my bank account. This is a deal that is hard to pass up though.
I met Clark at the casemates launch party and really enjoyed his conversation and his wines. Everything he was doing from grape selection to timing of harvest through blending seemed like a calculated dance. Where he was picking through the California regions, using technologies and processes that fit the vision of what he wanted to make, and ending up with some very cool wines.
@MaceKates You might want to try the separate Seattle Casemates thread.
No NH this time? Is that a mistake or recent change? It was on the last WineSmith deal, which we really enjoyed.
@jevanson You’ll have to contact the winery directly and we will ship to you in NH and many other unlisted States. Call Sandra at 707-332-0056.
Wow, everyone seems to love WineSmith. I’m in. Thanks for the in-depth chemistry review, Clark.
/giphy rewarding-dorky-gelato
Anybody in the Balto region interested in a 50-50 split on a case? I’m in a 6-3-3 split right now, but could upgrade if somebody who isn’t seeing the Balt region chat is up for it.
LOVE the case splitting activity. Show’s how much we love Clark’s wine!
@Winedavid49 Or how much those not splitting a case love Clark!
Trying to find a third to split with here in Vegas. So far it’s me and 1 other.
@TechnoViking You know you really want six.
Always an autobuy!
/giphy rough-fluent-beggar
Couldn’t resist a case!
/giphy sulky-dysfunctional-pain
Same here, looked like too good of a case to pass up!
/giphy meager-mad-yam
So, even though my last WineSmith order got cooked (the wine was still spectacular) and Fed Ex routinely changes their delivery dates I cannot resist this offer. The WineSmith CF is by far one of my favorites! Hoping this will be as interesting.
@davidd13 Have FedEx deliver at one of their hold at locations. I use my local Walgreens. Helps with the cookage. And the corkage.
@GatorFL I have used the Walgreens myself on occasion. The time the wine got cooked I was not aware of that option; I have used it since, but today, for example, my case of Pedroncelli was supposed to deliver, and now it is bumped to tomorrow, and I won’t be home, so that is what I will end up doing. First world problems for sure, but it pisses me off that FedEx pretty well does as it pleases and there is nothing I can do about it because no one holds their feet to the fire. Thanks for the tip, however; hopefully those unaware of that option will get the message.
/giphy standing-rocky-coat
Just ordered a case (western Chicago suburbs). I might be convinced to part with a few bottles.
/giphy momentous-guttural-wallaby
In for a case just before the bell.
/giphy maximum-splendid-summer