2021 Syrah

 Coming soon!

The Wahluke Slope

For the past fifteen years, The Purple Habit has been working with vineyards in the Wahluke Slope appellation of Washington State.

The region is named after an Indigenous word for watering-place and lies in south-central Washington. As one of the warmest regions in the state, the Wahluke Slope is known primarily for red grape varieties, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Wahluke Slope wines tend to be ripe and full-bodied with pure varietal fruit flavours. Enfolded on three sides by the grand curve of the Columbia River, with roots in rich volcanic soil, the estate vineyards that supply our grapes are situated where long days of blistering sunshine coupled with freezing winters cultivate grapes of exceptional quality. 

The major distinguishing feature of the Wahluke Slope is its uniformity in aspect, soil type, and climate. The entire appellation lies on a broad, south-facing slope with a constant, gentle grade of less than 8%. This topography, along with the proximity to the Columbia River, helps minimize the risk of frost, which can affect other areas of the state. 

The entire 81,000-acre appellation sits on a large alluvial fan, making the soils notably uniform over a large area. The topsoil is deep, wind-blown sand with a depth, on average, of more than 5 feet. This provides both ample drainage for vinifera grapes and greater uniformity in plant vigor and ripening, more than is seen in other areas of Washington. Elevations vary between 425 feet by the Columbia River to 1,480 feet above sea level, though most vineyards lie below 1,000 feet. Precipitation averages less than 6 inches (150mm) annually, and irrigation is required to grow vinifera grapes. Winds in the area lead to smaller leaf size and smaller grape clusters compared to other regions, concentrating the resulting wines. Total cumulative degree days ( day > 10 degrees C) are about 1790.

2021 Fall Harvest

Happy Thanksgiving.  

For us, this time of year coincides with winemaking, and it seemed fitting that we were working on the new Syrah, Sunday, before my mother-in-law arrived for Thanksgiving supper.  In the last month, we've bottled Sauvignon Blanc, harvested, crushed, fermented, and pressed the 2021 Syrah. We've been busy.

Indian Jesuit and psychotherapist Anthony de Mello once said "All is well. All is well. Though everything is a mess, all is well." - a fitting epithet for our winemaking, this year. Although we experienced the usual chaos of minutia, the grapes did in fact turn into wine.  But, the fruit was a month earlier than expected with almost no advance warning; we had some stressful days confirming a carrier to ship the grapes from Washington to Fort Langley; we endured the usual and awkward dance with government agencies to get our import permit; our volunteers pretty much had to drop everything personal and professional to help with crush (including one flying in from Quebec); and, we had to figure out how to protect our newly renovated garage (think tv & games room) from the wet, purple, sticky and goopy process that is fermentation.

After fermenting, we pressed the wine off of the grapes skins on October 2nd.  Wine that comes off the press usually has all the components of a finished wine but is rough and unpolished - sort of like a bratty teenager (we have two).  It usually needs a bit of aging before an enjoyable consumption. So, I was amused and surprised when Anita brought out a few bottles and carafes to be filled with the last few litres to come off the press.  Apparently, we were going Beausoleil Nouveau with the 2021 Syrah. 

Here's the thing about that press wine - it was pretty good.  We even shared it with neighbours and a club member.  Everyone enjoyed it.  I can only imagine that the fully aged and bottled 2021 Syrah is going to be outstanding.  

And, the garage survived unscathed thanks mainly to scads of poly on everything and the liberal use of cardboard on the floor.  The Syrah will continue to occupy this space for another month or so before taking up residence in oak barrels in the cellar.

A few pictures tell the story of the last month.  

Our son helping with Sauvignon Blanc bottling (inserting 300 corks)

Bottles on the filling machine

Full Sauvignon Blanc cases laid out for wax topping

Filled bottles awaiting their corks

Closeup of the filler, front and back lables

Syrah!

Crusher and tanks ready to start

The new garage protected by poly and cardboard

Crushing underway!

With fermentation complete, getting ready to press (two weeks after crush)

One week after pressing the wine is racked (transferred) to new tanks in order to leave behind the gross lees (dead yeast) that accumulates on the bottom of the tank.  Failure to remove the gross lees can result in rotting and general spoilage of the wine.  I also enjoyed a Giants vs Dodgers game while working!

I used a "splash racking" technique to get a bit more oxygen into the wine.  New Syrah wine can sometimes chemically reduce into really smelly sulphur compounds (i.e., mercaptan) in the absence of oxygen.  Splash racking is good insurance against this unfortunate possibility.

Bottom of a tank being drained.  Gross lees are visible like mud at the top of the picture with wine showing at the bottom, as it was being pumped out of the tank.

And, finally, the garage is restored!

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic example of full-bodied, big red wines produced from grapes grown on the Wahluke Slope.  Our 2019 vintage features coffee, black cherry and blackberry aromas followed by ripe, velvety fruit flavours, silky tannins and a warm, lingering finish.

The wine was crafted over thirty-two months.

Technical Stuff

• 2019 was a typical season on the Wahluke Slope; however, September rains pushed the harvest out to October 15, a month later than expected
  
  
• Pre-harvest testing revealed fruit to be roughly 26 degrees Brix (sugar content)
  
  
• During harvest, the club grapes were packed in 600 pound cardboard totes and shipped to Fort Langley via refrigerated trucking
  
  
• After a cold soak of 72 hours, yeast fermentation was initiated and concluded over 10 days
  
  
• Malo-lactic fermentation was induced and progressed over a period three months, after which the wine was transferred to new and neutral oak barrels, where it remained for 27 months
  
  
• Bottling took place on April 14, 2022
  
  
• Due to ongoing supply chain issues, wax was used to seal the bottle tops instead of tin capsules
  
  
• 15.7% alc./vol.
  
  

2019 Cabernet Syrah

The 2019 Cabernet Syrah is a blend of 2018 Syrah and 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown on Washington State's Wahluke Slope.  It is a rich expression of the terroir featuring black cherry, bittersweet chocolate and blackberry aromas, followed by ripe velvety fruit flavours and a long, well-balanced finish.

The wine was crafted over thirty months.

Technical Stuff

• 2019 was a typical warm and long season on the Wahluke Slope; however, September rains delayed the harvest by a month, pushing it to October 15th
  
  
• Pre-harvest testing indicated that the fruit was approximately, 25.5 degrees Brix (sugar content)
  
  
• During harvest, the club grapes were packed in several 600lb cardboard totes and cold shipped to Fort Langley
  
  
• A cold soak of several days was employed after crush before initiating yeast fermentation
  
  
• Malo-lactic fermentation was induced and progressed over a period of three months, after which the wine was transferred to new oak barrels, where it remained for 27 months
  
  
• The wine was bottled unfiltered on December 10, 2022
  
  
• Due to ongoing COVID restrictions at the US border, wax was used to sea the bottle tops instead of tin capsules.
  
  
• 15.6% alc./vol TA 5.1g pH 3.96
  
  

2020 Sauvignon Blanc

Okanagan Bound

The uncertainties of 2020 led us back to British Columbia for this year's harvest.  We are very grateful to Da Silva Vineyards for providing The Purple Habit with top quality Sauvignon Blanc fruit. 

The Journey

The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc was bottled on September 12, 2021 and is an expression of its New Zealand counterpart, featuring bright acidity with herbaceous, floral and tropical fruit.  Enjoy the juicy and citrus zing all alone or in the company of cheeses and seafood.

 

The wine was crafted over ten months.

Technical Stuff

• 2020 was a slightly cooler than typical season on the Naramata Bench that pushed out harvest until October 9
  
  
• Pre-harvest testing revealed fruit to be roughly 21.5 degrees Brix (sugar content)
  
  
• During harvest, the club grapes were packed in 600 pound cardboard totes and trucked to Fort Langley by club members (it was sufficiently cold that reefer shipping was not required)
  
  
• The fruit was pressed within 24 hours, separating the skins and pulp from the juice
  
  
• Fermentation was conducted at 12 degrees Celsius over a period of three weeks
  
  
• Fermentation and aging took place in stainless steel tanks; a light fining was applied and the wine was bottled unfiltered
  
  
• Due to pandemic supply chain issues, the Sauvignon Blanc was bottled in dark green glass, in the style usually used for Bordeaux red wines.  Our standard tin capsules were also not available and wax was used to seal the bottle tops
  
  
• 12.6% alc./vol.  TTA 7.5g   pH 3.13

Spring 2021 Update

Spring

The English poet John Gay once wrote that "from wine does sudden friendship spring."  With May well upon us, and the start of another vintage anew, I reflected that in the fifteen years that we've been running the club there have been many friendships, some sudden, some enduring but all appreciated and valued.  

We had a few conniptions woven into our winemaking activities over the winter.  You may recall from the October update that our cellar air conditioner failed during the Sauvignon Blanc fermentation.  Thankfully, the weather turned about the same time, and a jury-rigged fan in the newly vacated air-conditioner opening managed to keep things cool during the fall and throughout the winter.  It is something of a bankrupting ordeal finding a shop that will work on small, custom air conditioners like ours, and I am now resolute in putting in a proper split HVAC system the next time we have chilling difficulties.

For the time being, we're pretty cool, tho...

And then, there was the barrel...

I may have mentioned in an earlier post that last year we had been having difficulties with a new barrel we had bought for the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Let's just say if it were a ship, everyone would have been bailing pretty hard to avoid our endeavour becoming a swim club.  We followed the vendor's advice and patched it full of sealing wax, waited, and even muttered a few words of prayer to any listening deity.  We continued to limp (leak) along until the first racking this winter, a process where we transfer wine between between the barrels to provide oxygen exposure and an opportunity to blend.  Racking relies on pressurized argon gas to push the wine out of the barrel.  Pressure and leak aren't words that any winemaker wants to hear in the same sentence, and the fluid outcome cost us a case or two of wine that I sadly mopped off the cellar floor.  Back to the vendor I went, strongly suggesting that they replace the barrel, which happened belatedly, although I had to cough up 1/4 of the cost.  ☹️

On a more positive note, the Cabernet is progressing well.  We will bottle later in the year, with a winter release on the horizon.  Our second attempt at racking (with new barrel) afforded a chance to enjoy a sample that was chock full of integrated flavours, including cherry, softening tannins, and oak vanilla.   

Sauvignon Blanc

We are very happy with our first Okanagan vintage in a decade, which is light, crisp and packed with melon flavours reminiscent of its New Zealand namesake.  I admit, Anita and I have "sampled" a few glasses over the past month (quality assurance, you understand), and I think you will agree that this vintage is the ultimate summer sipper.  We will be bottling in late June and should have it available in time for Canada Day.

Below, the story picks up again after last fall's fermentation and describes some of the key processes applied in the production of Sauvignon Blanc.

First racking took place a day after fermentation ended.  Lees (dead yeast) can be seen on the sides of the fermenting tank along with precipitated crystals of tartaric acid.  The hum in the background is the diaphragm pump that is used to gently transfer wine from one tank to another.  The wine cellar and large parts of the basement were imbued with the aroma of Sauvignon Blanc - it was lovely!

Another look at the fermenter tank after the wine was pumped off showing about 5cm of lees deposited on the bottom.  My father-in-law would have taken this fraction, put it in a carboy, and allowed it to separate further.  If I had that patience, we'd have gained another litre or so of wine.

Receiving tank point of view as fresh wine arrives from the fermentor.  Our rhythm for white wine making means that first racking occurs in the fall when temperatures are starting to subside.  In order to take advantage of the cold (how uniquely Canadian, eh?) the tanks are placed in our patio well, outside.  Over the next couple of months, when the mercury often dips below zero, the chilling effect causes tartaric acid in the wine to precipitate and cling to the walls of the tank.  This cold stabilization is an important step as it lowers the overall acidity of the wine, which in the case of Sauvignon Blanc can be quite high, and also prevents the crystals from forming in the bottle later on.  These harmless wine gems are sometimes mistaken by consumers as glass 😧

Second racking in late December clearly showed large amounts of tartrate crystals that were deposited during the two months spent outside.  At this stage, the Sauvignon Blanc which had also clarified significantly was pumped back into the cellar for the balance of the winter.  

By third racking in April, the wine began to sparkle with clarity, was almost ready to be bottled, and tasted like a finished product to be enjoyed along with the lengthening days and warming temperatures.  As a product of nature, wine contains a lot of different proteins produced by the grapes and yeast.  Some of these proteins (those thought to be from the grapes) are not stable in white wine and can produce haze or turbidity if the wine is warmed.   In order to remove those proteins, most winemakers use a compound called bentonite.

Bentonite, a type of clay mined in Wyoming, creates a negatively charged colloid when dissolved into water and mixed into wine.  Because wine proteins generally carry a positive charge, they are attracted to the bentonite, grow heavy, and gradually settle to the bottom of the tank.  This process, known as fining (pronounced "fine-ing"), is essential in making white wines heat stable and preventing haze and turbidity.

Preparing bentonite for the Sauvignon Blanc involved some of Anita's measuring bowls, bentonite granules, cold water, mixing, patience and a small mess.  Because the chemistry of our wine already lends itself well to stability (mostly its very low pH), I used only a small dose equating to about 1/5th of a gram for every litre of wine.  Higher doses can lead to over fining the wine and stripping away important flavours and scents.  The above slurry was mixed into the wine during a racking procedure several days ago.  After about a month, it will have all settled, and we will be ready to bottle.

A view of the cellar with working air conditioning, barrels that don't leak, and bentonite fined Sauvignon Blanc resting in the corner tanks.  

All is well!