Posted by Ben in 2004, General, Other, lodi, zinfandelOct 28th, 2009 | No Comments
By way of background: The Chez Ray Zinfandel, 2004, was made from Lodi grapes, fermented warm, with a combination of French and American oak.
In the glass: Medium to deep red.
On the nose: Fruity, lightly smoky, wet red cherry.
On the palate: Smooth, red fruit in the middle of your mouth. Like a gob of blackberry that has all the tartness removed. Kinda nice in that respect. Balance of the flavors include a general even sweetness, tiny bits of acids crawl up into your cheeks.
And the finish: Sweet acids slowly fade away, and with them any hints of fruit.
In summary: Pleasant, though not intense nor distinctive. Less intensity andfriendliness than I'd expect from a zinfandel. Still, three stars on the Spirit of Wine scale, as I would return to this another time. Could be a nice blender with something offering a bit more structure.
Posted by Ben in 2007, General, Other, late harvestOct 23rd, 2009 | No Comments
The 2005 Chez Ray Late Harvest Blend consists of Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, late harvested, acquired from Brehm Vineyards from vineyards in the Columbia Gorge area of Washington State (coded 05LHUM and LH57). They were fermented with
Cote des Blancs yeast, and aged with a small toasted oak sleeve.
In the glass, this shows as light yellow with gold highlights. Aromas are metallic and oily - you've just stepped into my mechanics garage on a night when he's spinning disco tunes!
On the palate, a bright sweet middle starfruit is the first note. It is followed by acids that drive the sweetness up into your cheeks. The finish comes slowly, slowly, slowly as the acids eventually allow the crisp fruit to fade from your cheeks. Three stars on the
Spirit of Wine scale.
Posted by Ben in 2004, General, Other, Pinot NoirOct 20th, 2009 | No Comments
By way of background: The Chez Ray Pinot Noir, 2004, was made from Lodi grapes, fermented warm, with a combination of French and American oak.
In the glass: Deep pink-red with a brickish cast.
On the nose: Overcooked, almost baked, red berry fruits. A bit of motor oil with the overcooked stew. Nothing to write home about (except maybe to say, "Get me outa here!").
On the palate: Far more presentable on the palate. Sweet red fruits on the mid-palate, not cloying, but fresh. Just a touch of vegetable in there too. Firm, lightly acid, sweet and still rich, a touch of tannin move in after the acids subside.
And the finish: Rests with the acids, then moves to a bit of grip with the tannins.
In summary: I may have overstayed the storage with this one, feels overripe. Two stars, because I can't see hurrying back. Kind of jangled overall. Pinot's a tough wine to get right - my 2004 vintage seems not to have done the trick.
Posted by Ben in 2009, General, Other, yeasts, zinfandelOct 11th, 2009 | No Comments
This weekend, four crates of zinfandel grapes arrived from Lucchesi Vineyard from Potter Valley in Mendocino County, CA. They come from older vines on St. George root stock. They look to be in great shape, and are delicious fresh. They will comprise the Chez Ray Mendocino Zinfandel, 2009, vintage.
Similar to the Lanza merlot, I will ferment in separate batches with different yeast in each, accordingly:
Lalvin ICV-D254Mendocino Zinfandel (ZM9A)
Lalvin ICV-D80Mendocino Zinfandel (ZM9B)
Lalvin BM45Mendocino Zinfandel (ZM9C)
Posted by Ben in 2009, General, Other, yeasts, zinfandelOct 11th, 2009 | No Comments
This weekend, four crates of zinfandel grapes arrived from Lucchesi Vineyard from Potter Valley in Mendocino County, CA. They come from older vines on St. George root stock. They look to be in great shape, and are delicious fresh. They will comprise the Chez Ray Mendocino Zinfandel, 2009, vintage.
Similar to the Lanza merlot, I will ferment in separate batches with different yeast in each, accordingly:
Lalvin ICV-D254Mendocino Zinfandel (ZM9A)
Lalvin ICV-D80Mendocino Zinfandel (ZM9B)
Lalvin BM45Mendocino Zinfandel (ZM9C)
Posted by Ben in 2009, General, Other, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirahOct 4th, 2009 | No Comments
Grapes for the 2009 Chez Ray vintage arrived this weekend from Lanza Family Vineyards in the Suisun Valley, just southeast of Napa Valley, CA.
Although I had plans to subject the entire 2009 vintage to
Enoferm RP15 (aka VQ15, VQ-15, or RP-15) yeast, the grapes arrived before my yeast. So my yeast and grape schedule was as follows:
Lalvin ICV-D254Lanza Merlot (ML9A)
Lalvin ICV-D80Lanza Merlot (ML9B)
Lalvin BM45Lanza Merlot (ML9C)
Mixed: Lalvin D254, D80, BM45Lanza Cabernet Sauvignon (Rock Vineyards) (CL9)
Lanza Cabernet Sauvignon (Koch Vineyards) (CK9)
Lanza Petite Syrah (PSL9)
I used Go-Ferm to reconstitute yeast, and built an approx half-gallon starter by adding crushed grapes during the course of a day. I'll get the ferment going at room temperature, then move to a cooler basement ferment after a couple of days. Basement fermentation proceeded at approximately 65 degrees F.
In the glass: Deep pink-red with a brickish cast.
Similar to the Lanza merlot, I will ferment in separate batches with different yeast in each, accordingly:
Grapes for the 2009 Chez Ray vintage arrived this weekend from Lanza Family Vineyards in the Suisun Valley, just southeast of Napa Valley, CA.
