I have officially graduated from UC Davis. Friends ask what does that mean? Well, I want to be a winemaker when I grow up. I have planted the seed with friends and have been offered to help with Overgaaux Wine Estate February 2016. We will spend a month and help David with harvest I will be around to help ferment his Merlot.
The week before Labor Day weekend, I attended a Wine Microbiology class on the Davis campus. The class was intense and I was able to monitor and identify wine yeast and bacteria. This was a hands-on class using a Phase Contrast Microscope. We also learned sanitation and sanitizing methods at a winery.
Since we were going to be in Napa over the long weekend, I reached out to Daniel, Winemaker and owner of Croze and Smith Wooton. I was curious to see if he was harvesting any whites and if he needed help. He accepted my offer. Fortunately that weekend he was harvesting the Viognier block he uses for Suzanne K.
I met Daniel 6 am at the winery. It was dark and chilly. The sun was slowly rising with a star-filled the sky. Leaving the winery, we drove a couple of miles east on the north side of Napa where the vineyard was. The vineyard owner met us and said the temperature was 36 degrees.
It was chilly but as soon as the sun came up, it warmed up pretty fast. The picking crew arrived around 7:00 am ready to work. They had come from another vineyard where most had worked all night. There were seven pickers, two females, and five males. Once they started picking it took them around 1.5 hours to pick almost two acres of fruit.
The yield was lighter than other years. The fruit still looked great and tasted wonderful.
After the fruit was harvested it was time to drop the fruit off to be crushed, destemmed and pressed. Before that, we need to eat breakfast!
Next year we will be drinking the 2015 vintage.
Sight
Pale color depth with a gold hue.
Smell
Aromatic, young-fruity with aromas of honeydew, melon.
Taste
Dry, light-bodied with crisp acidity. Crisp mid-palate mouthfeel with a long finish.
ABV: 13.3%
Region/Appellation: Napa Valley
How much: $30.00
I really enjoyed helping Daniel with the 2015 vintage. The wine consistently drinks the same year over year. I rated the 2014 Croze Suzanne K Viognier three glasses.
Life is too short to drink crappy wine. Expand your palate and keep trying.
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Thanks for the help! We really enjoyed having you out! Can’t wait to see you again soon.