@4score,
@Busabill , 4Score's son and I first sat down at a local cafe with the owner/winemaker and the hired UCD winemaker and talked for a solid hour 15 minutes over lunch (we bought). We then went to the tasting room and tasted and discussed the wines (4 whites, 4 reds) they were pouring. After we were done tasting we asked if the owner/winemaker if he wouldn't mind tasting our wines, which he said yes. We had left them in the cars.
There was a lot of information discussed and it was in conversational mode, so it while we covered a lot of territory, it wasn't in the exact question/answer manner that I was thinking. So instead of listing the questions and answers, I'll list the takeaways from 3 of us.
#1 French oak rules for Bordeaux and Rhone wines.
#2 Aggressively adjust up-front, get below 3.6, add, check next day, add again
#3 Ability to control fermentation temperatures is the biggest gap, ice jugs, dry ice, insulated foam boards...or get a chiller
#4 Great fruit, long controlled ferments, French oak, purposeful blending, aging before releasing seems to be major focus areas
#5 More modest of SO2 adds, (get pH down!) not exceeding 200 total or feels like it strips wine
#1 Not necessary to rack as often as we do after gross lees removal
#2 Be more modest on the SO2 adds
#3 Do big adjustments pre-ferment if required
#4 Go long on MLF if necessary
#5 Keep an eye on cleanliness everywhere
#1 acid adjust to 3.4 or 3.5 before fermentation - don’t be afraid.
#2 might be worth playing with extended maceration...at least for a week or two.
#3 We use too much SO2, better to take the risk than over SO2.
#4 Keep it topped and limit rackings.
#5 Don’t be scared of new oak - always strong after a couple months, then it will integrate later
#6 Fruit flies suck and do a lot of damage to wine flavors
#7 Choose varietals we know grow well in our climate – Cab Sauv and most whites are a stretch
When asked what he saw as the biggest mistake made by home winemakers, he replied not keeping things sanitized.
The feedback on the wines we brought to taste (2017 Bordeaux Blend, 2018 Cab Franc, 2019 whole cluster press Tempranillo rose, 2018 Cab Franc) was good. His words were, "you don't need my advice, these wines are really good". He has told me my wine were
not good in the past, so I trust that when he says he thought the wines are good that he means it.
Overall, I felt re-inspired to push my wine making to the next level. I really think either making less wine, so I can focus on things like fermentation control, or invest some money into equipment and maintain my 150 or so gallon per year scale.
However, it sounds like you got what you wanted from your meeting? Maybe no need for that?
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