What's in your glass tonight?

[winemaker81]

When I was a kid my sisters (~decade older than me) would make drinks like Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper, and Pink Squirrel -- brandy, half-n-half, and different liqueurs (creme de cocoa, creme de menth, and creme de almond, respectively), and they'd give me a taste.

Years later as an adult I'd make these drinks, and one time I substituted coffee liqueur for the creme de cocoa, and decided I like that MUCH better. I call it Coffee Alexander.

 

[Hazelemere]

Moraine 2023

This is homegrown hand destemmed and uncrushed 50/50 blend of organic Marechal Foch and Regent, grown in glacial moraine soil 3 degree southeast slope fermented with RC21/71B yeast blend vitamin B containing nutrient. Vines are fed annually with kelp meal, fish bone meal, sulpo-mag, rock phosphate and trace elements including born. No synthetic pesticides including herbicides are used. All vines are mulched with slow-released fertilized lawn clippings to keep down the weeds. I rototill or how weeds between rows. I have ~130 grape vines

Here are my comments on this wine in a split"

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good clean nose, a bit non-descript

Tannin - good

Acid - good, maybe slightly high but the acid will help this age

Flavour - surprise! This I can rate as "good", not very good or excellent but certainly good. It has a promising aftertaste. To improve it even more I think that I would cut it with 2nd run homegrown white wines with no added water or sugar i.e. skins from first pressing mixed with first run sediment plus pectic enzyme to extract smells. IMHO this is the best homegrown red that I've ever made and I will work going forward with this combo together with the 2nd run white wine to try to make it even better i.e. maybe.....................very good?! I might try some of it with K1V1116/71B yeast combo vs RC212/71B yeast combo with and without 2nd run homegrown white vinifera to make 4 different versions of this wine which I will absolutely do to learn my craft at the ripe old age of 74.

retaste from a split:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good, rich clean nose, prunes, roast duck, smoked meat, cocoa, cranberries

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - This is a decent Regent & Marechal Foch house red 50/50 blend with a good aftertaste. 71B/RC212 double yeast ferment seems to make a huge difference in the quality especially acidity. We'll have it again with pizza on Tuesday when we watch the debate. Regent was picked at SG 1.086. Marechal Foch was picked at SG 1.094. All of the grapes were dry and in nice condition.

This year I want to make Regent Rose for the first time ever at SG 1.086+ from slighly shrivelled Amarone style Regent grapes with 71B yeast and make Marechal Foch with the 71B/RC212 yeast combo. I will try to pick Marechal Foch at SG 1.098+ to get the acid as low as I can and the skin aromatics as high as they can go i.e. Amarone style if I'm lucky. SG 1.100+ should do it. If I get really high brix on the Regent I may make some of it as a rose and some of it as a red alone or combined with some of the Marechal Foch. It would be a thrill of a lifetime if I could make a homegrown Amarone style red i.e. Moraine Amarone 2024. e.g. SG on a Regent & Marechal Foch blend at SG 1.094+ i.e. Regent at 1.088+ and Foch at 1.100+.

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste:

Petite Pinnacle 2021, 2023

Here are my comments on this blend in a glass from my cooler:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good rich nose - black licorice, cocoa, plums, cigar box, tar

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - intense, rich. the Cab improves the Petite Sirah by giving it more balance (lower alcohol and higher acid). This is my wife's primo red. She'll have it with a really tasty fresh cross rib pot roast with potatoes, carrots, peas and corn that had fresh garden herbs sage, lemon thyme and oregano plus salt free beef stock and regent black iris cooking wine put into it with sauteed garlic and sauteed homegrown organic young onions including the green parts, smoked paprika, tamari and worcestershire sauce..

retaste:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good rich nose - blueberries, black licorice, cocoa, plums, cigar box, tar

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - intense, rich. the Cab improves the Petite Sirah by giving it more balance (lower alcohol and higher acid). This is really tasty, rich and balanced red with a long slightly tannic finish which tells me that it will age and is my wife's primo red. She'll have it today with fresh Peaches and Cream homegrown organic corn with a grilled tenderized sirloin steak salad. I have 5 left and will let them age to give the tannin a chance to drop and maximize the smell and flavour e.g. open 1 every year for the next 5 years at family dinners.

 

[Hazelemere]

Raspberry Sour Cherry Melomel 2019

49 lbs frozen raspberries (late harvest)
21 lbs frozen pitted sour cherries
12 Imperial gallons of water
unpasteurized cranberry blossom honey to SG 1.090
yeast nutrient
pectic enzyme
bayanus EC1118 yeast

good colour, nice fruit and honey fragrance, no oxidation, well balanced, good flavour and aftertaste. The raspberries are dominant but you can taste the sour cherries. This is a good melomel recipe. I've always had good luck with cranberry blossom honey. This will age and I probably have 6+ left. It dropped a bit of sediment on the side of the bottles which settles easily. Don't know if it is protein, ellagic acid or both. Anyway it is easy to decant and a good recipe if you have sour cherries. Sour cherry melomel would probably be good too. I use early harvest raspberries for juice plus fresh eating in vegan coconut yoghurt or granola with cashew milk and mid to late harvest raspberries for wine. Now we use most of our sour cherries to make juice or fruit custard.

retaste of Raspberry Sour Cherry Melomel 2019

appearance - clear, deep rose

smell - very fruity good nose that lingers, honey is evident

tannin - good

acid - slightly high but good

flavour - tasty melomel with a good aftertaste. We had it with unique and tasty Hawaiian vegetarian Italian sourdough pizza and excellent organic sour cherry pie with whipped cream. I have 4 left and will let them age so I get taste one when it is 9 years old. Right now it is in really good condition probably due to the tannin-acid level. One of the tasters is a beekeeper and she loved it.

 

[Hazelemere]

Cyser 2023

Homegrown organic apples ground, pressed and chaptalized with unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey.

Here are my comments:

Appearance - clear yellow gold

Smell - honey smell is dominant, complex good nose

Tannin - slightly high but ok i.e. russet skin and honey tannin.. This should age.

Acid - good

Flavour - intense cyser. Tannin is dominant. Tastes like it could be very good in 3-5 years when the tannin drops so I'll let it.

retaste:

Appearance - clear yellow gold

Smell - honey smell is dominant, complex interesting nose:

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - intense cyser. very pleasant. I'll make some more this year, in about 2 weeks, with D47 yeast with and without homegrown grape juice i.e. some as Cyser Pyment 2024.

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste

Pacific Chardonnay 2021-2022

This is Brehm frozen California 2021 Chardonnay juice in a pail and cut with russet cyser about 85/15. The Chardonnay was a bit tangy and buttered popcorn like without any Sonoma or Carneros like fruit cocktail smell that I love in really good California Chardonnay. So I hit the Chardonnay my apple honey wine from my organic russets ground and pressed with unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey. This worked!

Colour - deep yellow

Smell - very nice and complex - bananas, lychees, pears, honeydew melon

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - rich, complex Chardonnay with a really nice aftertaste. This will age. I have 7 left so will let them age for at least 3 years in my cooler (i.e. open one every 6 months or a year). I rate it as very good right now. The Russet cyser spike seems to have improved it a lot.

retaste (I have 6 left) and chose this to celebrate the filing of a new patent application.

Here are my comments:

Colour - deep yellow

Smell - very nice and complex - bananas, banana skins, lychees, pears, honeydew melon, honey, papaya

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is really tasty with a very good aftertaste. The Cyser really seems to have improved it a lot. I would make this again in a heartbeat. It should age if I can keep my mitts out of it which is obviously a challenge!

 

[Hazelemere]

Carol's Red 2020-2021

This is my wife's house red from Amador Cabernet, Dineen Cab Sauv-Cab Franc, Petite Syrah and homegrown Regent grapes all hand destemmed and uncrushed.

Appearance - clear inky purple

Smell - good, complex, hard to describe

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich and complex. It needs to air to soften.

 

[wineh]

2020 mission Hill syrah at the lake.

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste after tasing Foch and Regent on their own:

Moraine 2023

This is homegrown hand destemmed and uncrushed 50/50 blend of organic Marechal Foch and Regent, grown in glacial moraine soil 3 degree southeast slope fermented with RC21/71B yeast blend vitamin B containing nutrient. Vines are fed annually with kelp meal, fish bone meal, sulpo-mag, rock phosphate and trace elements including born. No synthetic pesticides including herbicides are used. All vines are mulched with slow-released fertilized lawn clippings to keep down the weeds. I rototill or how weeds between rows. I have ~130 grape vines

Here are my comments on this wine in a split"

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good clean nose, a bit non-descript

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is fine, not "very good" or "excellent" but certainly "good". It tastes like it will improve so I will let it.

I'll probably make all 3 homegrown reds in 2024: Marechal Foch, Regent and Moraine (Foch/Regent) blend. They are all decent and taste like they can improve in the bottle. Plus Regent Rose just for a new experien

retaste of a 50/50 Regent/Marechal Foch blend all home grown, hand-destemmed and un-crushed :

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good clean nose - cocoa, 5 spice, licorice, roast duck, cherries

Tannin - good

Acid - good (lowest I've ever had on these grapes)

Flavour - this is good, not very good or excellent, but certainly good with a unique and interesting flavour. I think that it would make a killer marinade for duck, wild boar, pork hocks, beef or lamb shank or venison i.e. a really good cooking wine. I think that I will try it with a pot roast and three sisters chili (butternut squash, peaches and cream corn, black beans), cilantro, jalapenos, fire roasted tomatoes, cremini or portabella mushrooms. Might also use a bit of it in Shepherd's pie with butternut squash and/or potatoes.

 

[Hazelemere]

Black Iris Foch Syrah 2020, 2023

This is Black Iris (68% wild blackberries, 32% pitted wild cherries with Sheridan Syrah 2020 (salvaged from a burnt rubber nose from MLF gone awry) plus 2023 homegrown Marechal Foch ~8% Syrah, 5% Marechal Foch and about 73% Black Iris. I can make 2 cases of this as a house red which I will do. Here are my comments;

Appearance - inky purple

Nose - good wild cherry dominant

Tannin - good

Acid- good

Flavour - good, rich dark dry fruit wine which will age. Has a bottle of Bols cherry liqueur in it which is noticeable and gives it a really nice finish. I'll definitely make 2 cases of this and possibly as many as 4. This is balanced and tasty. I'll mix Foch and/or Regent in the future to make decent house reds from fruit that I grow or can pick in my neighbourhood.

I'll bottle it as Pacific Black Iris 2023

retaste blended 50/50 with 2023 Marechal Foch

Appearance - inky purple

Nose - good, complex, fragrant, hard to describe

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - good tasty house red. Not fantastic but certainly decent.

 

[winemaker81]

Yesterday I opened a bottle of Merlot-Grenache, a FWK Tavola Merlot (no skin packs) fermented with the pomace from 8 lugs of CA Grenache. This wine has a strong strawberry flavor, and I'll be disappointed when the last bottle is gone.




Tonight I opened a bottle of the 2021 Rhone Blend. Six months ago I'd have said I don't like it. This is a blend of the FWK Forte Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Syrah kits. The Petite Sirah is too prominent and skews the taste.

Today, just short of 3 years old? The Petite Sirah still dominates, but it's a far better blend.

As I often say, Patience Grasshopper.

 

[Hazelemere]

Primo 2023

This my wife's premium red Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (~40%), Dineen Petit Verdot 2023 (~40%), Mettler Petite Sirah 2021 (~20%) blend from a split from my cooler, all grapes hand destemmed and uncrushed with RC212 yeast and nutrient containing B vitamins . My wife likes low tannin, low acid full bodied reds. Wine was oaked with medium toast American oak cubes.

Here are my comments:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - really good complex nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is really tasty with a first class aftertaste, definitely one of the very best reds that I've ever made. I'd rate it as very good-excellent right now and would make it again in a heartbeat if I could. We'll have this tonight with broiled beef strip loin, hashbrown potatoes and steamed broccoli. This wine should improve so I'll try to keep my mitts out of it, partly because I made it for her, and partly because it has the potential to improve i.e. become a silky red fruit bomb.

 

[jswordy]

When I was a kid my sisters (~decade older than me) would make drinks like Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper, and Pink Squirrel -- brandy, half-n-half, and different liqueurs (creme de cocoa, creme de menth, and creme de almond, respectively), and they'd give me a taste.

Years later as an adult I'd make these drinks, and one time I substituted coffee liqueur for the creme de cocoa, and decided I like that MUCH better. I call it Coffee Alexander.


View attachment 115664

A brandy Alexander is a wonderful thing! (He says 20 days later, lol.) We used to have them regularly in our 30s, though we used ice cream and half and half. Since I have a supply of our fav, Louisa's Liqueur, I'll have to give your version a try as soon as I am over this killer cold I have. Even sipping Louisa's straight is such a joy.

 

[Hazelemere]

Australian Orange Muscat 2024 from fresh juice SG 1.083 with D47 yeast

Appearance - clear, pale lemon yellow from cooler after bentonite and tartrates settling

Smell - good smell, delicate, trace of sulphite

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - decent even though its only a month old. I like it better than the Viognier. We want to use it to improve Washington Sheridan Chardonnay on 71B yeast, so here is that blend in a glass i.e. Chardonnay d'Oranger (50/50) 2023-2024:

Smell - the Orange Muscat smell mutes the Sheridan Chardonnay buttered popcorn smell. The Orange Muscat needs time to develop its smell to the max. I'm guessing 6 months should do it i.e Xmas-New Years 2024

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - very nice even at this age. Orange Muscat seems to be the best blender for the Sheridan Chardonnay. This blend has a good aftertaste.

retaste:

Australian Orange Muscat 2024 from fresh juice SG 1.083 with D47 yeast

Appearance - clear, pale lemon yellow from cooler carboy

Smell - very fragrant lingering nose of oranges, papaya, lemon + orange zest

Tannin - good

Acid - good maybe very slightly high but should allow this wine to age.

Flavour - this is bone dry, tasty and interesting. Most of it will be blended into Washington Sheridan Chardonnay to improve it by giving it a more complex nose and flavour but some of it should be bottled as is. This is much better than it was last time. Delicate, complex and very fragrant

 

[Hazelemere]

Chilean Viognier 2024 from fresh juice SG 1.083 with D47 yeast

Appearance - clear, pale lemon yellow from cooler after bentonite and tartrates settling

Smell - good smell, delicate, trace of sulphite

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - decent even though its only a month old. We want to use it to improve Washington Sheridan Chardonnay on 71B yeast, so here is that blend in a glass i.e. Chardonnay Viognier (50/50) 2023-2024:

Smell - like lemony, buttered popcorn. The viognier needs time to develop its smell. I'm guessing 6 months should do i.e Xmas-New Years 2024

retaste:

Chilean Viognier 2024

Appearance - clear, pale lemon yellow

Smell - complex intense nose - kiwi fruit, almonds, honeydew melon, bananas

Tannin - good

Acid - very slightly high but should allow it to age

Flavour - this is better than I expected from the last tasting. Unique and interesting flavour. I think that it will improve as it ages and the acid drops.

 

[Hazelemere]

Sheridan Chardonnay & Hazelmere Muscat 2023

This is a 50/50 cooler carboy blend with Sheridan Chardonnay fermented with V13 yeast and my homegrown Siegerrebe-Ortega Muscat blend fermented with 71B yeast. My son in law loves my muscats and I gave him a case of mine which he used to make this blend.

Here are my comments:

Appearance - clear lemon yellow

Smell - the muscat improves the buttered popcorn smell of the Chardonnay by making it more fruity like Sonoma or Carneros Chardonnay. This has a very good smell.

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - really tasty, fragrant Washington Chardonnay-Fraser Valley Muscat blend. This will age and should become even more fragrant over time. I think my son in law will like it.

retaste:

Sheridan Chardonnay & Hazelmere Muscat 2023

This is a 50/50 cooler carboy blend with Sheridan Chardonnay fermented with V13 yeast and my homegrown Siegerrebe-Ortega Muscat blend fermented with 71B yeast. My son in law loves my muscats and I gave him a case of mine which he used to make this blend.

Here are my comments:

Appearance - clear lemony yellow

Smell - good complex nose.

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is very good, not excellent but certainly very good. This is a one of a kind Washington Chardonnay, homegrown Siegerrebe Ortega blend with a nice finish. I'd bottle it just like this.

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste

Pacific Chardonnay 2021-2022

This is Brehm frozen California 2021 Chardonnay juice in a pail and cut with russet cyser about 85/15. The Chardonnay was a bit tangy and buttered popcorn like without any Sonoma or Carneros like fruit cocktail smell that I love in really good California Chardonnay. So I hit the Chardonnay my apple honey wine from my organic russets ground and pressed with unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey. This worked!

Colour - deep yellow

Smell - very nice and complex - bananas, lychees, pears, honeydew melon

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - rich, complex Chardonnay with a really nice aftertaste. This will age. I have 7 left so will let them age for at least 3 years in my cooler (i.e. open one every 6 months or a year). I rate it as very good right now. The Russet cyser spike seems to have improved it a lot.

retaste:

Pacific Chardonnay 2021-2022

This is Brehm frozen California 2021 Chardonnay juice in a pail and cut with russet cyser about 85/15. The Chardonnay was a bit tangy and buttered popcorn like without any Sonoma or Carneros like fruit cocktail smell that I love in really good California Chardonnay. So I hit the Chardonnay my apple honey wine from my organic russets ground and pressed with unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey. This worked!

Colour - deep yellow

Smell - very nice and complex - bananas, lychees, pears, honeydew melon

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - rich, complex Chardonnay with a really nice aftertaste. This will age. I have 7 left so will let them age for at least 3 years in my cooler (i.e. open one every 6 months or a year). I rate it as very good right now. The Russet cyser spike seems to have improved it a lot.

retaste:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good, rich clean smell (this is very young so will absolutely change over time)

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is really good - rich, complex and tasty. First class red. I rate it as very good or very good-excellent. I'll bottle this as slowly as I can so it lasts as long as possible. Look for ripe Petit Verdot anywhere you can find it alone or together with really good Cabernet Sauvignon or even Cabernet Franc.

retaste:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good, rich clean smell - chocolate, cherries and blueberries

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is really good - rich, complex and tasty. First class red. I rate it as very good or very good-excellent. I'll bottle this as slowly as I can so it lasts as long as possible. Look for ripe Petit Verdot anywhere you can find it alone or together with really good Cabernet Sauvignon or even Cabernet Franc.

 

[Boatboy24]

Long week. Great start to the weekend.

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste of Russet 2023:

Appearance -clear, deep yellow, slightly petillant 1st glass, clear deep yellow no petillance 2nd glass

Smell - really fragrant rich Russet apple nose.

Tannin - good.

Acid - good, surprisingly it has a slightly sweet aftertaste which is probably why it is petillant 1st glass. 2nd glass is drier. I like it better. As long as the few last bottles I have can take the CO2 pressure, I'll leave it alone. 2nd glass is better not quite as sweet.

Flavour - really good, rich, tasty, slightly off-dry balanced apple wine 1st glass. If my second run whites are decent this year, I'll make a Russet Edelzwicker 2024 to boost the acid a bit. Edelzwicker is what I call my best 2nd run white grape wine blends. If I can pick enough russet I might also make a pure russet spiked with cox apples.

Bottom line - I think petillance made my 1st glass sweeter. Am I making this up or do any of you have a similar experience

retaste of Russet 2023:

Appearance -clear, deep yellow

Smell - really fragrant rich Russet apple nose.

Tannin - good.

Acid - good

Flavour - very tasty apple wine, It has a slightly sweet long aftertaste but the acid balances the slight sweetness. I wish I had more but I don't. This is really good Russet apple wine, not because I made it because it just is. This year I blended it with Macintosh, which my son in law bought which has good acid and smelled really good.

 

[Boatboy24]

A "Ward 8"