2000 Clos Mimi Bunny Slope Vineyard Syrah

On the 30th of August we hand harvested the 2000 Bunny Slope Vineyard Syrah at 15% potential alcohol (e.g. 26.7 degrees Brix). Yields were 45 hl/ha (e.g. 3.88 tons per acre) or just a little over five pounds per vine. At the winery the grapes were 100% destemmed without being crushed nor pumped. After a 10 g/hl sulfitage the grapes were 100% treaded by foot by yours truly from one to three times a day in small ½-ton plastic fermentors until 2 degrees brix. To reiterate the biodynamic significance of practicing pigeage during fermentation, I believe it is extremely important to (literally) be in contact with the fruits of Mother Earth's labor. Furthermore, a pagan winegrower must immerse oneself into the vintage in order to gently extract its innate quality. After a traditional six-day ambient cellar soak the 100% indigenous yeasts were allowed to ferment very quickly with several bins reaching 100°F. Keeping with the biodynamic theme of pressing on the second full moon following harvest (merci pour l'idée, Mme. LEROY!), this wine macerated for 44 days on the skins. The free run and 0.2bar fraction of the press wine were blended 24 hours before filling the 100% Seguin Moreau Château Margaux 225-liter barrels (note that Seguin Moreau has been the exclusive supplier of French oak barriques to Clos Mimi since day one). As a reincarnated (18th century) winegrower who's always searching for his elusive holy grail, I find it very fulfilling to realize this tradition of monotonnellerie (e.g. the use of one cooper's barrels in the cave) is most common in Burgundy. For the fifth year in a row, the hard press was sold in bulk to home winemaker friends. After 4 months in barrel at wintertime cellar temperatures, the uninoculated malolactic fermentation was complete. During the first fourteen months of élévage this wine was aged in 37.5% new oak barrels. Upon soutirage for a second and final time in 2001 (e.g. racked barrel-to-barrel via gravity upon the 2001 summer and winter solstices), the wine was transferred into 57% new oak due to the Gothic proportions of Burgundian fruit evident in the wine. Consequently, the 2000 Bunny Slope Vineyard spent thirty-three months in barrel before being hand bottled via gravity 29 July 2003 (the new moon) without acidulation, fining, nor filtration. The wine contains 15.34% alcohol, a pH of 4.05, and 5.4 grams per liter tartaric acid (3.5 grams per liter sulfuric acid).

Destemming via gravity	Our 10 month old bunny