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2005 Petite Rousse Paso Robles Syrah The most aromatic vintage to date The 2005 vintage marks the fifth vintage of "petite rousse" Syrah. The 2005 "petite rousse" symbolizes the first vintage produced and bottled entirely at Clos Mimi's state-of-the-art winery and the second vintage to benefit from a cellar designed with multiple elements of feng shui. By channeling positive energy throughout the winery, I believe the 2005 "petite rousse" is the most aromatic vintage to date. Some of the credit goes to harvesting 94% of the grapes on "fruit days" per Maria Thun's biodynamic calendar. However, a little credit must go to playing hundreds of Bach, Beethoven, Bizet, Chopin, Corelli, Handel, Mozart, Pachelbel, Puccini, Satie, Tchaikovsky, Telemann, Uccellini, Vivaldi and Wagner compact discs literally day and night to the fermentors, the barrels and the bottling tank. Throw in a dozen or so Gregorian chant cds for the summer and winter solstices. Toss in two dozen Christmas cds for the month of December. Plus I keep several Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan meditation cds on hand for the days when I am stressed. I like to create a calming yet stimulating environment for "petite rousse" as well as for myself. Like a baby in the womb, my wines respond positively to classical music. I am the first to admit John Konsgaard is a mentor when it comes to playing 18 th and 19th century music in the cellar. Classical music gives the wine instant culture. It takes me back to France. Long days at Lynch-Bages in 1991. Long days in Vosne in 1856. And it takes me back to "La Bohème" in San Francisco with Mimi in 1993. I have seen amazing results exposing Maggie and Tristan to classical music both "in utero" and since birth! So why wouldn't Beethoven's Fifth Symphony help produce a Syrah with more memory of its vintage? Harvest dates and yields Harvest dates for the 2005 "petite rousse" were atypically late thanks to tremendous winter and spring rains in Paso Robles. Rainfall was so plentiful at Brave Oak Vineyard that the vines were not irrigated until the third week of June. Above normal rainfall combined with warm flowering temperatures in 2004 resulted in above normal yields for many Syrah vineyards in Paso Robles. The entire growing season was very French in terms of rainfall. There was even a small amount of rain the 26th of September according to my notes. Approximately three weeks later than normal, Rolling Hills Vineyard was handpicked on the 29 th and 30th of September (both biodynamic "fruit days"). Almost a month later than normal, Brave Oak Vineyard was handpicked on the 14th of October. The night before I took Tristan to his first Los Angeles Kings hockey game. There's nothing like a trip to Staples Center with your 15-month-old son to meet Detroit Red Wings' Captain, Steve Yzerman, in the middle of harvest! Harvest at Alamo Creek Vineyard took place the 7th of November 2005 (another biodynamic "fruit day"). Yields from Alamo Creek were 1.25 tons per acre (2005) and 0.68 ton per acre (2004). Average sugar levels for Alamo Creek were 27.5° Brix (2005) and 27.0° Brix (2004). Yields from Rolling Hills were 4.75 tons per acre (2005). Yields from Brave Oak were 7.5 tons per acre (2005). Average sugar levels for Rolling Hills were 24.6° Brix (2005). Average sugar levels for Brave Oak were 26.0° Brix (2005). Destemming and maceration times The 2005 Rolling Hills grapes were 100% destemmed and crushed into two custom 30,000-liter Mueller stainless steel fermentors. The 2005 Brave Oak, 2005 Alamo Creek and 2004 Alamo Creek grapes were 100% destemmed into small macrobins. Total maceration for Rolling Hills was 20 days. Total maceration for Brave Oak was 23 days. Total maceration for Alamo Creek was 49 days (2005) and 51 days (2004). Only the "vin de goutte" was put into barrel. The "vin de presse" was put into stainless for the next bottling of "nini." Barrels were gravity filled (a very time-consuming and time-honored tradition at Clos Mimi), stacked with a forklift and strapped together with earthquake racks on top (another time-consuming practice at Clos Mimi since the 2002 San Simeon earthquake). In order to move the barrels as little as possible each barrel was gravity topped in place. The 2005 Rolling Hills and 2005 Brave Oak were aged for 9 months in 5 to 7 year old 225-liter Center of France barrels. The 2004 Rolling Hills was aged for 18 months in 9-year-old 225-liter Center of France barrels. The 2005 Alamo Creek was aged for 9 months in 100% new 205-liter Tronçais barrels. The 2004 Alamo Creek was aged for 18 months in 100% new 205-liter Tronçais barrels. 100% Seguin Moreau. Malolactic fermentation was completed without inoculation. Barrels were never stirred. In August 2006 barrels were gravity racked four at a time into a 335-gallon Mueller portable tank which was subsequently gravity racked into the top of a custom 9,000-gallon Mueller stainless steel bottling tank (yet another time-consuming practice at Clos Mimi since the 2001 "petite rousse"). In conclusion, "petite rousse" does not see a pump between draining the fermentors and the day of bottling. Likewise, from harvest to bottling "petite rousse" is never acidulated, fined nor filtered. Bottling Inspired by the "monocépage" red wines of Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, the 2005 "petite rousse" is 100% Syrah. The alcohol content at bottling was 14.33%, a number unpredictably close to the 2004 "petite rousse" analyzed at 14.30% alcohol. The 2005 "petite rousse" has a pH of 3.96 and a titratable acidity of 5.61 grams per liter. The wine is completely dry and there was no Brettanomyces detected at bottling. Compared to the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 "petite rousse" Syrahs the 2005 "petite rousse" possesses the lowest level of volatile acidity at the time of bottling. A low VA is merely one of the dividends paid by the new winery, new tanks, new equipment, etc not to mention the decision to leave the largest co-op in Santa Barbara County nine months before the 2005 harvest. Identical to the 2004 "petite rousse," the 2005 "petite rousse" was bottled with 100% natural corks via Steve Rasmussen's exceptional mobile bottling line. I have known Steve since 1992 when I became the winemaker at Justin Vineyards in Paso Robles and moved to the Central Coast. I followed his career at Talley Vineyards. Our children have gone to preschool together. Steve is a true perfectionist not only when it involves making wine but also when it comes to his own bottling business. Clos Mimi has bottled three wines with Steve Rasmussen's mobile line, "nini," the 2004 "petite rousse" and the 2005 "petite rousse." The 2005 "petite rousse" was bottled on the 24th and 25th of August 2006 (24 and 48 hours after the new moon). The 2005 "petite rousse" is a blend of two vineyards located in the Paso Robles appellation and one vineyard located in remote southern San Luis Obispo County: 92% 2005 Rolling Hills Vineyard Here are my tasting notes from a bottle opened the 30th of August 2006. My notes are summarized from tasting the same bottle over a 22-day period. From day one to day twenty-one the wine never appeared oxidized.
Total production: 3,744 cases
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