Vintage 2024: Annual Cycle of Growth

It's time to update the Annual Cycle of Growth chart. We have been keeping a record of the major grape stages as a reference for the vintage. The first date to record is budbreak:

Keeping a record helps us to determine where things stand for that particular year. Last year, our vineyard was hit by a frost that happened on May 18. Looking back at the Annual Cycle of Growth shows that the vines were at budbreak much earlier than usual.
Yesterday, with the help of our friend, Barry, we were able to remove the last cuttings from the vineyard indicating the end of pruning and laying down of all of the canes.
The varieties are currently opening up and growing!

Variety	April 24	April 28	May 6	May 12
Auxerrois
Chenin Blanc
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Barbera

It's a very nice time in the vineyard!

Andreas Larsson in Manchuela: The Bobal Wine

It's a rain day so we are continuing our wine education by watching another Wine Masters episode with Andreas Larsson in Manchuela, Spain. On this episode, Andreas had as his guest, Juan Antonio Ponce from Bodega Ponce. Ponce brought with him, a bottle of wine made from Bobal, a red grape variety. Andreas said that the Bobal had aromas black fruits, herbs, tobacco, and spice. Already, three things we learned: Manchuela, Bodega Ponce and Bobal.

During the episode, Andreas made a meal to pair with the Bobal. He made a schnitzel stuffed with manchengo and jamon. It was battered and fried in oil and butter. There was a nice side of grilled vegetables. It's Andreas's opinion that vegetables must always be cooked when paired with wine, especially a red wine. Juan Antonio said that the schitzel paired very well with his Bobal. He tends his vineyards biodynamically.
Bobal is the second most planted variety in Spain after Tempranillo.
We thought that we should buy a bottle of Bobal and try to reproduce the meal that Andreas made. We have done this once before when we watched an episode on Piedmonte where they featured the Arneis grape, 2022 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arnies "Bricco delle Ciliegie".
References:
1. Illustration from: Bobal, Spain’s next great grape variety?, May 9, 2022.

1999 Volnay Premier Cru Arnaud Ente

On Sunday, we gave ourselves the day off. Originally rain was in the forecast but then the forecast changed to rain in the evening, but we stuck to our original plan of a day off. We spent the day cooking instead. We invited our friends, Mary and Barry for dinner. We began our dinner with small bites of prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe with balsamic glaze and a Paul Bara Champange.
My husband made a marinated pork loin with potatoes and Vidalia onion for the main course. We paired it with this 1999 Arnaud Ente Volnay Premier Cru Santenots Du Milieu. The wine is 25 years old now and is still tasting youthful. It exhibited a beautiful floral aroma and tasted of red berry fruit. My husband noticed spice on the palate. It had a silky smooth finish. We were all remarking how this wine has withstood the test of time. We followed the main course with a delicious salad that Mary made in situ. Dessert was French Silk pie.

Is Chenin Blanc the Forgotten Grape?

I came across this article written by Matt Kramer: Is Chenin Blanc the Forgotten Grape? Chenin Blanc has long been one of our favorite wines to drink, mainly because we fell in love with the Domaine Huet Chenin Blanc. When we planted our vineyard, we heavily tilted the varieties that we planted to Chenin Blanc. Nearly half of our vineyard is planted with that variety. Yet, Matt Kramer is saying that Chenin Blanc is the forgotten grape.
I will have to concur with that opinion. Not many people have heard of Chenin Blanc. Kramer's article written in 2016 (so now 8 years ago) mentioned that he was being stalked by Chenin Blanc. He went to New Zealand and visited Millton Vineyards and Winery in Gisborne on the North Island and remarked of their single-vineyard Clos de Ste. Anne Chenin Blanc, as stunning in its density, purity, graceful and effortless power and sheer characterfulness.
In looking at my blogposts, I found that I had written a blog in 2015 about Millton Chenin Blanc in 2013 Millton Chenin Blanc being one of the 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die.
Kramer continues his article saying that on a trip to South Africa, he felt that he was being even more stalked by Chenin Blanc. In South Africa, Chenin Blanc accounts for 18% of the wine grapes grown there. The following sentence perked me up: Producers such as Jordan (sold in the U.S. under the name Jardin), DeMorgenzon, Ken Forrester, Eben Sadie and Mullineux, among many others, are issuing Chenin Blancs of dazzling quality.
Another one of the Chenin Blancs which is engrained in our memory is the Petit Chenin made by Ken Forrester. In 2011, we had a 2009 Petit Chenin which we paired with oysters at Cheeky Monkey, a restaurant which sadly no longer exists. That was our eureka moment when we realized that Chenin Blanc is a perfect pairing with oysters!
Kramer's answer to his question about why Chenin Blanc is the forgotten grape is his theory that the grape's versatility is also it's undoing. Chenin Blanc is the white grape of the Loire Valley. Chenin Blanc rules absolutely in such districts as Savennières (mostly dry); Coteaux du Layon (mostly sweet); Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux (fabulous sweet wines); Vouvray (both dry and sweet); and Jasnières (typically dry). It also appears as a sparkling wine, usually labeled as Crémant de Loire.
Yes, it is confusing, but the grape does give you a wide range of flavors that might appeal to your palate. If you are inclined, the Ken Forester Petit Chenin is a good place to begin your journey and a bottle sells for about $15.00!