We love getting out in to the vineyards and learning more about the farming side of winemaking! Guillaume Fabre of Clos Solene invited us out to the Russell Family Vineyard, where he has several rows of his own vines, to see one of the very important pieces of the puzzle to creating a fabulous wine. It’s called “green harvesting” and what it means is thinning out the grape clusters so that the vines can focus on the remaining clusters. This results in a more concentrated wine. The difference between thinning clusters or leaving them is producing fruit that has more sugars, more flavors, and just overall richer varietal characteristics than if all the clusters are left on the vine.
Guillaume shows us his process, and his passion for great winemaking shows as he explains how and why he trims the fruit and leaves the clusters that will end up in the bottle down the road. We were in the Petit Verdot rows; a wine that is known for its rich, velvety qualities, and it’s hard to imagine that these little green clusters will some day soon be bursting with sweet, deep, red wine juice!
Check out the Clos Solene wines, and if you can arrange a tasting with Guillaume you won’t be disappointed! Based on what we’ve seen and tasted, we’re convinced that he’s well on his way to being recognized as one of the great winemakers in the area and beyond. He started making wine in the Burgundy region of France on his family’s property and moved to Paso Robles to pursue his passion. He’s definitely making his mark, and handcrafting some incredible wines! Oh yeah, and his day job is assistant winemaker at L’Aventure, which is known for their remarkable wines.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eisf66LJSU8[/youtube]
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(hootnannieblog.com)
Very interesting video, I would have never quessed that 2/3 of the fruit would be cut off in order to produce a richer tasting finshed product. Have a great weekend!
Hey Duncan! Isn’t that incredible that they trim off that much fruit. We love learning this stuff! It’s definitely Guillaume’s style to make concentrated wines and we love them! Super rich and tasty, and now we know why! You have a great weekend, too!!!
Great post! Nice little sneak peek into what actually goes on in the vineyard to make a great wine.
Hi Mitch! Yes, we love learning more about the processes in the vineyard. I think a lot of people have no idea what’s really going on there in the dirt…they see the pretty vines out the window of the tasting room while they enjoy their wine. There’s a whole lot of work and design that goes on between the vineyard and the tasting room! Cheers!
Great video. His wine maker notes at his website are interesting as well, particularly the extended maceration and cold soak. This is supposed to soften the wine as well as increase the color intensity. Interested in a tour.
Bill, Guillaume’s wines are pretty delicious! He’s very passionate about his wine and literally handcrafts each one. Very interesting techniques and a lot of care and knowledge really make a difference that you can taste!