I can't believe it has been almost a week since I visited the Rockpile AVA and Sbragia. I have another road trip in mind come morning.
So, that's Dave, our Cellar Master. He's actually putting the final touches on our week. It was one of the few chances I had to pull out the camera. Not much time for photo ops in the past 72 hours.
I'm going to skip details tonight. It's been a long week. Instead I will just say Dave (with a plan from Alice, Cameron and David Ramey of course); Dave (and Paul - his assistant) keeps the flow going in the cellar.
He usually directs the troops from his position on the forklift. He moves barrels around constantly. Remember, we are working on wines going back to 2007. Many of the barrels are still sorted by the vineyard. Others are sorted by the bottling that will be made. The farther along, the more specific the barrels become. Also, remember, we have two cellar locations.
I can't even tell you how many lots there are and he has to know not just the lots, but what needs to be the most accessible next. There is not unlimited space in our red wine facility. In fact, it's tiny. It is a real Rubic's Cube for Dave.
In crunch time (harvest), the busiest time of year; the thing Ramey has been working for all year - he (they) have to rely on 5 rookie interns to help get the grapes processed. Normally, at Bob's Steak & Chop House I would be prepping for the big Texas/OU weekend in Dallas, TX! I would probably ask you to just shoot me if I had to rely on a bunch of rookies to get me through that craziness.
Apolline, our favorite French intern, completing the Big Dig on the Syrah tank. Just one of the many things going on in the Ramey cellar this past week. She's leaving in 2 weeks so I had to sneak in another picture.
Next: The Drive North? Check back.
So, that's Dave, our Cellar Master. He's actually putting the final touches on our week. It was one of the few chances I had to pull out the camera. Not much time for photo ops in the past 72 hours.
I'm going to skip details tonight. It's been a long week. Instead I will just say Dave (with a plan from Alice, Cameron and David Ramey of course); Dave (and Paul - his assistant) keeps the flow going in the cellar.
He usually directs the troops from his position on the forklift. He moves barrels around constantly. Remember, we are working on wines going back to 2007. Many of the barrels are still sorted by the vineyard. Others are sorted by the bottling that will be made. The farther along, the more specific the barrels become. Also, remember, we have two cellar locations.
I can't even tell you how many lots there are and he has to know not just the lots, but what needs to be the most accessible next. There is not unlimited space in our red wine facility. In fact, it's tiny. It is a real Rubic's Cube for Dave.
In crunch time (harvest), the busiest time of year; the thing Ramey has been working for all year - he (they) have to rely on 5 rookie interns to help get the grapes processed. Normally, at Bob's Steak & Chop House I would be prepping for the big Texas/OU weekend in Dallas, TX! I would probably ask you to just shoot me if I had to rely on a bunch of rookies to get me through that craziness.
So, not necessarily in order we did:
pump-overs, pump mixes,
drained free run juice from one tank to another - several times,
dug out skins and pressed them to tank (several times),
moved wine or juice from tank to tank (racking),
pumped tanks to barrel, pumped barrels to tank,
Lydia tests samples before and after every process,
washed barrels, steamed barrels, collected lees from barrels.
went to lunch,
Paul cooked lunch for visitors (he is a chef too)
Paul cooked lunch for visitors (he is a chef too)
made mistakes, spilled wine, volcanoed barrels,
cleaned and sanitized and hosed down equipment and floors (repeat often),
unclog the drains (repeat often),
moved hoses this way and that,
topped barrels, made those nutrient additions, blended tanks and
actually made wine.
Today at lunch, Brian from Canton Cooperage, brought us some pizzas and Cameron went down and pulled a little taste of Syrah from a tank that we had all worked on and we shared it with lunch.
To me that was a really cool feeling. And it was pretty damn good Syrah!
Crazy and Exciting times at Ramey Cellars! I love it!
Next: The Drive North? Check back.
