 |
 |
|
The highest quality fruit is hand-picked at optimum ripeness. This simple concept is truly the guiding light for all our wines at Chateau O’Brien at Northpoint. Once in the winery, each varietal is nurtured to preserve the inherent character simply by creating an environment for every wine to evolve naturally and gracefully.
Wine is made in the vineyard. Initially, an ideal site is chosen emphasizing excellent soil drainage (less water retention) combined with upland positions consisting of steeper convex slopes.
Specific varietals are chosen to match the quality of a given site, based on soil drainage, soil texture, slope, and aspect. Plant material, originating from France, is judiciously selected at the clone level for varietals that produce the finest quality wines for our Northern Virginia mountainous region; and is custom grafted onto equally judiciously selected rootstocks that further refine fruit quality based on the harmonization of the varietal and rootstock in the pre-existing soil environment.
Vineyard management practices are aggressive and aimed to capture the full potential of each cluster of grapes. From planting young vines through harvesting mature vines, every decision is based upon the resultant fruit quality; this generally is accomplished by balancing the reproductive (grape clusters) and vegetative (leaves and canes) components of the vine in relation to the root environment (root zone size, soil drainage, and nutrition).
Close spacing (seven feet between rows and four feet between vines) allows each vine’s potential for ripening fruit provided by a limited root system size, to better match the natural fruit set (or crop load), resulting in ability to fully ripen the fruit. Vine balance is initially managed by training the vines with cane-pruning. Very little permanent wood is maintained in the form of short trunks (often less than two feet in height), with annual renewal of healthy young wood along the fruiting wire during winter pruning. This gives the vine a fresh healthy start each spring and facilitates canopy management during the growing season.
After risk of frost is passed, aggressive shoot thinning defines the openness of the canopy, via low cane density. Canes are then positioned parallel prior to bloom. Immediately after bloom, leaves are removed from the fruit zone on the eastern side of the canopy, and throughout the season vines are maintained in a parallel and vertical form. These steps create the essential air circulation and light penetration into the fruit zone for healthy fruit development.
The vineyard calendar pays attention to environmental cues and vine development for timing of management practices. Dormant pruning starts after the winter solstice, once the vines have internalized all their energy, and the days begin to lengthen again. Leaves are pulled on the eastern side of the fruit zone immediately after bloom (bloom is close to the timing of the summer solstice). Leaves are pulled on the western side of the fruit zone in early September once the zenith angle of the sun has lowered and diminished the intensity of the light. Finally the grape clusters are allowed to hang long into the fall for a delicate and complete ripening, often harvested right along with the first defoliating frost of autumn.
White fruit is immediately whole-cluster pressed at the winery, and chilled prior to fermentation. Cold tank fermentations last up to eight weeks and express beautiful fruit aromas and flavors with crisp acidity. Chardonnay is “sur lie” aged in French oak, with only partial malolactic fermentation, and is an exemplary “Virginia Style Chardonnay”.
Red fruit is naturally chilled outside the winery overnight, and after destemming is tediously sorted to remove all green stem material prior to entering the fermentor. The cold must warms slowly and steadily as fermentation initiates. Fermentations typically last 10 to 12 days with skin contact, and reach a peak temperature in farenheit degrees in the middle eighties. Early cold soaking locks in exquisite fruit flavors. The latter part of fermentation with well macerated skins resulting from warmer peak temperatures, combined with higher alcohol content, unlocks and extracts the ripe tannin and bolder flavors in the skins. All reds complete malolactic fermentation and are aged in French oak barrels.
Close monitoring of wines crafted from excellent fruit allows the use of minimal intervention techniques. Additions to the wines are limited to yeast inoculation and nutrition, malolactic inoculation and nutrition, and sulfite. Our Apple wine may be fined with diatomaceous earth and receive pectolytic enzyme, due to structural components in apple juice that require additional preparation for successful filtration.
Optimal timing of barrel and bottle aging offer wines that are exceptional upon release, and will improve with cellaring. I hope you enjoy the wines !!!
Jason Murray
Winemaker