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Maple Ridge Vineyard
NEWSLETTER JULY 2006

(440) 829 8783 or E-MAIL: mrvllc1@alltel.net
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VINEYARD AND WINERY UPDATE

The biggest news is the spring frosts of April and May. Apirl 26th, April 28th and May 7th there were devastating cold weather patterns throughout the Northeastern region of Ohio. Harvests will be significantly reduced for the concord growers due to the primary bud damage that was seen throughout the vineyards growing this varietal. Since vinifera grapes (Chardonnay, Cabernet, etc.) have different bud break schedules, the level of damage is more by varietal and clone than by vineyard. Chardonnay and Pinot Gris in our vineyard appear to have lost a significant amount of primary buds, and will affect our harvest significantly. However the Cabernet Franc was little affected, and the Pinot Noir was far enough along that the damage is less here that the Cahrdonnay and Pinot Gris. The jury is still out on the Riesling, and only the next few weeks will tell us the total impact from the frost on these vines. The past three winters have hit us very hard and there is a significant amount of winter kill due to the timing of snow coverage and thawing cylces. As the snow thawed and temperatures warmed, water in the vine expanded, and then with the ensuing freezes many trunks and vines saw damage from expanding inside the vine and ripping the vine as the liquid expanded to the outside, leaving significant damage which is open to crown gall. This will result in replanting parts of the vineyard at a rate nearing 10% per year for the next 3 to 4 years. QUALITY FORECAST: It is too early to see the harvest quality; however, as things stand now we expect another great year for the Cabernet Franc, and we will likely make Estate Bottled Pinot Noir this year. The last year we made an estate bottled Pinot Noir was 2003. Our harvest in 2004 was miniscule and was added to the Pinot Noir we made from Ohio State University grapes we purchased from the Kingsville research station. In 2005 we saw less than 50 pounds from our vines and we added this to the OSU harvest also. In the OCTOBER newsletter, we plan to have some news regarding the impending 2006 harvest. FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Bud break stage was the overriding factor in damage assessment and cause/effect analysis. If geography, grape varietal, grape clone, air-flow and air movement, vineyard site mirco-climate and other similar factors caused buds to be wide-open and if the weather went below 27 degrees F, then damage was near 100%. The actual damage results of each individual vineyard varied widely based on how open or closed the vines fruiting buds were during the time the temperature dipped below 27 degrees F. (It should be noted that at this time the magic number, 27 degrees F, is a guestimate that came from Ohio State University Viticulture research station and that this number and its consequences is based on a rustic theory, which appears to me to be in the hypothesis stage.)

PREMIUM WINE CLUBS – UPDATE

Our wine club membership tasting room allocations are complete. We have our maximum allocation of memberships (through the tasting room) filled. In August we plan to launch our new web site and we have reserved 10 memberships for those who sign up via the web site. We had originally planned to allocate 15 or 20 memberships. The last two month have been active for tasting room visitors signing up for the membership programs. If you know someone who is interested in signing up, be sure to let them know about our web site offering in August.

W I N E - T A S T I N G S P E C I A L

CHARDONNAY WINE-TASTING KIT (3 bottles @ 750ml) LAKE ERIE & GRAND RIVER VALLEY $ 95 per kit
Three of our luscious Chardonnay wines packaged with easy recipes and snack suggestions. It is easy to hold a wine-tasting with friends. The kit includes instructions, recipes and a complete set of wine descriptions and tasting notes to make it easy to enjoy this easy to use wine-tasting kit. We sold out of our kits early last year and were unable to fill additional requests for this kit later. So order right away and enjoy a quality tasting kit with your fellow wine appreciators. (A surprise bottle of one of our older LIBRARY Chardonnay wines will be included in the kit). NOTE: We have six kits only, due to the LIBRARY Chardonnay bottle that will be included, so if you think you want one, order right away.

WINE FUTURES

2004 Chardonnay Reserve, estate bottled, GRAND RIVER VALLEY FUTURE: $60 per 2 x 750ml bottles
This wine is very unique in style. The 750 pounds of Colmar clone were harvested at 22 Brix, 1.05 TA, and 3.25 pH The grapes were picked, crushed and pressed in a period of 6 hours on October 4, 2004. Fermented using two different yeasts (3079 and VL2) this juice was in imported Italian stainless steel for its primary fermentation. It was transferred for a long, seasonal malo-lactic fermentation and aged in our CADUS French Oak Barrel (barrique) since October 4, 2005 til present. This is a fruit forward, earthy, intense Chardonnay with lots of mineral nuances. Ripe peaches and apricots will be strong in this wine along with an earthy mineral presence of several nutty flavors. Grown and produced in the Grand River Valley appellation, this wine offers a very unique view of White Bourgogne Style Chardonnay at its finest. Futures are very limited on this wine, since we will release only 200 bottles total (we had a single barrel of this wine from 350 vines), and 120 bottles are already allocated to our premium wine club members. 12 bottles go to our personal wine cellar and 30 bottles go to the winery’s long-term LIBRARY (a few for sale several years down the road). 19 bottles are allocated to the tasting room for our special visitors (members and VIPs only). This leaves only 19 bottles for sale. Minimum purchase quantity is 2 bottles per customer. Maximum purchase of 3 bottles per customer. This wine will be available as FUTURES to the first 9 or fewer customers (outside of our membership). Order now to avoid disappointment. Reserve Chardonnay wines are only available once every 3 to 5 years.

2004 Pinot Gris, NY-LONG ISLAND (style: Alsace-Tokay; bright golden color) FUTURE: 6-pack x 750ml bottles for $100
Earthy and rustic style of Alsatian Tokay. Dry and a bit spicey. No oak. Malo-lactic fermentation complete over the fall-winter-spring 3-seasons. Deep color with intense flavors, full bodied and nicely rounded. This is Pinot Gris taken to the French level; not like most American and Italian style crisp, lighter versions of this grape. Half of this wine has been aged in Italian stainless steel (floating head) and the other half in a brand new Hungarian Oak Barrel. The grapes were picked at a vineyard in Long Island, New York and processed by a local juice house near Lake Erie into Pinot Gris juice. The juice brix was measure on October 17th at 22 Brix, 3.13 pH and .92 TA. A 539dv9 Fermiblanc yeast was used to begin the primary fermentation of this wine. From December 2004 half of this juice was in the Hungarian Oak Barrel and half was in stainless steel until December 2005 when the two lots were re-united in a racking blend. A proprietary, organic clay and a proprietary processed North Sea seaweed were used to fine the wine from undesirable negative and positive charged particles and proteins. The half of the wine in the Hungarian Oak was aged sur lee, and continually topped with one of our Chardonnay Reserve wines to maintain the quality of this unique juice. We expect a production of 300 bottles of this wine. This leaves only 125 bottles for sale. Minimum purchase quantity is 6 bottles for $100. Maximum of TWO six-packs per customer. This is a one time wine, which we will be unlikely to make again. The purpose was to produce an earthy, rustic style of Alsatian Tokay. We are quite pleased with the results.


EVENTS & PRICING INFORMATION

The GENEVA LODGE: For complete information on local events visit http://www.ohiowines.org or call 800.227.6972.

The OHIO WINE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION: http://www.ohiowines.org

JULY 28: MAPLE RIDGE VINEYARD WINE DINNER AT THE INN AT CEDAR FALLS:
Summer Wine TasteInn-Ohio Wines from Maple Ridge Vineyard in Hocking Hills at the Inn at Cedar Falls. See website: for additional information: http://www.innatcedarfalls.com/calendarofevents.html. Patti and Jim will both host this fabulous wine dinner at the most upscale restaurant/resort in Hocking Hills. EXCERPT FROM INN AT CEDAR FALLS WEB SITE: We are excited to introduce Ohio’s Wines from Maple Ridge Vineyard on July 28. Jim and Patti Iubelt, Owners, will talk discuss their estate bottled wines which are unfiltered and made from organically grown grapes on their property. Learn a little, drink a little and laugh a lot!!Check the calendar for seasonal dates. Each evening begins at 6:00pm with appetizers and your first pour. Cost is $65/person.

WINE 101: CARBONIC MACERATION

Carbonic Maceration [kar-BAHN-ihk mas-un-RAY-shuhn] Maceration is a term referring to "skin contact time" and carbonic maceration refers to the practice of letting the juice of the grape remain in contact with the grapes skins during the primary fermentation process in an atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide (sometimes includes pre and post fermentation period associated with the primary fermentation). Also called maceration carbonique, this technique is used in making the famous French-BEAUJOLAIS. In the French-BEAUJOLAIS method, the process begins by dumping whole bunches of freshly picked grapes into large vats filled with carbon dioxide and, if native yeasts are undesirable, a good wine yeast. In this process, the bottom grapes are crushed by the weight of the grapes above them, and fermentation begins with the exuded juice. This beginning fermentation develops more carbon dioxide gas, which envelops the upper layers of the uncrushed grapes and blocks air exposure that normally would occur. Soon fermentation begins within the whole grapes, and they begin to ooze more juice. Finally, the whole batch is pressed, and fermentation is finished in a standard way. This method results in light red wines with low tannins, intense color, and fresh, fruity flavors and aromas. Wines produced in this method (100%) should be consumed early, and they do not age well. There are several schools of thought on the idea of Carbonic Maceration. The less purist thought on this subject is that carbonic maceration includes any process by which skin contact between grape and juice occur in a closed carbon dioxide atmosphere. Using this definition, it is possible to define a wine as 30% carbonic maceration if 30% of the juice was fermented with whole berried grape clusters and not exposed to air (especially when used with wild yeast fermentation). THE KEY PURPOSE in using this process is to achieve wines which are more approachable very early in their life. Wine grapes harvested in August could make a very presentable French-BEAUJOLAIS to be consumed in November and December. A young wine, indeed. Some modern wine-makers now consider the use of carbonic maceration as a factor in achieving wines which are both approachable young, as well as age-worthy by achieving harsher and higher tannin content with a mix of oxygen fermented juice and they make a blend. With a partial use of carbonic maceration and all of the multitude of factors in wine-making, it can become quite complex to devise the recipe which will distinguish your wines from other labels. (In their book: Wines: Their Sensory Evaluation, Amerine and Roessler of the University of California, Davis reference the main difference in carbonic maceration is that the juice experiences an intracellular fermentation of acids before alcoholic fermentation. This might help to explain why carbonic maceration is used as a process in wines to be drank just a month or two after harvest. (IN OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER: HOW WINES AGE AND WHAT DOES ACID, TANNINS, CORKS VS. SCREWTOP AND 100 OTHER FACTORS HAVE TO DO WITH AGE-ABILITY OF FINE WINES? INCLUDING THE IMPACT ON WINE-AGING OF THE CELLAR TEMPERATURE FACTORS.)


WINE and FOOD CORNER: a complete package

2003 Riesling Prosecco GRAND RIVER VALLEY , Estate Bottled from Organically Grown Grapes: 750 ml bottle $35. Riesling and Cheese Sampler: There are only 9 bottles of this wine available (nearly the entire bottling is already allocated). Order in the next 7 days, and I will UPS Ground free of charge. Some of the 2003 Riesling from our vineyard was set aside and processed like Italian Prosecco. It is processed to allow the yeast to produce an "active" bottle of wine with some 'yeast-frizzante' content. Making the wine very unique. This wine was the brain-child or our late friend, GEROME. He recommended that we make this wine using a very old, traditional prosecco process. Included in this package are some recommended LOCAL Ohio food items that will play well with this very unique wine. We prefer the certified organic cheese of Meadowmaid in Versailles, Ohio. Our favorite is the cheddar cheese. All of their cheeses are produced from grass fed cows milk. Order now and receive our recommendation on the cheeses and information to contact Meadowmaid for their grand cheeses.

DIRECT SHIPPING

WE CAN NOW SHIP TO: Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Washington-DC, West Virginia and Wisconsin
PENDING STATES WE ARE GETTING PERMITS FOR SHIPPING TO: New Hampshire, New York
The Supreme Court Direct Shipping decision has not been formally implemented in most states, and some states require further documentation and permits on our parts, so if you would like to have us ship to your state, let us know and we can process a request.

Adopt-A-Vine Program for 2007
The Vineyard Insiders Network Extension (VINE) Adoption Program

In 2007 Maple Ridge Vineyard will offer the Adopt-A-Vine Program. There are currently three levels of participation being created.
LEVEL 1: CHATEAU ARISTOCRAT.
This is the ultimate experience for the wine lover. We have room for only one person or couple to become a Chateau Aristocrat. Your name is placed on all of the rows of a specified grape variety (i.e., Chardonnay) in our vineyard. You are invited to attend all vineyard and cellar activities associated with your grapes, and you will receive weekly updates of the years activities associated with your grapes until the juice from your vines is in the bottle. This includes everything from pruning, wire tightening and taping to harvest, crush, press and all the way through the bottling activity, including labeling and placing the capsules on the bottles just before they go out the door with you. You may bring a group of your choosing to tour the vineyard and cellar; up to a maximum of 3 private tours for your group (not to exceed 6 people). After the wine from your vines is bottled, you will receive five cases of wine from your vines. You will have the option to receive a second set of labels which you may design and place on the bottles after they leave the winery (i.e., in the privacy of your home).
LEVEL 2: CHATEAU CELLAR MASTER.
Your name is placed on a large stainless steel wine tank in the wine cellar (and/or a barrel as appropriate). We have room for only one person or couple to become a Chateau Cellar Master. You may bring a group of your choosing to tour the wine cellar; up to a maximum of 2 private tours for your group (not to exceed 6 people). You will be invited to the winery to participate in all scheduled activities for this tank of wine: rackings, malolactic fermentation innoculation, fining, cold stabilization transfers, and any other cellar activities all the way through bottling, labeling and placing the final capsules on the bottle. You will receive five cases of wine from your tank. You will have the option to receive a second set of labels which you may design and place on the bottles after they leave the winery (i.e., in the privacy of your home).
LEVEL 3: VINEYARD DRESSER
We have room for only three persons or couples to become Vineyard Dressers. You name is placed on the end posts of an entire row of grapes. You will be invited to participate in the winery’s harvest, crush and press operations when your row of grapes is processed. You will receive three cases of wine made with the grapes from your row of vines.