Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/369547
3 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T
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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m
oak barrels. Toward the end of fer-
mentation, the large barrels are
sealed perfectly for an extended
maceration that lasts anywhere
from one to six months, depending
on the vintage, and the wine is bot-
tled after a two-year elevage.
HIS, HERS VERMENTINO
S i n c e v e r m e n t i n o i s
extremely aromatic and has
very little tannin, the Glaabs
choose to ferment the wine
w i t h o u t d e s t e m m i n g . T h e
stems add a little backbone to
contribute richness of mouth-
feel to the soaring aromatics.
The grapes are crushed
by foot and fermented in
open-tops until the fer-
mentation is finished,
w h i c h u s u a l l y t a k e s
about two weeks. The
free run is then aged for
a year in barrel.
Just before picking
the vermentino for the
first time, the couple had
a disagreement about
how to make the wine.
They compromised, now
producing two vermenti-
nos each year: "His" is
fermented on the skins,
"Hers" is not. Although
the grapes are usually
picked at the same time,
t h e r e s u l t a n t w i n e s ,
according to Ryan, are
"radically different. The
white wine is very linear,
He figured that with white wines,
when the skins are removed, they
are presumably losing flavors and
textures along with them.
This was a curiosity before he
became familiar with any macerat-
ed white wines. In 2006, he began
working with Pax Wine Cellars,
which was experimenting with
maceration of Rhone whites
and pinot gris. Glaab's inter-
est in the technique was fur-
ther piqued at a dinner party
when he was served 2001
Gravner Ribolla Gialla and 2002
Radikon Ribolla Gialla.
"These wines were unlike
anything I had experienced
a n d I w a s t h r i l l e d b y
them," he said. "My wife
and I became kind of
obsessed with orange
wines and ribolla gialla
in particular, and eventu-
ally a wine called Massa
Ve c c h i a B i a n c o , a n
orange vermentino from
Tuscany."
At Ryme, they pro-
duce two wines with
skin contact, a ribolla
gialla from the Vare Vine-
yard in Napa Valley and a
vermentino from Carne-
ros. "The reason we
love making these two
varieties is that they are
on opposite sides of the
orange-wine spectrum,"
Glaab explained. "The ver-
mentino is exotic and effusive, very
softly textured and rich. The ribolla,
on the other hand, is quieter, more
subtle in its flavors and aromatics.
It has a very high level of tannin,
but excellent tannins. The structure
is dense and chewy, very much like
a red wine."
The winemaking for each of the
wines is quite different, although
both are made with pumpovers
and a few punchdowns, spontane-
ous yeast and no enzymes. The
ribolla is harvested late to achieve
real tannin development. It is all
destemmed and fermented in large
bright, fresh and full of energy. The
skin-fermented wine is rich, tex-
tured and intense."
The basic chemistry of the wines
is different, too: The pH of the mac-
erated wine increases from approx-
imately 3.40 to about 3.60, and the
alcohol is as much as 1% lower,
due to stem absorption and evapo-
ration in the open-top tank.
D e s p i t e h i s e n t h u s i a s m f o r
orange wines, Glaab said that some
wines are better left as white, rath-
er than orange, noting that the vari-
ety, site and farming methods need
to be chosen carefully: "White
grapes have general differences in
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