Wine Tasting Video #2

"You always have choices," I untiringly tell my kids, in automatic, repeat mode.  When I've got extra spunk, I might say, "You can eat what I've prepared for dinner or consume the default - PBJ."  When I am defeated and less magnanimous of spirit, those options plays as, "You can eat what I've prepared for dinner or wait until breakfast tomorrow."  Lest I sound like some smug diviner of quixotic, parenting gems, do understand I generally cave after 10 minutes and dole out banana slices or Gogurt squirts.  Still, the same can be said of our Anderson Valley pinot (less the amelioration of smoky phenols via addition of Gogurt).  With great relief, choices abound.  Like a wino's 12-step program, I graciously accept the requisite for intervention; we must treat our wine.  Culling optimism, I can honestly promise you that we will do everything necessary to provide you with a delicious, fragrant, lovely bottle of wine.  Ironically, the Anderson Valley juice was intended to be the hands-off love child of Mother Nature's great bounty, fermented with native yeast and crafted with minimal handling.  Now, compared to Doctor's Vineyard, the most intensive interference is necessary.  The dreamer's fix is to presume that our barrel sample lost some "je ne sais quoi" in shipping, and any future, on site samples will be replete with aromatic, fruity abundance.  This is clearly the best case scenario: just have patience and taste again soon.  However, if replenishing fruit is necessary, we may meddle, tinker, and muck about until we find a suitable blend.

Of this we are certain: smoky, charcoal flavors are oppressive in the untreated wine.  By contrast, the treated variant tastes flat, insipid, dampened, and generally devoid of obvious fruit.  So we will treat the smoke taint and get the rest up to snuff. 

Don't let the video scare you!  If you can't see the video below, please click here.