ODE TO A WINERY BUCKET (Part Two)
What kind of winemaker struts around in a v-neck sweater, holding a clipboard with hands straight out of a Palmolive commercial? Not ours, we’re proud to report. Indeed, Chuck is rarely one to pull rank. Thus, he was recently spotted in a mechanic’s jumpsuit (certainly a curious departure from his standard-issue Hawaiian shirts…), grunting his way through another bout of traditional winemaking, one bucket at a time.
Which brings us, of course, to the bucket itself. As you may recall, we waxed eloquent about the winery bucket last harvest, honoring its role in our hands-on, pumps-off approach to quality winemaking. Since then, our admiration for this inanimate invention has only multiplied. Keats had his Grecian Urn, we’ve got our bucket. So please bear with us...
"Thou still unvarnished vessel of greatness
Scuffed and scarred, yet ever willing
A generic chunk of plastic genius
Filled and dumped, yet never spilling.
Oh, the legends that surround your service
The tales of triumph, of honor and grace
Indeed, we praise the day we found you
At Ace, the "helpful hardware place."
Quit not, cosmetically challenged amigo
Fight on, till the last grape is pressed
Calypso Chuck may beat you silly
Yet, as always, you’re up to the test."
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VALUE: HIP AGAIN? YOU BET.
We’re getting the feeling that our Heritage Series was a bit ahead of its time. Since its inception, this series has placed a premium on value. But until recently, value wasn’t very hip. Some tech stocks that are worth 50 cents per share today were fetching 50 bucks not long ago. Twelve-miles-per-gallon SUVs in the midst of gasoline price inflation? No problem! And I’ll take a magnum of Screaming Eagle with that hamburger, please. Well, for a variety of reasons, some of them admittedly very unpleasant, value is in vogue again. And what’s wrong with that? Bang for your buck—in our opinion, that’s the American way. Hence, our new release 2000 Heritage Blanc. At this price range, you will generally find a lot of generic, corporate white wines awkwardly flavored with oak chips. Not so, our little blanc. This guy has style and integrity—a crisp, flavorful Rhône-style blend from premium vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley. Friends, bring on the turkey and crack the blanc. Because good times shouldn’t have to break the bank.
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HARVEST 2001: A GREAT VINTAGE, NO JOKE
Yeah, we know, when it’s a winery talking, every harvest is a good one: "Despite the freak snowfall in September, a brief plague of locusts in October and some unprecedented volcanic activity in the vineyard, the (pick your vintage) harvest turned out to be a blockbuster!"
Well, we’re happy to report that the 2001 vintage is, indeed, poised to be a great one. Simply put, the weather was fantastic: warm, steady and dry, a bit hot at times, but never for too long.
We anticipate ripe, expansive flavors from the 2001 vintage, as well as good structure and balance. For the Syrah, this means a juicy, jammy fruit profile, while the Viognier should be exceptionally lush and floral.
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Wine snobs don’t confuse a Romanée Conti with Burgundy-in-a-box even though both wines are of the red variety. So why do all pink wines get a bum rap just because some mammoth vintners decided to crank out a flood of tepid White Zinfandels? We invite you to ponder this mystery as you inhale the fragrant strawberry and spice aromas of our 1999 Heritage Rosé, as the wine’s crisp raspberry flavors and sensuous texture lead you on an astral journey to the arid Mediterranean afternoons of southern France, where similar rosés are a way of life, like shimmering azure waters and bustling bistros and…Uh, where were we? Oh, yeah, the 1999 Heritage Rosé. Obviously, we’re preaching to the choir here. After all, you belong to our Curtis Cellar Crew. You’re too sophisticated to be a wine snob. So we’re betting that you’ll dig this dry wine, an alluring cuvée that merges our estate Syrah with Grenache and Counoise from Paso Robles. We’ll even go so far as to wager that you’ll break it out in mixed company for a scandalously pink good time.
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AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LOS OLIVOS?
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| Werewolf? Or Winemaker? |
First, Winemaker Chuck Carlson suggested Friday the 13th of October as the date for our winemaker’s dinner. Then, with Halloween on the horizon, he started sporting a speckled pelt on his face. The townsfolk became increasingly unnerved as rumors flew of an American Werewolf in Los Olivos. But All Hallow’s Eve came and went without incident, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It turns out Chuck wasn’t howling at the moon. Rather, he was just too consumed with harvest to shave.
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| The Inelegant Bucket |
Somewhere in the depths of prehistory, after the taming of fire and before the invention of the wheel, our ancient kin invented an essential accessory to civilization: the container. Fast forward to the 21st century, where a variation on the basic container remains fundamental to our winemaking pursuits at Curtis Winery.
We’re talking, of course, about the inelegant yet innately practical plastic bucket. Virtually indestructible, easy to clean and always ready for action, the plastic winery bucket is indeed a staple of our hands-on, pumps-off approach to vinification, whereby processing is minimized for optimal preservation of fruit character.
When you enjoy Curtis wines, we want you to taste the essence of the vineyard, a true and pure expression of its terroir. To ensure this lofty objective, we embrace the not-so-lofty bucket. Like the rest of us, he’s not in it for the glamour (how could he be?). He’s in it for the wine.
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