Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
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Saignee -- A Blissful Bi-Product
The gentle first pressing of grapes releases the "free-run" juice, the smoothest, cleanest, prettiest fruit the grape has to offer. A firmer second pressing releases most of the remaining juice, which is - especially for red grapes - heavier, more concentrated, more flavorful and more tannic, while it lacks the finesse of the free-run juice. There is always less juice extracted from the second pressing.
Typically a winemaker blends the two lots to produce the desired result. He can also enrich the wine by subtracting some of the free-run juice, weighting the blend toward the heavier second pressing. This "bleeding off" of free-run juice is called Saignee.
Wine produced by Saignee is always more flavorful and its richness often masks its roughness, making it potentially as appealing as a softer wine made without bleeding might be. It has greater ageing potential as well and age can bring elegance. Bleeding can concentrate wine from a less than perfectly ripe year, and is always the preference of certain winemakers. The subtracted juice is expensive, so what becomes of it? In California it becomes my favorite Rose. Especially when the juice is from Grenache or Pinot Noir.
I live in San Francisco's Sunset district, and last Saturday was the first sunny and windless weekend afternoon in ages. I celebrated with a classic Spring dinner of grilled citrus-marinated chicken, Tabbouleh, and a new-potato salad made with smoked paprika mayonnaise. My opening wine was the delicious 2006 Saison des Vins Printemps Rose, and it was just perfect.
Each Spring we get just a few wines like this. I have already built dinners around the 2006 Terry Hoage "Bam Bam" Grenache Rose and the 2006 Paul Mathew Pinot Noir Rose. My next barbecue will showcase Lucia Winery's delicious 2006 "Lucy," also from Pinot. These wines are scarce, so I drink 'em while I can.