Freemark Abbey Winery

Freemark Abbey Winery

In September 1976 William Jaeger, a member of the partnership that owned FreemarkAbbey Winery, had to make a decision: should he harvest (cosecha) the Riesling grapes immediately, or leave them on the vines(vides) despite ( a pesar de) the approaching storm? A storm just before the harvest is usually detrimental, often ruining the crop(cosecha). A warm, light rain, however, will sometimes cause a beneficial mold(molde), botrytis cinerea, to form on the grape skins. The result is a luscious(delicioso), complex sweet wine, highly valued by connoisseurs.(conocedores)

The Winery

Freemark Abbey was located in St. Helena, California, in the northern Napa Valley. The winery produced only premium wines from the best grape varieties. Of the 25,000 cases of wine bottled each year (about the same as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild), most were (la mayoría eran) Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. About 1,000 cases of Riesling and 500 cases of Petite Syrah were also bottled. (A case contains 12 bottles of wine.)

The Napa Valley extends for 30 miles, from Calistoga in the north to Napa in the south. The average temperature decreases as one moves south (en la medida que se va moviendo al sur), closer to San Francisco Bay and the cold ocean waters. Freemark Abbey’s grapes came from an ideal climate in the central and southern parts of the valley.

Winemaking

Wine is produced when the fruit sugar, which is naturally present in the juice of grapes, is converted by yeast (levadura), through fermentation, into approximately equal molecular quantities of alcohol and carbon dioxide. Sparkling (espumoso) wines excepted, the carbon dioxide is allowed to bubble up and dissipate. The wine then ages in barrels for one or more years until it is ready for bottling.

By various decisions during vinification—for example, the type of wooden barrel used for aging (envejecimiento)—the winemaker influences the style of wine produced. The style adopted by a particular winery depends mainly on the owners’ preferences, though it is influenced by marketing considerations. Usually, as the grapes ripen(madurar) , the sugar levels increase and the acidity levels decrease. The winemaker tries to harvest the grapes when they have achieved the proper balance of sugar and acidity for the style of wine sought (buscado). The ripening(maduración) process is variable, however, and if the weather is not favorable, the proper balance might never occur.

Several different styles of Riesling (more accurately(exactamente), Johannisberg Riesling) are on the market. If the grapes are harvested (cosechada) at 20% sugar, the wine is fermented “dry” (all the sugar is converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide) or “near dry.” The resulting wine, at about 10% alcohol, is light bodied(cuerpo ligero). If the grapes are harvested at 25% sugar, the winemaker can produce a wine with the same 10% alcohol but with 5% residual sugar; this wine is sweet and relatively full bodied(con mucho cuerpo)

A third and rare style results when almost-ripe (casi maduro) Riesling grapes are attacked by the botrytis mold ( es cuando el vino esta cubierto moho que le da un sabor característico)

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