4 minute read
A Wine Tasting for the Ages
A Wine Tasting for the Ages
By Christopher Patusky
I’m passing through the red tank room at Slater Run Vineyards, where winemakers Katell Griaud and Karl Selzer are tasting white wines, with notepads in hand, with multiple glasses on the table. They are tasting, tasting, tasting the base wine options that might become the next Blanc de Blanc, or “white from white,” that is our sparkling white wine made from Chardonnay grapes using the “Champagne method.” It can’t actually be called Champagne because that brand is owned by a region in France.
I’m also looking at an icicle on the side of the steel tank, one that holds hundreds of gallons of white wine, and that speaks to me, saying “I am very cold.” The tasting goes on, the glass brought up to the lips for a sip, scribbled notes, a head nod that says “maybe” to this one, and a wince and head shake that says “no” to that one.
“Can we photograph this?” I ask.
“No,” I’m told. “It’s not ready yet. No photos until it’s ready. Do you want to ruin the wine?”
I think to myself, “there they are, huddled around the cauldron, eye of newt, the potion requires what it requires, and nothing more.” It’s the winemaker’s guild, looking at each other, discussing their secrets. There is quiet cheer here, half raised glasses, but no toasts. Not yet. Not finished. They look at me, and I know what they’re probably thinking.
“Are you a fool, for heaven’s sake, say nothing, the wine spirits are circling, hovering, watching, trying to decide whether they will help or hinder? They are fickle and remorseless, looking for a reason, don’t give them one. Please go away… for now … for two years.”
I understand and back off, slowly, carefully, not daring to touch anything, or say anything. I keep moving, then spin about, and move quickly past the tank and around the corner, down the hall toward the tasting room, where the warm air from the fireplace is flowing out from the room. I accelerate. The big room sounds are floating around me in the warmth, and I think, “who will be in there, who will it be?”
Behind me, back among the tanks, the gifted and the trained measure pH, brix, and other science facts that offer hints, clues, of whether they have it right. And yet, it’s the pallet that has the final say, always. And yes, there are seven billion pallets in the world, a swirling spectrum, so who is to say ready or not?
That’s an easy one. It’s our wine leader, Katell Griaud of course, who will have the final say. So the choice is made, the white base wine is selected, and the dice are tossed. Nothing can change that choice as they fly and spin and bounce along the ground.
We must wait until the chemicals and the physics play out and then, years later, when those dice land, we’ll stand in a circle staring down at them, metaphorically—we all taste and look at the poker faced Katell.
I exclaim “Voila!” And then I see a rare, small smile, on the face of the oracle, Katell, as she simply, humbly says, “not bad.”
Chris Patusky and his wife, Kiernan, own and operate Slater Run Vineyards i n Upperville. https://www.slaterrun.com/.
