One of my clients asked me to write a post release on the Moment of Silence 2009 – feedback on how the wine is doing (50% sold out in 4 weeks). I realised that this could also be an educational opportunity – wine in hand.
I’ve made a rule for myself: every wine I release has to have an edge! An edge is the single most differentiating factor when it comes to a specific wine. It could be a varietal, the terroir or a wine style. By keeping your eye on the edge of a particular wine, you can in most circumstances follow a wine’s journey over many years. It is important to note that wine evolves from vintage to vintage. Your goal is therefore not to produce the exact same wine (obviously not possible due to different climatic conditions every year), but to keep the style of the wine the same. Moment of Silence started off in 2007 with equal parts Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Viognier, fermented and aged on the lees in relatively new French oak barrels. The next (2008) vintage did not however fit the stylistic bill of the Moment of Silence, and became BLANKbottle JOEL.
And as for the 2009 vintage: the wine is still driven by the vineyards we use, although a complete different vintage. Like before, we fermented the juice and aged the wine on the lees in all French Oak barrels for up to 11 months. But instead of using new oak, we used barrels that had wine in them for 4 different vintages – in winemaking terms, old barrels. The older barrels provides the perfect vessel to make and age the wine. It adds subtle complexity while retaining freshness. A wine that’s driven by fruit and spice with “the edge” that adds oemph, a slight weightiness…
There you have it: The single most differentiating factor of Moment of Silence 2009 – the edge…
Due to the fact that I’m already receiving repeat orders, I presume most of you have had a glass or two in hand. I would love to have your feedback – uncensored!
