Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/31323
changes right away in 2009, and more drastic changes in 2010. For our Cabernet program, we began to pick vineyards by individual blocks or rows rather than altogether, which has allowed us to break things down further in the winery, fermenting in over 250 individual small lots. This gives Stephanie more components to play with in her ‘spice rack,’ to blend the best possible wines. We also began to send everything through the sorting table, not just grapes going into the top cuvées; we changed pump-over schedules and went completely over to French oak, moving away from the aggressive taste you get from American oak—all things that were not being done before. We cut down on produc- tion—we’re now at about 160,000 cases—and we are no longer in the custom-crush business . . . just focusing on the details in our own wines. “The other big priority since day one, of course, was to change direc- tion in the vineyard. We have gone over completely to organic, and we are already officially ‘in transition’ towards Biodynamic certification with Demeter USA. The theatrical changes that you already see in the winery and visiting center are all reflections of our commitment to changing the natural part of what makes winemak- ing: the work in the vineyard. We are already growing things to make our own preps, planting insectories and gardens, and doing all our compost- ing in-house. It is the process of this conversion that makes things so exciting for me, and for everyone who comes and sees. “For the market, Stephanie, Kathy and Philippe have already done a fantastic job with the finishing of our new flagship cuvée, the 2007 Raymond Generations Cabernet Sauvignon [$85]. I have just returned from New York, where we introduced it in a big tasting, and people were raving; it is a tight yet extremely elegant wine. Krisi Raymond, a fifth-generation winemaker, was involved in the final blending of the ’07 Generations. The bottle also has a com- pletely redesigned label, which is really a flashback to the earliest labels of Raymond from the ‘70s: very clean and simple, carrying the original signature of Roy Sr.—a worthy tribute, I believe, to a great Napa Valley heritage!” may 201 1 / the tasting panel / 61 Tasting Notes: Current & Future Raymond Releases “This is just a start, and I am very bullish—very, very bullish—about the qual- ity you can already taste in the wines. We are giving you a first glimpse of our work from 2009: Cabernet Sauvignons that are beautifully rich and deep, and also quite precise, very focused . . . sophisticated. I think we are on the right track.” —Jean-Charles Boisset 2009 Reserve Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ($16) Bone dry, floral and lemony perfumed; tart-edged, pure melony fruit freshness. 2008 Sommelier Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($35) For the on-premise trade only, a value cuvée blended in June 2010 from a consensus of seven of the nation’s top sommeliers with winemaker Stephanie Putnam. Intense, pure, pretty cassis focus in the nose; firm, zesty length of black fruit and tobacco in a medium body, bolstered by moderate tannin. 2008 Reserve Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($35) Cedary, mildly herbal, minty blackcurrant; tight, lean, savory medium-full bodied flavors. 2006 District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena ($65) “Older” Raymond style, yet rich, smoky, cedary and plummy fruit, with dense feel filled out by muscular tannin. 2007 Generations Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($85) Dark ruby; sweet black currant mixed with tobacco and cedar in the nose; outwardly fleshy and full, with strong core of tannin and oak. 2009 Matthes Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena (barrel sample) Fermenting in smaller lots and extending post-fermentation macera- tion from two weeks to three or four weeks, according to Putnam, has resulted in “darker, bigger, bolder, yet more layered and complex wines.” This component, destined for Generations, graphically shows this progression: tight, sweetly concentrated cassis fruit with cedary, toasty nuances; fairly big, hitting a “sweet spot” on palate, the fruit lavished with black licorice scrubbiness and smoky, roasting coffee-like oakiness. Excitement! 2009 Husic Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (barrel sample) From a contracted growth located above Stag’s Leap; dark, saturated color; fragrant cassis notes with scrubby, weedy undertones; rich, round, smoky, fleshy yet delineated sensations on the palate. Real character.