Dry Ice Cold Soak - Words From The Winemaker
Spring is now upon us and this is a beautiful time of the year at Chalk Hill. We invite our friends to visit us to taste the wine and experience the estate. With this newsletter, I would like to provide you with insight into our red wine program. Since my arrival at Chalk Hill in 2003, I have made a concerted commitment to create red wines with greater concentration, richness and delicious flavors. Perhaps the greatest charge of a winemaker in creating world-class red wines is proper tannin management. Ideally, I strive to have the wine's texture be ripe, round, lush and concentrated—which is no easy feat! Much of my effort has been in the vineyard, and once at the winery we have re-created the manner in which red grapes are handled and vinified. I have implemented several dramatic changes, but one of the biggest changes is employing dry ice cold soaks.
So what is a dry ice cold soak? Dry ice, simply put, is solid carbon dioxide—a very cold compound which upon melting turns to gas. Once the red grapes have been harvested, hand sorted and de-stemmed, they are put into a fermentation tank. Cold soaking refers to keeping the grapes at a cold temperature prior to fermentation. Most winemakers do not cold soak their red grapes, while others use refrigeration systems to flow cold glycol around the fermentation tanks. Cold soaking the grapes allows preferential extraction of the soft, ripe tannins found in the grape skins, while avoiding any extractions of the often bitter tannins found in the seeds. It also increases the concentration of red and black fruit flavors in the juice while minimizing vegetal flavors, and amplifies the deep purple hue of the wine. The added benefit of using dry ice for cold soaks is two-fold: dry ice emits carbon dioxide gas which protects the grapes and juice from oxidation, thus preserving the delicate fruit flavors and aromas, and the contact with dry ice further increases the release and stability of color into the juice. By extracting all of the "good stuff" out of the grapes early, I can carefully manage the extraction of other components during active fermentation to assure a perfectly balanced wine—one that is ripe, round, lush and concentrated.
For three years I diligently experimented with tannin extraction and dry ice in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Price, renowned for his research in this field. I looked at almost every conceivable variable including temperature of cold soak, duration of cold soak, dry ice versus refrigeration versus no cold soak, sulfite levels, etc. Our findings were clear: dry ice cold soak works! More fruit, more color and more of the ripe, round and lush tannins.
Dry ice cold soaking is just one of the many techniques I use to bring Chalk Hill red wines to the forefront of quality. Like any pursuit of enhancing quality, it comes at a price, requiring additional labor, care and experience.
The 2005 Chairman's Club Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec is a barrel selection wine sourced from our best Cabernet block and a tiny carving of Malbec grown in a gravelly hillside vineyard. I love how its deeply concentrated black fruits weave through the velvety-rich mouthfeel. I hope you will enjoy it as well.
Wishing you a wonderful Spring!
— Steven Leveque, Winemaker
Entertaining at Chalk Hill Winery
Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards and Winery offers a variety of settings perfect for any corporate retreat — team-building functions, executive meetings, etc.—as well as for private dining experiences in our secluded Estate Pavilion. We specialize in planning events personalized for your needs. Custom menus are prepared by Executive Chef, Didier Ageorges, expertly pairing estate grown and bottled wines with many fresh foods from the culinary garden. Private tours and tastings may also be incorporated into the day's event, completing your wine country experience. For information contact Ann-Marie Curran at 707-657-4835 or acurran@chalkhill.com.
From the Estate Kitchen
Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients (6 servings)
3 lbs. trimmed, boneless beef chuck cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cognac
3 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth (canned ok)
2 medium shallots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. tomato paste
Bouquet garni
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
12 small potatoes (german butterball) peeled
24 small white onions, peeled
1 lb. smoked slab bacon, thickly sliced and cut into 1/2 inch strips (lardons)
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, quartered
Parsley for garnish
Beef:
Brown beef with vegetable oil and butter over high heat in large cooking pot. Add chopped yellow onion and carrots, and continue to brown for approximately 3 minutes. Add flour and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Carefully add cognac and ignite with a match. This will produce a large flame, so be very careful. Let the flame burn out, and add red wine, beef broth, chopped shallots, garlic, tomato paste, bouquet garni, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 2 hours. While the beef is simmering, begin prepping the other items.
Preparation for white onion, potatoes, and bacon (lardons):
Cook the white onions in pot with butter. Add just enough water to barely cover the onions. Cook until light brown over medium heat. Set aside. Boil the potatoes with water and salt in large pot until cooked, approximately 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cut bacon into strips (lardons) and place in a pot with cold water. Bring to a boil, drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and dry. In a large skillet, cook the lardons over medium heat until brown and crisp. Let drain on paper towels. Set aside. Pour off all but 2 teaspoon of the bacon fat from the skillet; add mushrooms to the skillet and sauté. Remove and set aside. Add the cooked white onion.
Presentation:
When the beef is cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the serving dish. Add the potatoes, onion, mushrooms, and lardons. Skim any fat off the sauce; strain the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Pair with 2003 Chalk Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
Recipe Provided by Chalk Hill Estate Executive Chef, Didier Ageorges.
Featured Wines
The featured wines include our highly rated 2005 Estate Chardonnay, as well as the 2005 Chairman's Club Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec, which is produced in extremely limited quantities.
 | 2005 Estate Bottled Chardonnay |
 | 2005 Chairman's Club Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec |
Events
Chalk Hill is pleased to participate in these upcoming events:
Great Chefs Of Marin, benefiting Lifehouse - serving people with developmental disabilities, features specialities from some of the finest restaurants and wineries in the Bay Area. This event offers a black tie dinner along with a tasting and auction. For more information, visit www.lifehouseagency.org.
April 26, 2008
California Symphony's 8th Annual Virtuoso Wine And Food Classic, benefiting the Symphony's Music-in-the-Schools - is held at the Patrick David's Event Center in San Ramon. Wine tasting will take place as well as a live and silent auction. For more information, visit www.virtuoso2008.com
May 18, 2008
Contact
Chalk Hill Estate10300 Chalk Hill Road
Healdsburg, California 95448
(707) 838-8406
concierge@chalkhill.com
