Blending with Antica Terra Barrel Samples
New York, NY
Antica Terra is my favorite Oregon winery. Maggie Harrison creates are some of the most unique Pinot Noir blends in the world. I have bought a lot over the past few years, particularly in Magnum, and as a result it currently makes up about 4% of my cellar.
Over the weekend, Maggie held an hour and a half Zoom class on blending. Some of my main take-aways were:
- Do the blending blind and let your senses guide you instead of preconceived notions about a vineyard or block.
- Keep your head down and just compare sample to sample, potential blend to potential blend. Do not try to work toward a particular style or SKU.
- Start by collecting your thoughts on each sample individually, then iterate by adding, changing, or removing one component at a time.
We were also sent five-barrel samples from the winery to build our own blend. Here are our initial impressions of each sample.
Barrel Sample #1 (Earth). Red fruits, lightly perfumed, medium tannins, earth, spice, pepper, thin mid palate, light acidity.
Barrel Sample #2 (Floral). Heavily perfumed, rose petals, very pretty, red fruits, delicate and light bodied, warmly expands into the finish.
Barrel Sample #3 (Dark). Dark fruits, cloves, nuts, spice, some floral components, good structure, very tannic, chewy and sticks to your teeth.
Barrel Sample #4 (Oak). Medicinal, licorice, spice, vanilla, lots of new oak, smooth, good acidity.
Barrel Sample #5 (Balance). Spice, some floral components, red and black fruits, silky mouth feel, low acidity, short finish.
Each sample was very distinctive, and we were able summarize them with a single word: #1 Earth, #2 Floral, #3 Dark, #4 Oak, and #5 Balance.
Now, we can start blending!
Blend 1a: 67% #4 (Oak), 33% #5 (Balance). Our initial idea was to use #4 as a base. Many of these samples had a lot of rough edges to them and I wanted to use the oak to smooth everything out. Unfortunately, I think we started a little too strong because the flavors ended up muted.
Blend 1b: 14% #3 (Dark), 57% #4 (Oak), 29% #5 (Balance). To get a little body into the wine we tried adding in #3. It was not enough. We still preferred #5 alone to this blend.
Blend 2a: 33% #1 (Earth), 67% #2 (Floral). Next, we tried a different tactic. I love the floral components of #2 so let’s see if a lighter bodied wine can act as the base, with #1 supplementing a little earth and spice. The resulting blend is promising.
Blend 2b: 27% #1 (Earth), 54% #2 (Floral), 19% #4 (Oak). We then tried adding a little of #4 to smooth out the components. The nose was great, the flavor was good, but the finish was missing. Further iterations were dead ends. Let’s start over.
Blend 3a: 50% #1 (Earth), 50% #3 (Dark). We have not used #3 much so let’s see if we can use the two darker, earthier samples to work as a base. This was good, but #3 was too overpowering.
Blend 3b: 67% #1 (Earth), 33% (Dark). I thought a little more #1 would work better, but it ended up creating a flat, boring wine. 1 + 1 does not equal 2 in blending as these components interact in non-linear ways. Further experiments with adding in #4 did not work either.
Blend 4a: 33% #2 (Floral), 67% #5 (Balance). My favorite samples have been #2 and #5 so I wanted to try to do a base with them. Now we are talking. The wine is balanced and has this pretty perfumed nose that I love.
Blend 4b: 29% #2 (Floral), 14% #4 (Oak), 57% #5 (Balance). The blend had a few rough edges, so I wanted to add in #4 to smooth it out. Even at 14%, the oak was overwhelming and spoiled the nuanced flavors from #2.
Blend 4c: 31% #2 (Floral), 6% #4 (Oak), 63% #5 (Balance). After a few more iterations we brought #4 down to 6%. Wow, what a difference 6% makes in a blend. This is on the right track.
Blend 4d: 9% #1 (Earth), 28% #2 (Floral), 6% #4 (Oak), 57% #5 (Balance). Finally, we added a little bit of #1 to get some earth and spice into the blend.
After a few more iterations we settled on 4d. We created something greater than the sum of its individual parts, which is all you can ask for in a blend. The resulting wine had the earth, spice, and floral components we loved in a medium-bodied, balanced package with a lengthy finish. Cheers!
