Long nights, Short days

Today was long. Not actually any longer in hours but it felt like the shift moved slower.This was my third day on night shift and we received 150 tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc
in 15 tonne batches that lasted throughout the night. Every hour or so a truck would arrive, back up into the recieval area and
let its cargo go. 15 Tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc hitting the bottom of a stainless steel hopper makes a booming sound you feel.
With each batch we lifted the bins allowing the grapes to be pushed out through a giant screw, falling into a crusher and destemmer. This does exactly what it says on the tin.
The result is a pulpy green mass of skins, seeds and juice otherwise known as the must. Via a pump that has claimed many a Frenchman's leg,(slipping into one of these guarantees severment)
the grapey must gets pushed through pipes and into the press. Imagine inflating a balloon inside at coke can, a 35 tonne pneumatic press operates in a similar way. Gently squeezing every last
drop that 2bar pressure can release from that pulpy must. This is rather a lot, 750litres for every tonne of grapes.

Huntaway Reserve  2006 Chardonnay. Gisbon, New Zealand.
The colour lies somewhere between straw and olive oil, hinting at the wines fullness of character. The taste hints at lemons splashed across pineapple  dashed with a mealy, digestive like crumble and a nutty, slightly oxidised taste. This wine displays a rich embodiment which helps carry those extracted phenolics across the palette without being too bitter. A firm acidity stops this wine from
being full bore Aussie chard, but a big jumbled up delivery stops it from being an elegant Meursault. If you like refreshing, nutty, biscuity chardonnays with a creamy texture and a pineapple refreshing finish this is your wine. Don't chill too much, would go really well with a roast chicken.   

Comments

[Sandy]

With all the night shifts can you recommend a coffee by now?