Maria Luz Marin

Harvest 2011 by Maria Luz Marin

The vintage of 2011 has perhaps been the most complicated vintage I have lived since my first vintage in 2003. We started with a very cool spring with little sun, and a tremendous amount of frosts (more than 11). Despite having some frost control, the last frost was in December and because of a human mistake, it went wrong and destroyed some complete blocks.

The summer was sunny but with a few hours of heat and plenty of wind that cooled down the temperature. With as a result, when we came close to harvest, the grapes were still green. The grapes that were located in the middle of the blocks were ready, therefore we had to make a great effort to only harvest the grapes that were ready.

We are now in the first week of May and we are still harvesting our Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are still hanging on the vines and the only thing that the vines want to do is just go to sleep and they do not want to keep working to finish their grapes. This is a serious challenge for us; growers and winemakers. This is the first time we had to harvest our Sauvignon Blanc so late in the season.
Along with the frost and cold season, we were attacked by birds as never before, even in those blocks where they never appeared before…and besides the frost and bird attacks we must add that the yield this year has been very low due to very small and light weighted bunches.

But this is how it is in the countryside, where nature tells us what to do… and we must learn to live with it. The good news is that the health and quality of the grapes is extremely good and therefore we expect some amazing 2011 vintage wines. You always have to look at the positive side of all this, the technical challenges that we are facing each year, in each harvest, is very rich, we learn from this, and if we did not have those challenge, and when the wines would be very similar year after year, wine making would be very boring!!!

Casa Marin: 10 years of life…discovering a terroir

The Vineyard and Me

One of the greatest qualities of any wine is its proven ability to reflect the environment in which the vine has grown. Winemakers do the best they can to shape and control the final outcome, but nature is the one that is really in charge.

Big wineries that produce large volumes of wine of course blend grapes from dozens of different vineyards and places, simply classifying the wine by its grape variety and extensive geographical location. However, the world is increasingly eager to explore more specific and unique locations when it comes to wines and the smaller the location, the better.

Today´s discriminating wine consumer is curious to find out more about a specific appellation and a vineyard´s geography within the context of a specific location and its natural characteristics.
When I think of the beloved town of Lo Abarca, where I spent most of my childhood holidays, the biggest challenge I have come across has been finding a terroir for my wines. However, before continuing down this chain of though, let´s pause to ponder a little bit about the meaning of the word “terroir.” A precise translation doesn´t really exist; each place simply has its own “terroir.”

Your garden and mine have a “terroir.” The soil in the front and the backyard of my house has different characteristics when it comes to plant growth. It is a rather complex thing, influenced by subsoil composition, rocks, stones, and climate (not only the local climate but also the regional climate, known as micro-and mesoclimates). In our 40 ha vineyard, which is divided into more than 30 different blocks, topography is very important as well: the elevation, the direction of the slopes facing the Pacific Ocean with its cold breeze, and the slopes facing east with the morning sun. Block sections located at the very bottom of a slope bathed in cold air have a different terroir than those in the midsection. Even though the soil is the same across the entire hill, the terroir will be different. The same can be said about the slopes that are bathed in the morning sun and those facing west which receive the afternoon sun—they share the same soil, yet the terroir is different and so are the wines.

some cases the specific location of some block sections makes for great wine compared with others in a different location that produce a more standard type of wine, considering that both the grape variety and the soil are the same. Two very important aspects for “terroir” are the fertility of the soil and underground access to water. A vine that grows with plenty of both is more vigorous and the fruit will have difficulties with access to shade; the grapes do not ripen very well and hence produce wines that are more “green.” On the other hand, vines located in areas with poorer soil and no access to underground water suffer from stress and produce grapes with different aromatic compounds and sometimes out of balance, harsh wines with high alcohol levels.

Our vineyard turns 10 years old in 2011 and I still feel that I have a long way to go in order to get to know it well. Each block is different with its own unique personality, and I have to say that in Casa Marin, each block has a different terroir. It´s almost like having raised 32 children in the last 10 years through different stages of childhood and who are now just about to reach their youth. All kinds of things have happened during this time—we have run out of water, we have faced rabbit, bird, and bee attacks, and we have lost part of our harvests to frost. In the end, the last 10 years have been incredibly intense and I have tried to understand every little corner of my vineyard….it has been one of the most enriching experiences that I have ever had, and it has certainly been a very fulfilling life and professional experience, with a lot of complexity and challenges, delights and disappointments, many sad times but also great joy, tears, sorrow, and doubts. Many times I have yearned for the vines to tell me what they are feeling, what it is they want, what I should do during circumstances of great uncertainty. I have wanted them to explain to me why they are so sad or withered, why they won´t grow, why, why, why…. It´s like having a mute child who does not tell you what he wants and it bothers you because you want to do everything within your grasp to make him happy and well balanced. It´s been 10 years and I feel like I have made some progress; I believe I know my vineyard a little bit better, but I also know that there is still a long way to go.

The difference between Cipreses and Laurel Sauvignon Blanc

As many of you know, Casa Marin has two different styles of Sauvignon Blanc, Cipreses and Laurel. Many people who have tasted both wines have an interest in learning how it is possible to create two such different wines of the same variety in a vineyard of only 40 hectares. Well, here goes my explanation–sit down, enjoy and learn.

The first difference is the altitude. The Cipreses vineyard is located at a higher altitude than the Laurel one, and the vines in these two blocks are exposed to different soil types, orientations, temperatures and winds.

The second difference, as already mentioned, relates to the soil. Both have high concentrations of calcium carbonate but this concentration is predominant in the Cipreses block; the Cipreses soil is also of a poorer quality and less depth.

The third, last and most important difference between Laurel and Cipreses is the orientation. Most of the Cipreses block has an East-West orientation, which means that the cold wind coming from the Pacific Ocean, named the “Humboldt Stream,” penetrates through the corridors and in between the rows, cooling down the vines considerably, which causes the stomata in the leaves to shut down, slowing down the process of photosynthesis a bit. This causes stress in the vines, limiting their growth and energy and therefore fruit production, decreasing the yield per vine in a natural way. This allows the plant to produce grapes with a higher concentration of flavors and aromas which are present in the wine.

The Laurel block, on the other hand, has more of a northern-southern sun exposure, which means that the first row of vines stops the cool “Humboldt Stream” wind, and therefore acts as a shield to the rest of the vines located in the latter rows. This creates a warmer zone which leads to more vigorous canopy and fruit, as well as a greater equilibrium in vine maintenance. Additionally, we leave the grapes in the vine a little longer so that the sugar content at the moment of harvesting is higher in the Laurel than in the Cipreses block.

As a result, the Cipreses wine has more of a green herb and mint flavor, whereas the Laurel wine has more honeyed and tropical notes.

I hope this explanation helps clarify the difference between both wines. It is interesting to note that although the blocks are located very close to each other, the topography of the vineyard allows for the creation of two great but very different styles of Sauvignon Blanc and shows the special “terroir” we have in Lo Abarca. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions!

Harvest Report 2010

As a result of the cold year, the total production of Sauvignon Blanc in the San Antonio Valley decreased with approximately 25%. The frosts that took place in spring and autumn provoked an important production loss.

For Casa Marin 2010 ten was not an easy year. We lost approximately 6 hectares of production, and for a vineyard of 40 hectares only, this is a lot. Nevertheless, the quality of the grapes were amazing.

I wrote this report so you know exactly what the 2010 vintage of Casa Marin looks like, the impacts of the climate on the grapes and the main characteristics of the 2010 vintage wines. Please feel free to download the harvest report 2010 below. If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Download here: Casa Marin Harvest Report 2010