In
California we’ve gone west with our vineyards, putting roots in the sandy loams where the Pacific has dropped away. Often we’ve done
this striving for great Pinot Noir but cold appellations also open the door for other cryophilic grapes. My foray into this realm
relies on a base of elegant Pinot Noir that’s then blended with a portion of spicy and richly colored Dornfelder. My territory is
the Santa Lucia Highlands, influenced by not only the cold westerly winds but also the mile deep Monterey Bay Canyon, home to Architeuthis
and other amazing fauna. Consumers have awakened to the elegance of lower alcohol, moderate acidity red wines. Pinot Noir has
led the way with complex and elegant food wines. The Ludwig Pinot Noir-Dornfelder blend (55% Pinot Noir, 45% Dornfelder) looks to
promote this style, striving to be complex and velvety while balanced with a 13.2% non-interventive alcohol.
Over the last decade,
I’ve come to believe we can successfully pursue cold climate red varietals. I chose Dornfelder because of its relationship to Pinot
Noir and its unique flavor profile. The Pinot Noir and Dornfelder for this wine were grown side by side but fermented separately. Both were pressed at dryness and moved to barrel for nine months. I used about 1/3 new French oak. The wine never needed an acid addition
and I removed no alcohol. Overall, it was minimalistic winemaking. I made the blend about a month before bottling. I like to
think of the wine as a Pinot Noir that evolves mid palate – the point where the soft and spicy Pinot Noir characters mingle with the
blackberry richness of Dornfelder. The wine is more Austrian than Burgundian. It is complex but lively so it is quenching and pleasant
to drink throughout a meal. It is ponderous only in the sense that while enjoying its velvety richness, the consumer must initiate
a new syntax to describe the experience.
My first harvest as a professional winemaker was in 1983 and after so many harvests there’s
a time to start moving forward. I make wines for people who want each bottle to be charismatic and purposeful. Beyond the usual requisites
of expressing place and season, my wines also aim to lead consumers towards greater expectations and liberty in regards to flavors
and textures. In California a winemaker has the opportunity to explore. Large wineries tend to shoulder their way into existing
markets and well-funded, nascent wineries tend to chase an iconic wine and its acclaimed style. Gradation and fresh nuances are left
to those who slug it out on the margins. Devoted wine connoisseurs have a need for diversity and discovery, that’s where the fun is.
I have a symbiotic relationship to the adventurous wine drinker; if they can give me a reasonable amount of support, projects like
the Ludwig Hammerklavier can remain viable. After all, no established winery or board of directors is going to pay me to make extravagant
wines – including my Cambiata Tannat and Albariño and the single vineyard Ludwig Rieslings. (There are woes when a winemaker is left
in charge of the checkbook.)
The McIntyre Vineyard is planted on the South East facing slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The
soils and climate have proven themselves to be ideal for Pinot Noir. Steve McIntyre has been a long time grower in the Santa Lucia
Highlands appellation and one of the pioneers of sustainable grape growing. We planted one acre of Dornfelder to make this limited
wine.
Beethoven’s Hammerklavier, Sonata No. 29, Op. 106 in B flat major
With the
Hammerklavier piano sonata and his other works of that period, Beethoven was leaving behind the social sensibilities of classical
music. To his publishers he was apologetic. His hearing loss was complete, his personal life was a wreck and the popularity of his
music was waning. He became physically and mentally ill. In some respects, his discontent liberated him to writing only what he wanted;
he was done with limits. Being isolated and despondent, it’s understandable the Hammerklavier is abstract and idiosyncratic, foreshadowing
modern expressionism. It is a piece written in the vastness of space rather than in Beethoven’s disheveled Viennese apartment. The
grandeur of the first movement pushes the limits of the piano, as if Beethoven was writing for an idealized piano rather than an actual
piano. The tempo indication asks the performer to play faster than humanly possible. This may have been a misprint or an indication
that Beethoven was composing for a herculean pianist, a virtuoso from an otherworldly place. The orchestral-like Adagio, long
in its misery, is a personal and gripping lament with vast registral spans and massive chords. In the last movement Beethoven seeks
a spiritual end, using a fugue to create a universe with purpose, a sublime design within chaos. We experience a sense of awe witnessing
the control of great complexity, the relentless unfolding of thematic detail and the mellifluous clarity within the flurry of voices.
The Hammerklavier is Beethoven’s most difficult Piano Sonata to perform but it’s also a difficult piece to interpret and comprehend. For 75 years many considered the sonata better for study than performance. Musical sensibilities finally caught up to
Beethoven in the 20th century and despite our familiarity and frequent exposure to avant-garde pieces, the Hammerklavier still has
its edge.
Harvest: 10/21/2009 Dornfelder
10/12/2009 Pinot Noir
Chemistry: TA = 0.62 pH = 3.54 Alcohol = 13.2%
Contact: Eric Laumann, Owner & Winemaker
Phone: (831) 596-4778
Email:contact@ludwigwinery.com
Web: www.ludwigwinery.com
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