The sulfur dioxide is known to be a preservative for the wines. As everybody thinks, a wine without any preservative will become dull at first then oxidize. Therefore, it will become undrinkable.
On March 8 2006, we bottled 90 cases of the 2005 Pinot Noir “I” wine No sulfite added. This wine is different from other Pinot Noir because from the grapes to the bottle, not a single addition of sulfite has been used.
This is the fourth year that Cooper Mountain is producing this wine in small quantity and I must admit that every year sees a greater improvement in the wine quality.
Numerous winemakers will tell you that this is crazy to bottle a Pinot Noir without any sulfite. Our answer is yes we are crazy but taste the wine and see for yourself.
In 2002, Bob Gross (the owner) decided to start the project of making a wine without any sulfite. A small quantity was produced and the result was surprisingly positive. The wine did not oxidize in excess and the flavors were staying intact.
In 2003, the same procedure applied by fermenting the wine quickly, tank aging and without any single contact with oxygen. The wine was stored in cold in order to avoid any microbiological degradation. The wine was bottled in March 2004. The only difference on the process was that the choice of the grapes (higher quality).
The result was beyond our expectation. The public loved it and even Wine Spectator who rated this wine a good 88 points with great comments. For information, this wine was tasted by the Wine Spectator 12 months after bottling and the comments were:
“Round and generous, a ripe mouthful of black cherry, sweet spice and a hint of a metallic note as the flavors persist gently. Drink now through 2008. 350 cases made”
Also, this wine got a Double Gold Medal @ Vino on the Beach, and a Silver Medal @ Northwest Wine Summit. In conclusion, the awards are an objective demonstration for a no sulfite wine CAN age well and be in the same level of high rank wines (and it is healthier).
The 2004 was in the same process but with a different label. Because of the success of this wine, we decided to call it ”I” wine. “I” standing for innovation. It makes sense that producing a wine without any sulfite is innovative and also, the taste profile is innovative because of its intense fresh berries flavors not usual for a Pinot Noir.
And we bottled the 2005. Because we can demonstrate that not adding any SO2 to the wine brings a clear positive fresh tone to the wine (which the sulfites have not), we decided to go on more complexity and also on an experiment method. We aged the wine on French oak in the exact same method of classical Pinot Noir. Aging a no sulfite on barrel is highly risky because the wood retains a very large amount of bacteria and yeast and because of the oak; it is not possible to sanitize a barrel. Another surprise came by doing numerous analysis and tasting: the wine aged perfectly and without any chemical deviation such as Vinegary taste (from bacteria) or barnyard flavors (from a yeast named Brettanamyces). The flavors are still intact (Fresh berries and cassis) and with a complexity and balance that the past vintages did not have. It means that this technique of aging seems to work well…..very well indeed.
Yesterday, I opened a bottle and poured a glass of wine for a friend who is a Pinot Noir lover. He tasted it, was highly surprised by the intensity of the fruit and admitted he loved it. This same person always told me that a No Sulfite Wine cannot be a good wine. I believe he changed his mind.
Why a No Sulfite Added wine can age well?
To demonstrate that a No Sulfite wine can age well, you can do an experiment:
- Save some money
- Go to EBay and buy a old vintage collection red wine
- Make sure that this wine is from a high reputation winery (from France or Italy if possible)
- Taste the wine
- 90 % chance that you will find the wine amazing
- Go to a website for home winemaker and buy a kit to measure the sulfite ($10.00)
- Measure the SO2 and I bet you that you will find a level of Free SO2 of 0 ppm.
How come some old vintage wines can taste so beautifully and without any SO2?
Because of the GRAPES! That’s simple.
In fact, the theory used at Cooper Mountain is simple: Because we do not have any sulfite as anti-oxidant in the wine, we are using Polyphenols (tannins) as anti-oxidant. Everything is based on the level of Polyphenol ripeness at the date of the harvest, the cap management during the fermentation and some polyphenols addition from oak extraction during the barrels aging. In conclusion, the I wine is made with the focus to have enough Polyphenols naturally present in the grapes.
As you know, it has been demonstrated that a moderate red wine (especially Pinot Noir) consumption reduces the risk of heart problems. A red wine is a particularly rich source of antioxidants flavonoid phenolics, so many studies to uncover a cause for red wine's effects have focused on its phenolic constituents, particularly resveratrol and the flavonoids. Resveratrol, found in grape skins and seeds, increases HDL cholesterol and prevent blood clotting. Flavonoids, on the other hand, exhibit antioxidant properties helping prevent blood clots and plaques formation in arteries.
The polyphenols we use as antioxidant to protect our “I” wine are the phenols described above.
After demonstrating that it is possible to make a Great No sulfite wine, Can we demonstrate that our I wine is also superiorly healthy that the sulfited wines for the cardio-vascular system? It will take time to know and some analysis are on their way hoping to demonstrate it.
The I wine 2005 will be released very soon. If you have the opportunity to taste this wine when it will be released, I would like to read your comments. Even if you do not like it, please post a comment.