Nicely written article about Dunn

[Neal.Mollen]

@Doug Schulman

@Berry Crawford

@Alan Eden

Dunn really is intriguing, tannic and austere sounding but lower in alcohol.

I want to jump on mail list but i just keep on holding back

Ive never had a Dunn of any age I didn’t think was drinking well. Yes they have some serious tannins but there is so much extract it always seems balanced to me. I might be more tannin tolerant than other people possibly.

I’ve rarely had one that I thought was ready to drink. It isn’t about the amount of tannin; it’s about the wine opening up and showing some maturing character. Different tastes…

I’m more like Doug than Berry. I am a fan, but they are slooooooooooow in coming around.

[Bob_Hughes]

The next generation always wants to do it differently than the last generation - that’s life.

This goes back to the 80’s, but I can recall reading how Elio Altare literally burned his Dad’s old botti because he thought they were so dirty, and the father was so ticked he came close to disinheriting him.

It is funny, though - for a long time winery, Dunn has to be about as “under the radar” as it gets, but I hadn’t realized that Parker wasn’t reviewing the wines for a while.

[Neal.Mollen]

@Bob Hughes

I hadn’t realized that Parker wasn’t reviewing the wines for a while.

?? He’s reviewed every vintage (except, it appears, 2011) from 2013 stretching back ages. He gave the 2013 Howell 95-97 points (although now that I think of it, that must be a mistake, since he only likes high alcohol ooze-monsters.) Now, he had given Antonio the Napa beat for a while, but he is back doing Napa himself now

[Nancy_Dolce]

@Merrill Lindquist

I found the article rather sad. I posted that over on eBob, and was immediately asked why I felt this way. To me, it was highlighting discord between parent and child. As a mother, that saddens me. Maybe some other “moms” will come out here and add their feelings.

I thought that the closing line was over-the-top journalistic junk.

Thanks for pointing out this discussion, Merill. I hadn’t looked in since I don’t have Dunn wines, but have enjoyed reading about them over the years.

As far as the journalistic junk, it looks like Mike pointed that out in his reply to a comment. You can’t sum up a relationship in a one hour interview.

There is a good story under the surface.

[Bob_Hughes]

That’s not what the article says, Neal?

I wouldn’t know one way or the other.

[Neal.Mollen]

@Bob Hughes

That’s not what the article says, Neal?

I wouldn’t know one way or the other.

Interesting. I can tell you they show reviews every year (or nearly) from 2013 back to the early 80s

[Merrill_Lindquist]

@Nancy Dolce

@Merrill Lindquist

I found the article rather sad. I posted that over on eBob, and was immediately asked why I felt this way. To me, it was highlighting discord between parent and child. As a mother, that saddens me. Maybe some other “moms” will come out here and add their feelings.

I thought that the closing line was over-the-top journalistic junk.

Thanks for pointing out this discussion, Merill. I hadn’t looked in since I don’t have Dunn wines, but have enjoyed reading about them over the years.

As far as the journalistic junk, it looks like Mike pointed that out in his reply to a comment. You can’t sum up a relationship in a one hour interview.

There is a good story under the surface.

I did not read any comments. My experience with comments to published articles is that they usually draw out the outliers. I will look in on this after the Sox beat the Yanks.

[Nancy_Dolce]

Oh, no. Mets and Yanks in this house. We leave the Sox for my cousins.

[Merrill_Lindquist]

@Nancy Dolce

Oh, no. Mets and Yanks in this house. We leave the Sox for my cousins.

We have beat them all soundly in the last week .

[ekovitch]

Any comments out there on how reverse osmosis impacts the wines taste? If removing 1 or 2 percent is good, why not take it down to 10%, or 5%? Not trying to be a wiseass, but I think that I would prefer the grapes picked at the ripeness that the winemaker is trying to get and then not manipulating it.

[ekovitch]

Also, anyone know what year Dunn started removing alcohol? I have Dunn in my basement going back to '84s, which I assume is well before the reverse osmosis practice. I have never thought that any of the Dunn wines prior to had an excessive alcohol problem.

[Merrill_Lindquist]

@ekovitch

Any comments out there on how reverse osmosis impacts the wines taste? If removing 1 or 2 percent is good, why not take it down to 10%, or 5%? Not trying to be being a wiseass, but I think that I would prefer the grapes picked at the ripeness that the winemaker is trying to get and then not manipulating it.

That’s where I am, but I am in the way way way minority. I am looking around, going to barrel by the end of the week, and all the Cab is hanging around my property (owned by others). Many of your favorite labels make wine that uses RO. That’s not wrong, and I don’t really have experience with it, but I don’t choose to do it and don’t need to do it. I don’t have a waiting list for my “regular” Cab, either. So, maybe those wines are “better?”

I think if you let the fruit hang, then add water, perhaps you get more liquid? More wine to sell? Again, I am not criticizing. But I am cautious about allowing any raisin character in my wine, because it is just not part of its profile. Where RO comes in, I have no idea.
I think in order to get through a successful fermentation, you have to get the Brix down to a certain level. So I am not sure when they are taking out the alcohol, because alcohol is related to the sugar (Brix).