UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
 
 BUI^IiETlN NO. 35. 
 
 Investigations of Wines from Rare 
 Grape Varieties. 
 
 Grown by the Natoma Water and Mining 
 Company, Folsom, 1884. 
 
 It should be understood that almost all of the 
 grapes furnished from the vineyard of the above 
 company, for experimental wine-making at the Uni- 
 versity Viticultural Laboratory, where the product of 
 two-year-old grafts on old Mission stocks, all trained 
 long on stakes with a view to the production of wood 
 as well as fruit. The plantation is in rather low 
 ground, and the product may from this cause, as 
 well from the youth of the vines, be accounted as not 
 representing the best result to be expected from each 
 variety. 
 
 The grapes were usually (after stemming) crushed as 
 as soon as received, i. e. in from two to three, rarely 
 four days after shipment from the vineyard. The 
 quantities being small, it was necessary to keep the 
 temperature of the fermenting room higher than 
 would have been admissable for large packages; usu- 
 ally between 67 and 70 F. Under these circumstances 
 the fermentations were almost always completed 
 within from seven to nine days after crushing, as is 
 the case on the large scale. The red wines were fer- 
 mented in tubs of appropriate sizes, with floating, 
 unperforaled covers leaving about an inch, or less, 
 of space all around for the escape of gas, without ex- 
 posing the pomace to acetification ; and twice each 
 day the whole was thoroughly stirred. The pomace 
 was in all cases pressed and the press must or wine 
 united with the first run ; and here again, the wines 
 do not represent the best possible result, as is well 
 understood. The presses used were the "Keystone" 
 and the "Americus", and as the same persons always 
 did the pressing, it is presumable that the percen- 
 tages of pomace given below represent actual differ- 
 ences in the grapes themselves. The must was in 
 most cases analyzed immediately after pressing; but 
 sometimes the pressure of work prevented this and it 
 was omitted. 
 
 The after-fermentation of all the red wines at least 
 took place in kegs of proper size, of from one to ten 
 gallons, in a room kept at all times at from 58° to 
 60"' F. It was afterward found that the thinness of 
 the staves of these kegs not only gave rise to rapid 
 evaporation, but also to excessive access of air 
 through their pores, so soon as the carbonic acid gas 
 had ceased to be given off . They were filled up 
 every week or oftener, as the ullage required; with 
 the same wine when this was available, and if not 
 with cle+n fragments of Folsom granite, in order to 
 avoid the addition of anything foreign to the grape. 
 So soon ns the injurious effects of the thin staves 
 were noted, the kegs were covered with a thick coat 
 of paraffine. Since then the ullage has been trifling, 
 and at le ist not greater than usual in large pack- 
 ages; and no farther bad effects have appeared. 
 All the wines have been racked three times at this 
 date; some oftener, as their condition seemed to re- 
 quire. Of nearly all, samples have also been kept 
 
 in bottles and vials, tor comparison of the effects of 
 the package on the development of the wines; and 
 of many, samples were exposed in bottles only par- 
 tially fully, in order to test their keeping qualities 
 under such circumstances. Nearly all have been 
 tasted at ihree successive periods by Mr. Pohndorff, 
 as well as by myself. In the notes given below the 
 dates as well as the tasters are mentioned, and they 
 include, of course, such portions of the report of the 
 wine committee of the late Viticultural Convention 
 as refer to the same wines. In order to render the 
 results more generally useful in guiding the choice 
 for plantmg, I place at the beginning of each state- 
 ment an abstract of the main points of interest in 
 connection with the culture of the several grapes, 
 from the (French) wor^t on the vines of France, by 
 Mas & Pulliat; also the notes furnished by the Na- 
 toma Company concerning the habit of the vine, as 
 observed at Folsom, with such remarks as were su°^- 
 gested by the comparison with the figures and de- 
 scriptions of the French types. 
 
 Mondeuse. 
 
 Cultivated chiefly iu southeastern France, in 
 the more northern departments bordering on 
 the Rhone, and in Savoy, where it forms a 
 large proportion of the vineyards and yields 
 excellent red wines,provided it is planted on up- 
 land slopes with good exposure, as it needs 
 considerable heat to acquire its best qualities; 
 in valley lands, or on unfavorable slopes, it 
 rapidly loses quality. The wines are heavy- 
 bodied and deeply colored, but somewhat rough 
 at first and rather slow to mature. It is a 
 vigorous and very productive vine, even with 
 short pruning, and remarkably long-lived. 
 From the Natoma vineyard it is reported as 
 being not quite so productive as the Sirah, but 
 more vigorous — the bunches from that locality 
 were, on the whole, remarkably long and 
 rather more loose than in the figure, even 
 sparse; berries of medium size, with a thin but 
 firm skin, much less tender than that of the 
 Sirah, and deeply colored. 
 
 Two lots were received, one on September 
 10, '84, with 20.2 per cent sugar, and a second 
 one on October 1, '84, showing 22.6 per cent of 
 sugar. Both were crushed for their own wine 
 on the days of receipt and were in good condi- 
 tion throughout. Fermentation of the first lot 
 (No. 10) began on the night of September 11th, 
 at 68.9" F, and reached its maximum tempera- 
 ture of 82.4° F. on the night from Sept. ISch to 
 14th, then fell to the temperature of the cellar 
 (70^ F. ) on Sept. 17th, the seventh day from the 
 crushing^ when the murk was drawn ofiF, the 
 yield being 12 gallons from 148.06 lbs., or at 
 the rate of 167.2 gallons per ton; pomace, IS. 4 
 p. c. Fermentation of the second lot (No. 10 
 A) began on the morning of Ojt. 2d, at 66° F., 
 
and reached its maximum temperature of 71.G^ 
 F. on Oct. 4rth, then fell to the temperature of 
 the cellar on Oct. 8th; when the murk was 
 drawn oft' eight days from the crushing the 
 yield from the 56.8 lbs. employed not being 
 measured in this case. Pomace 12.0 per cent. 
 
 The fermentation was regular and satisfactory 
 throughout, and the young wine cleared very 
 rapidly, racked from lees November 26. 
 
 Record of tasting, November 11th (Pohndorjf). 
 Sample No. 10, crushed September 10th. Ex- 
 cellent color and taste. 
 
 Same date, No. lOA, of October 1st, better 
 than the preceding, and of very marked quality. 
 
 First week of December Conventioii committee 
 rei^ort, — 
 
 Equal usefulness and quality (as in the Petite 
 Sirah) is shown in samples No. 73 of Mrs. C. A. 
 Wetmore and U. No. loA of Mondeuse, or Grosse 
 Sirah. The color, as grand, ruby-tinted and of great 
 intensity in this wine, as in the small Sirah, and as- 
 stringency and general taste and flavor of equal 
 beauty, will render the two varieties some of the 
 future favorite plants in California vineyards. U. 
 No. 35, a blend of two-fifths Mondeuse with three- 
 fourths Zinfandel, is an eloquent test of a happy im- 
 provement and good use of Zinfandel for a delicious 
 superior wine. It is fortunate that, according to ex- 
 perience at the Natoma Vineyard, the Petite Sirah 
 shows itself a very fair bearer and Mondeuse to be a 
 vine of good vigor; both ripen early. 
 
 February 9th, 1885. (Pohndorff.) Sample in 
 lO-gal. keg: Color deep ruby, taste clean, mild, 
 light, and showing good development, but 
 taste slightly impaired by the thinness of the 
 staves, and consequent excessive access of air. 
 Bouquet expressive, but likewise influenced by 
 the circumstance just referred to. Had the care 
 of keeping an even temperature in the cellar 
 been relaxed, this wine would probably have 
 gone wrong. 
 
 Sample in full bottle filtered from lees Nov. 
 26th: Kept and developed well; taste frank, 
 color unimpaired. 
 
 Sample in bottle three-fourths full, closely 
 corked, of same date as above: Perfectly sound, 
 color kept remarkably well. Taste astringent; 
 oxidation produced only a slight bitterness. 
 
 Small remnant of same in eight ouDce 
 vial, with cork loosely put in since November 
 26th, kept its color perfectly, taste clean and 
 only slightly affected by the air that half filled 
 the vial. 
 
 The Mondeuse proves therefore to be a sturdy 
 keeper, a circumstance of great value for the 
 hot regions of the State. 
 
 April 1, 1885. (E. W. H.)— The condition of 
 the earlier sample, No. 10, is bright; its color 
 is sensibly less intense than that of No. lOA, 
 which is cle^r and of an intense purplish-red 
 color. The character of both is strongly de- 
 V doped, showing a peculiar, fruity bouquet, 
 most agreeable in the later sample. The body 
 is heavy; the vinous flavor is well developed; 
 both are decidedly roughish to the taste at 
 this time, both acid and astringency being 
 ouite Drominent: the wine dilutes remarkably 
 
 "well. * It will evidently take some time to tone 
 down the asperity. In uU respects, therefore, 
 the samples agree with th e French types. i 
 
 Sirah— Petite Sirah, Syrac, &c. 
 
 The Sirah, like the Mondeuse, is most largely 
 cultivated in Southeastern France, from the re- 
 gion of Lyon southward beyond Valence; but 
 it is also grown more or less on the Cote d'Or 
 and in the Bordelais. It forms, in blends with 
 white grapes like the Marsanne, Roussanne, 
 Viognier, etc., a large ingredient of the high- 
 grade red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rotie, and 
 other localities. It is a vigorous vine, of good 
 productiveness; is mostly pruned long or half 
 long, but is sometimes nearly as productive as 
 the Mondeuse, even when short- pruned. 
 
 From Folsom, the Sirah is reported to be 
 (long-pruned) a very fair bearer, and medium 
 ripening, a little later than the Mondeuse. This 
 is the reverse of what is stated in this regard, 
 from France, where the Mondeuse ripens be- 
 tween the second and third epoch, while the 
 Sirah is of the second. The character of the 
 Sirah from Fol&om was very exactly that de- 
 scribed and figured by French authors, only 
 the bunches "were more closely packed. They 
 arrived in good condition, although the skin is 
 more tender than that of the Mondeuse; and on 
 the whole, the Sirah would not bear transpor- 
 tation or keep as well as the former. The ber- 
 ries are very juicy and deeply colored. 
 
 Two lots were received, one. No. 12, on Sept. 
 13th, showing 21.6 sugar by spindle ; the other, 
 No. 12 A, Sept. 30th, with (according to the al- 
 coholic contents of the wine) about 23.0 of 
 sugar. The first lot was in good condition; the 
 second considerably damaged by handling and 
 in part by mould, but it was carefully picked 
 over before crushing. 
 
 Of the first lot 104.7 pounds were crushed on 
 Sept. 13th, and began fermentation on the 
 morning of the 15th at a temperature of 68.9'' 
 F. It reached its maximum temperature of 
 77.8 F. on Sept. 16th, remaining at that tem- 
 perature for one day, while that of the cellar 
 was 70', then gradually fell to the cellar tem- 
 perature of 69° F., on Sept. 20th, when the 
 murk was drawn off, seven days from the crush- 
 ing, the yield being 8.9 gallons from the above 
 amount, or at the rate of 170.1 galljns per ton; 
 pomace, 11.3 per cent. The young wine was 
 racked from the lees on Nov. 27th. 
 
 The fermentation of the second lot of 86.9 
 pounds, crushed on Sept. 30th, began on the 
 evening of Oct. 2d at a temperature of 66.2% 
 and reached its maximum of 76^ on Oct. 4th, 
 the temperature of the cellar being at the time 
 67^ F. Next morning the temperature had fall- 
 en to 71. 6% and then gradually fell to the cellar 
 temperature of 68.9^ on Oct. 8th, when the 
 murk was drawn off, nine days from th crush- 
 ing, the yield being 7 gallons from the al Dve 
 amount, or at the rate of only 161.1 gallons per 
 ton. This wine was racked from the lees on 
 Nov. 11th. The color of both samples was 
 very intense. 
 
Record of tasting. Nov. 11th, 1884. [Pohn- 
 dorff.) No. 12, good color and clean taste. 
 
 No. 12A, deeper color than No. ]2, clean 
 taste. 
 
 Vit. convention committee report: 
 
 Petite Sirah U. 12, and 202, from Oakville, con- 
 firmed the conviction gained from previous samples 
 from Mr. Drummond of Glen Ellen, of a very useful 
 wine of splendid color, fine fragrance and frank, 
 clean vinous taste. The latter gentleman presented 
 his 1884 in a blend with one-fifth of Marsanne, the 
 white grape of Hermitage; and this blend was a very- 
 good one. 
 
 U. No. 16. one-fifth Sirah to four-fifths of Mal- 
 bec, although having apparently too small an addi- 
 tion of the former to modify the nature and taste of 
 the latter, seems to be a homogeneous mixture, 
 while U. blend No. 36, not noted in the catalog ae, 
 consisting of one-third of Petite Sirah and two- 
 thirds of Cabernet franc, is a successful combination. 
 So is blend No. 90, which in the catalogue is incor- 
 rectly noted, and consists of half Petite Sirah and 
 half Cinsaut; the result being a wine of perfumed 
 flavor. The use of the same m equal proportions, 
 making up 60 parts of Sirah, to 40 parts of Zinfan- 
 del is beautifully merged in U. No. 94. 
 
 It will be noted that the pure Sirah sample. 
 No. 10, mentioned above, is the earlier one. 
 
 February 9, 1885. (FohndorfiF.)— Sample in 
 five-gallon keg (No. 12) is of full flavor, good, 
 deep color, and rich, expressive taste, mild and 
 agreeable. 
 
 Sample in one-gallon demijohn: deep color, 
 well kept, and development corresponding to 
 the clean taste and characteristic expression. 
 
 Sample in bottle: deep color, bright, clean 
 taste, characteristic expression, clean and ex- 
 pressive; advanced development, owing to three 
 rackings received since it finished its termenta- 
 tion. 
 
 Sample in small kes;, from the grapes arrived 
 September 30th: deep color; although still 
 sound, the wine has suffered and its taste is 
 affected by too easy access of air and evapor- 
 ation through the thin staves. 
 
 April 1, 1885. (E. W. H.)— The condition 
 of both samples, 12 and 12A., is clear. The 
 color of the first is sensibly less deep than that 
 of the latter sample, which is of an intense pur- 
 ple tint; its body, also, is heavier to the taste 
 than that of No. 12. The bouquet has devel- 
 oped decidedly since last tasting, and has a 
 suggestion of that of dried prunes. The acidity 
 of the sample No. 10 (the earlier) is quite de- 
 cided to the taste though pleasant; that of 12 
 a much less so, although this is the sample 
 noted as having suffered from the thinness of 
 the staves. Neither dilutes well; the bouquet 
 is lost at once, though in No. 10 the acid and 
 astringency still hold out, while lOA becomes 
 flat at once. 
 
 Must. 
 
 No. 
 
 10 
 
 lOA 
 12 
 
 12 A 
 30 
 
 Variety. 
 
 Mondeuse. 
 Mondeuse. , 
 
 Sirah 
 
 Sirah 
 
 Cinsaut* . 
 
 Sept. 10 
 Oct. ' 
 Sept. 13 
 Sept. 30 
 Sept. 25 
 
 Solid Contents 
 by Spindle . . 
 
 Acid as Tar- 
 
 20.160 
 
 .510 
 
 22.600 
 
 
 21.600 
 
 !663 
 
 23.940 
 
 .528 
 
 > 
 
 2. 
 21 
 o 
 
 ?r 
 
 .413 
 .533 
 .450 
 .375 
 .381 
 
 Wine. 
 
 JNo. 
 
 10 
 
 10 A 
 12 
 
 12 A 
 30 
 
 td 
 
 I *<5 
 
 Variety. 
 
 Mondeuse 2.635 
 
 Mondeuse 2.842 
 
 Sirah 12.650 
 
 Sirah 12.790 
 
 Cinsaut* i2.600 
 
 Alcohol. 
 
 5J 
 
 < 
 5 
 
 9.5611.89 
 9.92 12.27 
 10.0712.54 
 10.81 13.27 
 10.4412.90 
 
 .173 
 .141 
 .092 
 .108 
 .070 
 
 498 
 405 
 401 
 
 393 
 ,490 
 
 It will be noticed that the Mondeuse is alto« 
 gether the heaviest bearer of tannin, ranking 
 in this respect with the Malbeck, Tannat an A 
 Charbono; the earlier sample, singularly 
 enough, showing the higher figure. The Sirah 
 averages only two-thirds as much, while the 
 C insaut runs in this respect with the Zin- 
 fandels. 
 
 Considering the cool season of 1884, the alco- 
 holic contents run high in all three, as might be 
 expected of grapes of their climatic location in 
 France. The body, though heavy, is not as 
 high as might have been expected ; but as it 
 distinctly increases with maturity it would 
 probably reach three per cent in our ordinary 
 seasons. Similarly the acid, which reaches a 
 respectable figure in all, would ordinarily be 
 somewhat lower, probably, than in 1884. The 
 Mondeuse comes nearest to a true claret type ; 
 but it is probable that for commercial purposes 
 the wines from these grapes would generally 
 be blended with others, as is done in France ; 
 and for such purpose they will certainly be of 
 the highest value in modifying and imparting 
 quality to our more common types. 
 
 Berkeley, Cal, April 2, 1885. 
 
 E. W. HiLGARD. 
 
 * Fuller details regarding the Cinsaut will be given in 
 a future bulletin.