Currently for Sale (see tasting notes below):
2009 7 Mules Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA. $42
2009 Double Canyon Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, WA. $36
2008 Burgess Syrah, Columbia Valley, WA. $25
2007 OGV Pinot Noir, Russian River, CA. $31
2010 Vintage
What a crazy vintage (can I just say it is so much easier making wine when I am not 7 months pregnant). We were into October with the 7 Mules Vineyard in the Russian River as California was lagging behind the normal September harvest dates with the cool season in 2010. The great news for the vintage is all the amazing flavors from the extra time the fruit spent on the vine. We had the pleasure of making our Pinot Noirs at Paradise Ridge this year in Santa Rosa -- talk about a great winery with a fantastic staff and a stunning view (yes, I am a sucker for a pretty view). When the heat arrived in California, it came with a vengeance; we picked the Thorn Ranch Pinot Noir from 11pm-5 am just to keep the vineyard workers and the fruit cool. The crew survived on coffee, doughnuts, and head lamps.
The 2010 Merlot from Double Canyon Vineyard came in ahead of our Thorn Ranch Pinot Noir in Northern California -- crazy -- thus a lot of traveling with the winemaking this year. For those of you following us -- yes, I did just mention a Merlot from Horse Heaven Hills, which will be blended with the Cabernet/Petit Verdot component in the spring of 2011. What more could anyone desire but Bordeaux-style wines from Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills!
On the Syrah front, we have the Double Canyon Syrah once again, which is oh-so-nice. We also have a Rhone-style blend with Syrah, Cunoise, Grenache, and Mourvedre, thanks to Damon LaLonde in Red Mountain. There will only be about 50 cases of this blend, so it's wine club only.
We performed all of our Washington de-stemming at Alexandria Nicole, yet again another great view and fantastic staff. The advantage of de-stemming the fruit in Washington is quicker processing time: since the fruit does not travel 5+ hours, it can begin cold soak immediately, using dry ice for cooling.
And for those of you who follow us on Facebook: you will see the love affair we've developed with large Penske trucks, which were indispensable this year in our multi-state wine venture.
2009 Vintage
2009 7 Mules Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA. Meticulously farmed by the Martinelli family, the small intense fruit from this vineyard has morphed into an elegant, classic, flavorful Pinot Noir. 175 cases. Spring 2011 release.
2009 Thorn Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA. Situated southwest of Sebastopol, the hilltop vineyard owned and managed by Ted Klopp produced some of the most intense Pinot Noir I have seen in a long time. 130 cases. Fall 2012 release.
2009 Double Canyon Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, WA. Will Beightol is an amazing grower with a knockout vineyard. The vineyards sits on a hill top adjacent to the Champoux Vineyard about 6 miles north of the Columbia River. The wine is phenomenal. 110 cases. Spring 2011 release.
2009 Red Mountain Cabernet/Merlot, Red Mountain, WA. My intentions of making a Bordeaux-style blend were thwarted when I saw this fruit. Red Mountain is a tiny appellation (600 acres) producing some of the best reds in Washington. This wine has another year in barrel, but wow. 85 cases. Fall 2012 release.
2008 Vintage
2008 Russian River Pinot Noir, CA. Similar to the 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir, yet more intense, ripe strawberry with hints of tobacco are followed by a deliciously long finish. 65 cases produced.
2008 Burgess Syrah, Columbia Valley, WA. Paul Burgess is a second-generation grower and has a diamond of a vineyard among the rolling hills above Smith Canyon. This Syrah is earthy and rich, with currant and black cherries layered with smoky notes of tobacco and chocolate. 175 cases produced.