Watch for the first release of our wines in Spring of 2010
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Merlot
Wine Notes:
February 2010
We are getting ready for the first of two blind tastings of the 2008 Pinot Noir. We will be sampling several clones - 114, 115, 667, 777 - and deciding which blend we will bottle. We harvested each clone at their peak to get the flavor profile we wanted. Now it is time to determine the blend that we will bottle. A very long process that involves 30+ people over two weekends. This spring you will be able to judge how we did! Watch for our new website with online store coming in May. Until our tasting room is open this fall, the only place you can purchase our wines will be on our website.
November 2009
Merlot Update: One of the significant things that we do to improve our wine and elevate it above commercial Merlot is to hand sort it! Additionally, we cold soak the Merlot with dry ice for about a week before fermentation, and then separate the free run new wine from the press fraction (like Pinot), and blend back based on taste later on.
September 2009
WINE RELEASE UPDATE - We have submitted our bonding documents and expect that process to be completed in November. We will then bottle in January and have a release party (at the vineyard) in the spring - watch for details (and an invitation)!
We will be releasing two different Pinot Noirs, a Merlot, and a Chardonnay.
Our Vinter says that the 2008 Pinot is more complex than the 2007 which was given a score of 92 by a wine critic from Chicago!
Creating a complex Pinot Noir is no easy task, and requires hours of blending different Pinot clones to achieve a truly exceptional wine. Next spring you will be able to judge for yourself!
April 2009
We have completed the second of our two blind tastings and have reached a consensus for our first bottling. See photos below.
We will be bottling 2 Pinot Noirs - one will be a Dijon clone and one will be a LaTache clone. With more than 46 recognized Pinot Noir clones worldwide, the 'art' of making fine Pinot is no easy task. Compare this to the 12 recognized clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and you can understand why! We will have more details on the different Pinot clones for those that are interested on the website later in the year.
Both of our bottlings come from the fabulous wine growing area called Santa Lucia Highlands, east of Monterey, California. Watch for the announcement of a 'tasting package' later this year to give our friends a chance to try the wines before purchasing. Everyone is excited about our Pinot's and we will be ready to start bottling this summer. Be sure to sign our guestbook so we can contact you with updates on our wines.
March 2009
We will have our first 'blind taste' in March. This process is what makes our wines unique. Most of the time winemakers have only themselves and various cellar workers or owners to give them input and determine what particular barrels and clones from a vintage are better or more varietally appropriate than others. Additionally, various proportions of the components create widely differing styles of finished wine.
We like to think that our “advantage” is that we meet as a group - with more than 30 wine lovers - to taste the clones blind and taste the proposed blends blind. By using commonly accepted blind tasting procedures and having thirty-five or forty people who are going to consume the wine do the ratings, we achieve consensus as to the best possible combinations.
9687 Soquel Drive
