Wine Club News - May 2013
May Wine Club Shipment
Your May Wine Club shipment is on its way. This is the last automatic shipment until October so if you need a few special bottles to take you through summer let us know so we can ship before it gets too hot.
2010 and 2011 Vintages
The 2010 and 2011 vintages were challenging years in the vineyards. As a result we took a lot less grapes than normal years and so our wine production was lower than expected however we are happy to announce that our 2010 and 2011 wines are excellent renditions of their variety and terroir.
Combine lower production with a growing wine club and we will most certainly run out of certain wines. As a Wine Club Member you will receive the new wines in your shipment before they are released to the tasting room but if you find you can't live without one of these wines, act quickly to order more before we are out.
2012 Vintage
The 2012 vintage was the best we have seen since 2005 and potentially could be the "vintage of the century." We achieved good crops in every variety both in quality and quantity.
Once again we will be releasing a Viognier as well as a new Roussanne, a full range of Bordeaux and Rhone single varietals and blends plus a new Pinot Passion from our newest Russian River Valley vineyard. Even in its present state this Pinot is a heart-breaker so by the time it's bottled and given a few months in glass, it will be exceptional!
These wines are resting in barrel now and we are expecting great single varietals as well as exceptional blends with 2012 on the label. The whites and Pinot will be bottled in late June while we expect the reds to be bottled around March 2014.
2013 Growing Season
Right now our vineyards are alive with tiny grape clusters after an early start in which we had virtually no frost or wind damage. As I write this I am looking out my window at the rows of grapes in the Home Ranch Vineyard. The rows are perfect, all the same size and rate of maturation with that dark green layer on the bottom and a light green layer across the top.
All indications are for a "normal" to "very good" year so hopefully we will have excellent back-to-back vintages - fingers crossed!
The Bee's Knees - No, Bill's Knees!
If you visited the tasting room lately you might have noticed that Bill has been missing.
After spending a month in Australia visiting our sister wineries to establish the "Bill's Cellar" collection of wines, Bill finally bit the bullet and had a total double knee replacement.
The good news is he is back on his bionic legs and as part of his physical therapy is once again going from table in the tasting room where you can hear his familiar proclamations like "empty glasses are forbidden here!"
Look for Bill to be around for the May Pickup Parties.
Wine, Cheese and Recipes for your May Shipment
As is our tradition, Wine Club Members will be the first to taste our beautiful examples of the 2010 red harvest which was a challenging year in the vineyards.
Consequently the harvest was small and the quantity of wine produced was limited, so the wine club is likely to take the majority of this year's bottling.
Here are the wines, recipes and cheese selections for our May Wine Club. Based on your club selection (e.g., 1 white 2 red) you will receive three of these wines.
White Wines
Red Wines
Thanks for your support and enjoy your May shipment!
Kind regards,
Dawn & Bill Williamson