Here's the latest in our video blog from the ranch!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
World of Pinot Noir
My friend Elizabeth and I poured Pinot AND Syrah this past Saturday at the World of Pinot Noir in Pismo Beach. It was great to reconnect with many of my SoCal customers and to meet many new fans who enjoyed the wines. Both the 2006 and 2007 wines were very well received.
We were in the Ballroom at the Cliffs Resort (actually in Shell Beach, just north of Pismo) rather than out in the tents overlooking the ocean. When the rains started, the Ballroom became quite crowded! Lamb chops were being served inside, so there was a lot of interest in the Syrah...! The recent awards that the wines won at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition didn't hurt!
We were staying at the Kon Tiki Inn, which is my little secret at WOPN. All rooms are oceanfront, and the amenities are outstanding, with a pool and two hot tubs overlooking the beach, and a full fitness club with tennis, racquetball, a lap pool and all of the usual fitness club accoutrements. We had to leave fairly early Sunday morning for the long drive back to Petaluma.
When I got back, I was able to help celebrate Liana's 13th birthday. Oh... My... God!... I am the father of a teenage girl!! HELP!
We were in the Ballroom at the Cliffs Resort (actually in Shell Beach, just north of Pismo) rather than out in the tents overlooking the ocean. When the rains started, the Ballroom became quite crowded! Lamb chops were being served inside, so there was a lot of interest in the Syrah...! The recent awards that the wines won at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition didn't hurt!
We were staying at the Kon Tiki Inn, which is my little secret at WOPN. All rooms are oceanfront, and the amenities are outstanding, with a pool and two hot tubs overlooking the beach, and a full fitness club with tennis, racquetball, a lap pool and all of the usual fitness club accoutrements. We had to leave fairly early Sunday morning for the long drive back to Petaluma.
When I got back, I was able to help celebrate Liana's 13th birthday. Oh... My... God!... I am the father of a teenage girl!! HELP!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Well I've Been Gone So Very Damn Long...
Moved to a new home in the 'burbs, and I'm livin' out of boxes. My dad's in the hospital, having received a "Ventricular Assist Device", which is basically half of an artificial heart. He was in surgery for about 10 hours on this past Tuesday, and is regaining consciousness now (Friday).
My new digs won't have an internet connection 'til the 10th!!
I'm writing this in the California Pacific Med Center ICU waiting room.
The vineyard is quiet.
The wine is sleeping.
Next weekend, I'll be pouring at World of Pinot Noir in Shell Beach. Come see me there!
My new digs won't have an internet connection 'til the 10th!!
I'm writing this in the California Pacific Med Center ICU waiting room.
The vineyard is quiet.
The wine is sleeping.
Next weekend, I'll be pouring at World of Pinot Noir in Shell Beach. Come see me there!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
2010 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
The results are in...
Clary Ranch's 2006 Syrah won the Judges' Choice Award, and the 2006 Pinot Noir won a Gold Medal. Please allow me to burst out in a self-congratulatory exclamation: WOO-HOO!!!
How do wines "compete", anyway? From tasting to tasting, wines are judged differently, by different judges, under different circumstances. Don't get me wrong: I am very pleased with the results. It is one more grain of sand... Okay, maybe a pebble... on the Public Relations Scale. It puts a little more weight behind Clary Ranch.
As the wines "win" more races, the stakes become higher. A "loss" weighs more heavily against a favored entry. The dark horse can come in with little to lose, and everything to gain. And in the final stretch - Okay, enough with the horse racing metaphor...
You've heard it before: buy the wines that taste good to you. Hopefully, the publicity will encourage more people to ask for my wines. (They're doing well in SoCal of late. I'll be making an appearance at a Pinot festival down in Pasadena at the end of this month.) The results of the San Francisco Chronicle Competition mean that I'll be pouring at Fort Mason in San Francisco on February 20th. More later...
Clary Ranch's 2006 Syrah won the Judges' Choice Award, and the 2006 Pinot Noir won a Gold Medal. Please allow me to burst out in a self-congratulatory exclamation: WOO-HOO!!!
How do wines "compete", anyway? From tasting to tasting, wines are judged differently, by different judges, under different circumstances. Don't get me wrong: I am very pleased with the results. It is one more grain of sand... Okay, maybe a pebble... on the Public Relations Scale. It puts a little more weight behind Clary Ranch.
As the wines "win" more races, the stakes become higher. A "loss" weighs more heavily against a favored entry. The dark horse can come in with little to lose, and everything to gain. And in the final stretch - Okay, enough with the horse racing metaphor...
You've heard it before: buy the wines that taste good to you. Hopefully, the publicity will encourage more people to ask for my wines. (They're doing well in SoCal of late. I'll be making an appearance at a Pinot festival down in Pasadena at the end of this month.) The results of the San Francisco Chronicle Competition mean that I'll be pouring at Fort Mason in San Francisco on February 20th. More later...
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2009 Ends...
It's been a challenging year.
In the vineyard, things went very well. Budburst was late, and the season remained late to the end. Spring was mild, unlike in 2008. Frost events were not excessive. There were no significant heat spikes, but the weather was warm in the late summer. There was a bit of unusually early rain, but with luck and a bit of diligence, the grapes made it through just fine. The vineyard yields were right where we wanted them. Bird pressure was not bad. The 2009 wines are tasting very good.
I began working with a new custom-crush facility, and in a joint venture with them, began my first foray into white wine with a Carneros Chardonnay grown by my friend and fellow meditator, Paul Larson. The vineyard is just east of Schellville at the southern end of Sonoma Valley, where the valley opens up to the grasslands abutting San Pablo Bay. We are working to produce a delicate wine that retains the fruit characteristics of Chardonnay with just a light touch of the smooth complexity that is usually "over the top" in a butter & oak bomb. Just 20% of it is being barrel-fermented and going through complete malolactic fermentation, and the remaining 80% is in stainless steel tanks. These constituents will be blended to make our finished wine.
It is tasting fantastic now, as we stir the lees in the barrels. I am very excited about the progress of this delicious wine.
The Pinot and Syrah hit their numbers perfectly. We picked the Pinot on October 30th & 31st - a Halloween wine! The Syrah came off the vine on November 11th. Both wines are now aging, and will remain so for all of 2010. Flavors and colors are deep! I'll taste and report as the year progresses.
In the vineyard and in the winery, things are looking and tasting great!
So what's the challenge? The wine market. These wines are expensive to produce, and large segments of the buying public have traded down to price points that don't support this level of viticulture and winemaking. I'm hopeful that the improving economy will encourage more wine aficionados to return to the wines that exhibit the passion and terroir that come with small batch, hands-on methods.
Lift your glass (filled with Clary Ranch wine, of course!) in a toast:
May the Coming Year be Filled with Joy, Health & Prosperity for All!
Happy New Year!
-Paul
In the vineyard, things went very well. Budburst was late, and the season remained late to the end. Spring was mild, unlike in 2008. Frost events were not excessive. There were no significant heat spikes, but the weather was warm in the late summer. There was a bit of unusually early rain, but with luck and a bit of diligence, the grapes made it through just fine. The vineyard yields were right where we wanted them. Bird pressure was not bad. The 2009 wines are tasting very good.
I began working with a new custom-crush facility, and in a joint venture with them, began my first foray into white wine with a Carneros Chardonnay grown by my friend and fellow meditator, Paul Larson. The vineyard is just east of Schellville at the southern end of Sonoma Valley, where the valley opens up to the grasslands abutting San Pablo Bay. We are working to produce a delicate wine that retains the fruit characteristics of Chardonnay with just a light touch of the smooth complexity that is usually "over the top" in a butter & oak bomb. Just 20% of it is being barrel-fermented and going through complete malolactic fermentation, and the remaining 80% is in stainless steel tanks. These constituents will be blended to make our finished wine.
It is tasting fantastic now, as we stir the lees in the barrels. I am very excited about the progress of this delicious wine.
The Pinot and Syrah hit their numbers perfectly. We picked the Pinot on October 30th & 31st - a Halloween wine! The Syrah came off the vine on November 11th. Both wines are now aging, and will remain so for all of 2010. Flavors and colors are deep! I'll taste and report as the year progresses.
In the vineyard and in the winery, things are looking and tasting great!
So what's the challenge? The wine market. These wines are expensive to produce, and large segments of the buying public have traded down to price points that don't support this level of viticulture and winemaking. I'm hopeful that the improving economy will encourage more wine aficionados to return to the wines that exhibit the passion and terroir that come with small batch, hands-on methods.
Lift your glass (filled with Clary Ranch wine, of course!) in a toast:
May the Coming Year be Filled with Joy, Health & Prosperity for All!
Happy New Year!
-Paul
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Steel Drum Memories
After a week on Antigua, I spent a week on Sint Maarten. The two islands are very different! On Antigua, we were right on a splendid beach, with jungle transitioning to sand transitioning to azure seas. On St. Maarten, we were in 4-star accommodations overlooking Simpson Bay, with a "Las Vegas"-style skyline on the far shore. Antigua, the more primitive of the two, is more expensive; St. Maarten is cheaper than the U.S. for many things!
At retail, wines from California were overpriced in general (K-J California Pinot: $40), and French wines were less expensive. BUT... on a restaurant wine list, I was able to find a Pinot scoring 90 pts (WS) from Oregon for under $140, while those comparably scored from France were $395 to $2830. California Pinots scoring 85 to 87 were priced at $50-$80. The French bottle for $2830 was Chateau Petrus, which scored 90 pts. Just goes to show what a name can command!
We took a day trip from St. Maarten to the island of Saba (pronounced: Say-ba). Saba is a 5-square-mile volcanic rock: no beaches, just cliffs plunging into the sea. In the middle of Saba, which is inhabited by a mere 1400 people, is a Medical School - the main economic engine of the island. Surrounding the island to a depth of 200 feet is a marine preserve. Below the water's surface lie some of the world's most beautiful, pristine coral reefs. Diving with "Saba Deep", we encountered a profusion of colorful sponges, coral, fish, eels, lobsters, molluscs, turtles... Truly a spectacular dive destination! After our second dive, we rushed back to the harbor to catch the waiting afternoon ferry, knowing that we would someday return.
I got back to rainy California this past Saturday, arriving at my home around midnight. On the drive home, as I passed the Loomis house, the light was on at the barn, indicating that the bar was open. After unloading my luggage at home, I returned to the barn, where a party was in full swing. They were celebrating the graduation of a law enforcement class including Park Rangers, Coast Guard, FBI and Police. I discreetly savored a Cuban cigar and a single malt Scotch while thinking back fondly on my Caribbean travels.
I wonder where I'll be next year after crush...
At retail, wines from California were overpriced in general (K-J California Pinot: $40), and French wines were less expensive. BUT... on a restaurant wine list, I was able to find a Pinot scoring 90 pts (WS) from Oregon for under $140, while those comparably scored from France were $395 to $2830. California Pinots scoring 85 to 87 were priced at $50-$80. The French bottle for $2830 was Chateau Petrus, which scored 90 pts. Just goes to show what a name can command!
We took a day trip from St. Maarten to the island of Saba (pronounced: Say-ba). Saba is a 5-square-mile volcanic rock: no beaches, just cliffs plunging into the sea. In the middle of Saba, which is inhabited by a mere 1400 people, is a Medical School - the main economic engine of the island. Surrounding the island to a depth of 200 feet is a marine preserve. Below the water's surface lie some of the world's most beautiful, pristine coral reefs. Diving with "Saba Deep", we encountered a profusion of colorful sponges, coral, fish, eels, lobsters, molluscs, turtles... Truly a spectacular dive destination! After our second dive, we rushed back to the harbor to catch the waiting afternoon ferry, knowing that we would someday return.
I got back to rainy California this past Saturday, arriving at my home around midnight. On the drive home, as I passed the Loomis house, the light was on at the barn, indicating that the bar was open. After unloading my luggage at home, I returned to the barn, where a party was in full swing. They were celebrating the graduation of a law enforcement class including Park Rangers, Coast Guard, FBI and Police. I discreetly savored a Cuban cigar and a single malt Scotch while thinking back fondly on my Caribbean travels.
I wonder where I'll be next year after crush...
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