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

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...

Post-Crush Excursion

When the Harvest is done, and the Wine is finished fermenting and put to bed for the winter, I like to get far away from the vineyard.

This year, I'm in the Caribbean, writing this from Dickinson's Bay on Antigua. I've done some scuba diving, and I've been sampling the local rum. Last night, I had dinner at a restaurant over the water. The wine list showed about 8 reds, one from Lodi & the rest from Europe, Argentina and Australia. I ordered a Montipulciano, and as a backup, a Bordeaux. Turns out that they only had three wines on the list... the Lodi Cab, an Australian Shiraz and an Argentinian Pinot.

I went with the Australian Shiraz, which turned out to be a Shiraz-Cab blend. We are spoiled in California for wines, but the weather is definitely so much nicer here right now!

Going to English Harbor tomorrow, where we'll see an 18th-century dockyard once home to the future Admiral Horatio Nelson. The rum is good, and the ocean is warm!