Our Blue Dog NV fra Chateau Morrisette, Floyd - Virginia
This popular white wine is a semi-sweet Riesling-Traminette blend, using Vidal Blanc for added depth. Aromas of melons, citrus fruits, apricots, and delicate flowers highlight the soft finish of this soothing wine.
Alc. 11.7%, Lagring: 17 days stainless steel fermentation
Drue: 100% Riesling, Traminette, Vidal Blanc.
Dry Riesling 2022 fra Thirsty Owl
Finger Lakes – New York
Estate grown fruit using VSP trellis with intense canopy management and sustainable growing practices. Fermented slowly at cool temperatures to enhance fruit. Stopped by chilling to retain natural residual sugar. Bright fruit aromas of honeycrisp apple and pear.
Notes of lime with a fresh, dry finish.
Alc. 12.0%, Lagring: Stainless Steel, Drue: 100% Riesling
Chardonnay 2023 Singing Tree fra Goldschmidt Vineyards – Russian River Valley, Sonoma – Californien
The rolling hills and western slopes of Sonoma County were once home to apple orchards filled with songbirds; hence the name 'Singing Tree. Quality Chardonnay is made by matching the plant material and rootstock to the right vineyard site. This yields the most flavorful grapes. These grapes grow only under certain optimum soil conditions: nutrient balance, certain clay soils and fine-grained marine quartz sandstone, all of which are found at the Wilson Grove Formation, where Singing Tree is located.
There was a wet winter and then spring was also relatively wet but mild. The summer was largely warm and dry. The grapes were slower than usual in reaching phenolic ripeness, making for a slightly delayed harvest. The slightly cooler-than-usual temperatures helped to keep their fresh, vibrant flavors intact.
Singing Tree Chardonnay is light straw in color. The aroma is citrus, white flower, and passionfruit. Chalky and mineral. There is also a little vanilla from the lees aging. The palate is medium-bodied and has a balanced acidity. It is dry with a flint-like minerality that goes on. Pear and nectarine flavors and, again, a subtropical finish. Chablis in style. It pairs well with scallops, mussels, and other shellfish. Chicken, especially in creamy sauces and roast chicken.
Alc. 13,9%, Drue: 100% Chardonnay
Fadlagret: 9 months in 60% French Oak Barrels and 40% Concrete.
CELLARING POTENTIAL 20 years.
Pinot Noir 2020 fra Center of Effort (COE) – Arroyo Grande - Californien
Our EFFORT Pinot Noir is selected from quality vineyard blocks within our Estate and aged for one year in French oak barrels before assemblage for finishing and bottling. EFFORT displays a fruit-forward and youthful character that is a straightforward and welcoming introduction to our Estate wines. As with all Center of Effort Pinot Noir, we focus on quality and sustainable farming techniques, vine by vine attention to detail, and hand-harvest in the cool nighttime hours. Fermentations rely primarily on native yeast and small-lot ferments that preserve the individual nuance of each portion of our vineyards. Whole-cluster fermented components bring a savory complexity and balance to the palate. Stylistically, EFFORT exhibits an approachable, fruit-forward style.
Bright garnet in the glass. Cranberry, cherry and rose hip fruit character - aromatic, with freshness and delicacy. Balanced savory tones of marjoram and cardamon. This is one of the more graceful vintages of EFFORT in recent years - a fantastic table partner with many traditional pairings - but versatile enough to reward experimentation.
Alc. 14.5%, Druer: 100% Pinot Noir.
Fadlagret: Barrel aged in 28% new French oak barrels for 11 months before assemblage and finishing. Native yeast fermentations with manual punchdowns. 10% whole clusters
CELLARING POTENTIAL 20 years.
Pinot Noir 2019 fra Center of Effort (COE), Arroyo Grande - Californien
This is the flagship bottling of Pinot Noir from our Estate Vineyards in the Edna Valley - just 4.5 miles from the cold Pacific Ocean. Our vines, planted to varied exposures in complex soils, provide exceptional raw materials from which we craft wines that are true to our terroir. v.2019 had a relatively cool and even finale to the growing season, allowing us to give our full attention to each lot coming into the winery. There was good freshness and a balance of fruit and spice notes in the ferments, and the wines were very mid-weight and approachable. Very few whole-cluster fermented lots were included in the 2019 vintage, something of a departure for this bottling. We relied almost exclusively on the original 1997 plantings, and the range of flavors were balanced between savory and sweet without the need for stem inclusion. New French oak barrels made a larger contribution than most years, but matched up well with the acidity and tension of this vintage.
Ruby red, with clove, garam masala, and bright Amarena cherry. Cocoa and new-leather palate with orange peel and pomegranate.
Superb with rare dry aged beef or miso black cod.
Alc. 14.5%, Druer: 100% Pinot Noir (57% Heritage selections, 43% Dijon clones), Fadlagret: Free-drained to French oak barrels, 40% new, and 19 months elevage. Bottled unfiltered.Night harvested by hand, native yeast fermentation with manual pigeage.
CELLARING POTENTIAL 20 years.
Pinot Noir 2021 Stafford Hill fra Holloran Vineyards, Willamette Valley - Oregon
The nose presents intense black cherry aromas, with a savory component that emerges with swirling. The palate shows pure cherry with white chocolate, leading to an impressive finish with kirch flavors and mouth-coating ripe tannins.
Alc. 13.5%, Druer: 100% Pinot Noir
Fadlagret: Aging was all French oak, for 9 months.
CELLARING POTENTIAL 20 years.
Pinot Noir 2022 fra Holloran Vineyards, Willamette Valley - Oregon
Notes of red cherry and black cherry intermingle on the nose. The palate offers a
solid, deep core of fruit cradled by ripe tannins. The extended finish shows ripe
tannins with juicy acidity extending the flavors.
Alc. 13.6%, Druer: 100% Pinot Noir
Fadlagret: Aging was all French oak, for 9 months.
CELLARING POTENTIAL 15 years.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 “Yardstick” fra Goldschmidt Vineyards, Napa Valley – Ruth’s Beach - Californien
A yardstick is an old basis for measurement which can be used as a baseline or reference point. Named for my younger sister Ruth, YARDSTICK Ruth’s Reach Cabernet Sauvignon is just that. It’s a signature taste of Napa Valley but without a high Napa Valley price. This vineyard is far enough south to receive regular morning fog from the San Pablo Bay, but far enough north to bask in the hot afternoon sun. Cool breezes flow north late in the day, preserving the grapes acidity and color. The soils here are alluvial browns which produce wines that are exceptionally rich with bright acidity and fine tannins.
Vintage 2021 was one of the longest ripening seasons for the past two decades. Seasons are starting earlier due to lack of water; creating early warm Spring soil temperatures. This is evened out with the August cooling trend at veraison. However, there was the heat spike over Mother's Day weekend which restricted the berry expansion. Yields were lighter with small berries and small clusters. All this led to unusually dense concentration. Youthful deep purple color. Aromas of deep dark blueberry, black cherry and plum. The palate is very full and rich with good tension and nerve throughout. This wine is very powerful in flavor and the finish is long and supple.
Alc. 14.5%, Fadlagret: 12 months - 100% French - 50% New.
Druer: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
CELLARING POTENTIAL 20+ years.