Vino In My Dino

Checked off the Bucket List: 90th Anniversary 2017 Harvest Completed

September 28, 2017 07:07

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Harvest for us started on August 25 with Pinot Noir from one of our growers. Estate harvesting began on August 28 for our Sauvignon Blanc. The last grapes in were Cabernet Sauvignon from the Three Vineyards block on September 28. Just over 5 weeks and we crammed quite a few grapes into tanks during that time. I asked Montse Reece to sum up this year-her 11th harvest at Pedroncelli, in three words. "Heatwave, concentration, and good." She continued, “The rain during the growing season helped restore nutrients in the vines, so I am seeing intense colors and aromatics across all varieties. The heatwave on the Labor Day weekend only affected our zinfandels, lowering yields but concentrating the already high phenols (color+aromas). Overall a good harvest season.” We have seen many harvests here at Pedroncelli. Our goal is to showcase the best of the vintage. This year had its challenges and we met them as they came along. It’s what farmers do. Now onto the next stage of the wine's journey as they ferment and settle in the cellar. The vines will rest now and enter their dormant phase readying themselves for what the next growing season will bring. I'll celebrate with a splash of Mother Clone Zinfandel in my Dino!

Tags: Harvest, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley, Vintage
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The 2017 Harvest Weather Report

September 28, 2017 07:01

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The last five weeks have been filled with exciting weather patterns from the 112 degree heat wave over Labor Day Weekend to the cooler weeks following with a few heat spikes. Natural for September-we’ve seen it all before. As farmers we all need to be prepared for weather challenges. Usually it is rain that we worry about but the heat spike that came just 7 days after the first grapes were harvested at Pedroncelli was reminiscent of a nearly identical one in 2010. We lost nearly half of our Zinfandel that year because the heat spike came at the end of a very cool summer. This year we had a hot July followed by a temperate August. Then September roared in with heat blazing. The vines and grapes felt the heat and we employed drip irrigation to give the vines much needed hydration. Many vineyards including ours did suffer from loss of juice due to dehydration especially in the Zinfandel vineyards. The crew picked the Mother Clone Zinfandel as fast as they could and dealt with shorter days due to the excessive heat. While it wasn’t as intense as the 2010 heat wave it had its’ effect. Loss of juice translates to a higher concentration of flavor in the wine-and Zinfandel was most affected because it was closest to being ready. While it is a bit early to tell, Lance Blakeley, Vineyard Manager, estimates a 25% loss for our Zinfandel production. Many other red varietals weren’t as affected because they still had some ripening to do. This one is in the books at the end of September. I am looking forward to trying this Zinfandel in a few years to see the effects of this harvest year.

Tags: Harvest, weather, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley
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Tweet, Taste, Repeat

August 31, 2017 09:12

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August began and ended with a tweet-up or taste-up as we have named them. Between 10-15 bloggers received wine samples and we all met online to share photos of the food they prepared to go with our wines, ask questions, share impressions and reviews of the wines and learn more about Pedroncelli.

The amazing thing is each of these bloggers has a following, in the tens of thousands in some cases. And we were all online from across the United States and sometimes there were comments from across the globe. Several of the questions were about harvest, Dry Creek Valley, veraison, tasting notes on particular wines, and the process of making wine.

Here are some excerpts or reviews from each of the taste ups:

@Talesofthecork: A couple of days ago, we paired @PedroncelliWinery Chardonnay w/ roasted shrimp orzo salad. Perfect!

@SLBriscoe: Not gonna lie, enjoyed the @Pedroncelli w/pizza crisp acidity and baking spices pair well w/cheesy things

@TheWiningHour: MC #Zinfandel is delish! Spicy, dark berry fruit. Paired with a porterhouse.

@smgwinespeak: “tasted this two weekends ago-LOVED IT! all wines possess consistent quality at price points you can't beat!”

@always5star: Love chatting about @Pedroncelli wine & sipping their fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon - Lovely w/cherry, plum & blackberry.

@winecheesefri: Haven't tried @Pedroncelli wines yet but was excited to see it is from #sonoma!

@Fiery01Red: https://rockinredblog.com/2017/08/07/food-wine-pairing-pedroncelli-summer-break/

Andrew Chalk: https://www.facebook.com/ModernLifestyles/posts/1262238050554628

Dan’s Cellar Sips: http://crwinenuts.blogspot.com/2017/08/pedroncelli-celebrating-90-years-ped90th.html

@briscoebites: http://briscoebites.com/pedroncelli-chardonnay/

I enjoyed engaging with people from near to far flung places and learned we need to do more of this type of gathering. Telling our story to so many people is fun and the challenge is connecting them with a way to find our wines in their local stores. Our next gathering is on October 5. We tweet live from the Heritage Room with the wines and food I paired. Join us virtually or at the winery! #ped90th

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Our 90th Harvest Begins!

August 31, 2017 09:04

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August 28 was the official date for our 90th harvest. 11 acres of Sauvignon Blanc was picked the final week of August leading into the first of September. Pinot Noir was also brought in from a grower or two in the Russian River Valley.

Part of the difference with this year’s harvest is the vineyard crew is relying more on machine harvesting than ever before-a milestone for us because we first machine harvested a small test block last year (Cabernet Sauvignon) and it went well. Because our vineyard wasn’t planted with machine harvesting in mind, in the last 10 years or so we have changed the way we think about grape harvesting. This means Lance Blakeley, Vineyard Manager, has been preparing those older vineyards and when replanting he has made sure the vines will hold up to the machine.

Training the vineyard specifically for machine harvesting whether old or new is a matter of using what we call cane pruning. This actually does a couple of things for the vineyard crew which is usually short of time: less passes in the vineyard due to this type of pruning and it can be mechanically harvested. 30 years ago John Pedroncelli didn’t like the idea of using machines because they seemed too rough on the vines. Technology has come a long way and now winemaker Montse Reece has approved of the quality this new way of picking grapes has brought to us.

In the last 10 years another telling reason for going the way of the machines is labor. Not only now but for over a decade it has been difficult to gather the crews needed for picking grapes. There are a variety of reasons (yes we can blame the Cannibus industry too) but it comes down to one thing: the harvest. When the grapes are ready we need to act and act quickly to preserve the quality of the fruit. When they say ‘wine begins in the vineyard’ they mean you need them at the prime moment for quality and flavor. One area of our vineyard that will never be machine harvested is our Home Ranch. Zinfandel is the primary planting on head trained vines-not conducive to machines. Hillsides are also a hindrance to machine harvesters so the 50 acres here will always need a crew. A splash of Sauvignon Blanc as we enter the fray and a toast to our hardworking vineyard and cellar crew-their work is just beginning.

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A Season of Celebrations

August 31, 2017 08:50

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While July 22 was the epicenter of our 90th anniversary because it was the date in 1927 when my grandparents bought the winery, vineyard and home mid-Prohibition we have had many other celebrations both big and small. In July our trade and media partners joined us followed by our club members who joined us on August 12 where, on both occasions, we enjoyed a full day of flagship flights, vineyard dedication, bubbly, big bottle receptions and dinner in the Barrel Room.

I wanted to excerpt a couple of things I learned from two of our July guests. Nationally syndicated columnist Dan Berger led our guests through two flights of our library wines (Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon). Author and wine writer Dick Rosano spoke to the Italian influence on winemaking in America. Here is something Dick spoke about which merits repeating: In 1833, the Mexican government sold off the missions and their wineries. Mexico still controlled the American west coast (California wasn’t admitted as a state until 1850), and when they ended the subsidies of the missions in California, the wineries were turned over to private ownership, a step which represents the beginning of commercial winemaking in the Golden State. The Great Migration 1880-1920 brought millions of Europeans to the United States, including more than four million Italians. This influx of Europeans coincided with the spectacular growth of vineyards and wineries in California, where the “touch” of the Old World was critical in changing the perception of wine. Note of irony: In the midst of this period (1890s), Italians who were considered “foreigners” were denied the right to buy valley floor vineyards, thought to be the “prime” land. Of course, the Italians knew, as we now know, that hillside vineyards such as at Pedroncelli, are the best. A final note here wrapping up the first century of commercial wine in the U.S.: Prohibition was repealed in 1933-100 years after the wineries were privatized.

From Dan came this as he wrapped up the Flights tasting and frankly brought many of us to tears: The Pedroncelli Family has always done things without a lot of fanfare because the entire goal was always to make fine wine affordably, and to do so with as little ostentation as possible. Even the location of the winery tasting room is in a less visible location than it might have been, off the main highway. And the wines have always reflected the quiet personality of the owners, with structure and balance, varietal integrity, and respect for the land as the key components. It is no wonder that so many people who became affiliated with the family decades ago have chosen to remain loyal to them and to honor the family's traditions. As such, the wines never displayed any artificiality, such as slatherings of new oak, high alcohol, or artificial extract that could possibly destroy the drinkability of the product. They have always had the grace that marks great wine, not the more recent explosiveness that may be flashy, but is short-lived. To have done this for 90 years and maintain the respect of the entire industry is not only an achievement but a worthy goal that has been achieved far under the radar. But that's the style of the Pedroncelli family. It is a joy to participate in such a celebration.

The highlight for me was seeing so many longtime friends both from the wholesale side as well as the consumer side. It was also overwhelming to me because we were celebrating 90 years-9 decades-of family ownership, dedication, vision and it all boiled down to what was in our wine glasses. If you’d like to join us for another event we’ll be toasting the end of our 90th harvest on October 14 with our friends as well as our grape growers. A toast with some Zinfandel in my Dino to the Next 90!

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Certified!

August 2, 2017 15:40

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Around the winery we like to say we have been sustainable for 90 years and counting. Or even, as Ed says, ‘it’s in our DNA’. They say timing is everything and it couldn’t have worked out better for us. The certification came through the week we were celebrating our 90^th anniversary (July 22). The signs went up on our three estate vineyards just as guests began to arrive from all over the country.

I’ll let the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) explain: The vision of the Sustainable Winegrowing Program is the long-term sustainability of the California wine community. To place the concept of sustainability into the context of winegrowing, the program defines sustainable winegrowing as growing and winemaking practices that are sensitive to the environment (Environmentally Sound), responsive to the needs and interests of society-at-large (Socially Equitable), and are economically feasible to implement and maintain (Economically Feasible). The combination of these three principles is often referred to as the three "E's" of sustainability.

These three overarching principles provide a general direction to pursue sustainability. However, these important principles need to be translated into the everyday operations of winegrowing and winemaking. To bridge this gap between general principles and daily decision-making, the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices workbook's 15 self-assessment chapters translate the sustainability principles into specific winegrowing and winemaking practices.

In addition to meeting the prerequisite thresholds and other program requirements, all CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE participants must demonstrate improvement in their sustainability practices in order to renew their annual certification. CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE encourages companies to use their own baselines to determine what areas need to be improved to make the most meaningful difference for their organization, and continually improve year after year.”

Mitch Blakeley, fourth generation Pedroncelli, worked through the many-140 in all-questions from the CSWA’s binder which took about a month to complete. He then met with a 3^rd party certification expert and they went over the self-assessments. Some of the questions were about shoot density, soil analysis, soil amendments, water usage, tractor use, the overall health of our vines. The goal for the CSWA is to collect data on how we manage our vineyards with an eye to improving everything we do from drip irrigation to making less passes in the vineyard with our tractors. Increasing efficiency is key to sustainable vineyard practices.

He learned a few things from the process including we were more sustainable than he thought and basically we were certified for doing the right thing all these years. Basically the “proof was now in the pudding” as he put it. He will be instituting more records of the process, placing meters on our wells, monitoring fuel usage more closely among other things. There is a machine that will take a grape leaf and squeeze it to let vineyard managers know how much water is in the leaf in order to know when to turn on drip irrigation-this could save us thousands of gallons of water in the long run and make sure the vineyard is properly irrigated.

Here’s to the Next 90 knowing we are in good hands. A toast with some Zinfandel in my Dino to Mitch, and to the generations who came before him with good stewardship of the land in mind.

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On Turning 90

June 30, 2017 09:47

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July 22 1927 is an important date at the winery. My grandfather signed the papers for the property that included 25 acres of grapes, a shuttered winery and a home mid-Prohibition 90 years ago this month. He left quite a legacy.

Other inventions and remarkable achievements of 1927 include Wonder Bread and Lender’s Bagels, the Oscars (!) founded by Louis B. Mayer, Babe Ruth hit his 60^th homerun (he held the record for 30 years!) and Charles A. Lindbergh, at age 25, made the first transatlantic non-stop solo flight.

Actually my grandparents and the second generation of John and Jim left a legacy that continues today through the fourth generation, so far. I am certain when my grandfather signed the papers he had his young family of three on his mind (my dad Jim would be born 5 years later) and had hope this property would support them. Both vineyard and farm at this time, they raised everything needed from the animals to the crops which supported them. I remember in the 1960s, after we moved to the family home when my grandparents retired, venturing into the basement and seeing rows of mason jars full of the previous year’s harvest, venison sausages aging on hooks and the smell of vinegar being made in barrels around the corner.

Stories of my grandparents surviving Prohibition, the Great Depression which kicked in two years after the purchase and the start-up of a business new to them are fun to recall. The time my grandfather and uncle John delivered grapes to a place near Redding and the axle broke. My grandfather had to go to the nearest town to get help leaving 7 year old John in the truck with the grapes. Or when my grandparents returned home after a day of work in the vineyard only to discover they were missing 5 year old Jim. They found him under a vine with his dog, safe and sound. I have my own memories of roaming the cellar and the vineyards with my sisters making the whole place our playground. I have seen my own grandchildren and grandnephews running around the place and hope to see the sixth generation doing the same.

It’s all in a days’ work in our little corner of Dry Creek Valley. From those humble beginnings we, as a family, are tending the vineyards, producing great wines, hosting friends, making sure we continue the legacy born on July 22. A toast to those early days with a splash of Zinfandel in my Dino!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Zinfandel, #ped90th
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Heat & the Vine

June 28, 2017 16:40

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What happens in the vineyard when summer hasn’t even begun and we have one of the hottest days on record? On Sunday June 18^th the temperature hit 110 degrees in our little corner of Dry Creek Valley. The days that followed were not much better and the mercury wavered between the mid 90s to over 100 degrees again on Thursday. This pre-summer heat wave definitely had my attention.

I was curious-what does happen to the vines as it gets unseasonably hot? It isn’t the first time the month of June has seen this heat and it does some good to know the following week we had our fog back in the evenings with pleasant temps in the low 80s. I asked our Vineyard Manager Lance Blakeley to explain a few things to me. How does he prepare? What happens to the fruit? Was it a good time to have a heat wave?

First of all he was ready for the heat-farmers are always weather watchers and he and the crew prepared the vineyard for what was coming by drip irrigating the ranches, which totals 105 acres. This in and of itself helped the vines to survive the brutal heat which hit on the 18^th. The fruit was protected by the canopy of canes and leaves. There was little to no scorching of the green berries. If there was a good time to have a heat wave this was it-if it had occurred during bloom time we would have a more drastic story to tell.

I learned something too. The leaves actually move to cover either the stem or the fruit, whichever is in danger of scorching. One way to test if the vine is keeping cool is to feel the leaves-if they are cool then they are safe. If they are warm to the touch then they need some help as they’ll begin to wilt and become overwhelmed by the heat. Kind of like people-we wilt when it becomes too hot and just want a cool drink of water. The good news is, with temperatures rising in the first week of July, the vineyards are acclimated to the heat by this first wave. Here's to the vines and the hard working crew who takes care of them with a splash of Rosé of Zinfandel in my Dino!

Tags: Heat wave, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley, Vine, vineyard, Zinfandel
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#housepalate

June 22, 2017 10:28

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Here in wine country if you aren’t careful you can get what we call a ‘house palate’ where the only wine you try is from one winery-usually the wines you represent. It is akin to staying with one food for the rest of your life like chicken or bread-a pretty boring existence.

In the last seven days my palate was challenged a few of times. I was fortunate enough to taste through 27 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandels at the Zinfandel Throwdown held at Dry Creek Vineyard. I was a judge at the International Women’s Wine Competition where I tasted through 113 wines on Tuesday for several panels of wine ranging from Flavored Sparkling Wines to Malbec, as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and 30 Cabernet Sauvignons under $20. On Wednesday the Sweepstakes round included 35 wines for consideration of the top prize.

My palate was challenged several times throughout the process. At the Zin, tasting which was done blind (meaning the bottles were covered by black bags), I found out later that I had picked our Bushnell Vineyard Zin out of 27 other choices. I preferred our house style to all the others! At the wine competition I conferred with the other two judges on my panel who were winemakers and much more experienced with different wine styles and flaws. I did identify two corked wines over the course of the day and asked for re-pours. My nose is very sensitive to corked wines while other flaws weren’t quite so apparent hence the discussion with the other two judges. While I didn't have to like them there were many wines I would never have tried if they had been revealed to me ahead of time including a blue sparkling wine which was completely dry. I liked it and appreciated the many other styles of wine represented in the 148 glasses I sniffed and sipped.

While you have been tasting wine your own 'house palate' developed and you have discovered wines you love or dislike. In large part the education comes from the practice of tasting, kind of like Olympic trials but more fun. There is a world of flavors and choices of styles whether you are new to wine in recent years or have ‘done this’ since you, ahem, turned legal age. I often advocate for trying anything put in front of you-even if you haven’t heard of the varietal before. The good thing is you can always dump it out. Wine tastings, tasting rooms, wine bars, in-store tastings are a few of the ways you can go about your wine education. Ask questions, be curious, seek out the unknown-it may become your favorite grape and turn your palate from one note to a symphony of choices! A toast from my Dino to your glass with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc, my favorite summer grape.

Tags: Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Palate, #housepalate, International Women's Wine Competition, Dry Creek Valley
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Another View of 90

May 30, 2017 14:15

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July 22, 1927 is the date Giovanni Pedroncelli signed on the dotted line and finished the sale of the property that is now the winery and Home Ranch vineyards. I am periodically including reflections on our 90 years in this place. Today I am writing about John and Jim, the next generation, as they stepped into their roles as family owners.

This period was the heyday of this generation and a resurgence of wine appreciation. They learned the trade while growing up and then found their positions within the business. The brothers were poised for success. In 1960 they had purchased additional land already planted to Zinfandel. By 1963 they officially purchased the operation from their parents taking the next step from the first to second generation. They continued buying more land as the winery expanded production. By the mid-1960s they focused on oak barrels, stainless steel tanks and a new bottling line, among other necessary equipment for a growing winery.

At the time they were bottling in tenths, fifths, half gallons and gallons-the shift away from the large format bottles would come as the 1970s gave way to what I refer to as the wine renaissance. Consumers began to seek what they considered upscale wines in cork finished bottles, finding small family wineries, looking for varietals rather than those old-fashioned blends.

There was quite a bit of experimentation going on in the vineyard as my uncle and dad learned about what the consumers were drinking and balanced this with what grew best in the northern part of Dry Creek Valley. Zinfandel was still a large part of what we farmed and we were among the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon (1966). We grew Pinot Noir, Napa Gamay, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Vert, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. As times and tastes changed these were replaced by Sauvignon Blanc, more Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot by the 1990s. For the moment though, those early wine fans liked Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel Rosé, Riesling, French Colombard and Gamay Beaujolais. I was looking through the books at numbers during this time-in 1973 we produced 10,000 cases each of Chenin Blanc and Zinfandel Rosé!

While John oversaw the vineyard expansion and planting along with winemaking duties, Jim worked on sales and marketing for the ever-expanding line of wines and the new demand for fine wines. He worked first by taking orders and delivering the wine to northern California stores and restaurants. One of my fondest memories was going with my dad Jim on a delivery to San Francisco when I was around 6 years old. I remember we stopped at the Doggie Diner for lunch-this country girl couldn’t get over the restaurant shaped like a hot ‘dog’. He went from these early sales to using a broker and beginning to distribute statewide. He developed a network of distributors across the nation with some of them driving to the winery to strike up business. By the 1980s he was exporting wine to Canada and Japan as well as smaller global markets. Jim would also spearhead a broker network to secure a wider network for sales. The story continues as the third generation joins the ranks in upcoming posts.

A toast to this great generation for keeping the business growing into now four generations!

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