Vino In My Dino

OTBN Pt. 2

February 26, 2016 17:25

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Open That Bottle Night is tomorrow night, the 27th of February. This is a fun way to take a look at the wines you have stored or saved over the years-and even if you don’t have a cellar or closet to age wine pick something up you haven’t tried before.

In the case you have an older vintage on your hands remember to check a few things out: fill level of bottle or any leaks through the cork. If you have a two-pronged wine opener this is best for older corks but careful use of a regular corkscrew should to the trick. Decant if you like although I think the aromas of an older vintage (15-20-30 years old) tends to dissipate quickly. Needless to say don’t linger over an aged wine-it is delicate in its old age.

I am at this moment looking at an empty bottle of the 1972 Pinot Noir, one of which we bought at your winery. My husband is now gone and I decided to try it to see if it as still drinkable. Well, it is the most fabulous wine I had ever tasted and I drank it at the rate of about an inch an evening. Thank your family for such a wonderful experience. Geraldine W.

Re: 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon: Opened tonight with little hope that it would still be drinkable. Amazingly alive and vibrant. Tastes 20 yrs younger You guys are good. Charles J.

I recently drank a 1978 bottle of your Cabernet Sauvignon & it was terrific! I found it in a wine rack in the garage of an old house near Eugene, Oregon, which hadn't been lived in for over 10 years. It had undergone winter lows of about 20 degrees & summer highs of 90 - 100 degrees. This is approximate, but it would be simple enough to check the weather history. Bill M. (while we don’t recommend our Cabernet be aged this way I am glad it tasted good!)

And the highly unusual for a 23 year old white wine:

My wife and i just opened a bottle of 1985 Chenin Blanc that my father was keeping in his celler these past few years (23). We had the pleasure of opening this bottle tonight and it was excellent. We normally drink your cab, but very much enjoyed this bottle. Thank you, your family, and hard working staff for the wonderful wines you bring into this world. Bill & Diana T.

A toast in my Dino with a bottle of 2004 Mother Clone Zinfandel-that is the plan for tomorrow night!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Vintage Year, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vintage Wine, wine tasting
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OTBN Pt. 1

February 24, 2016 17:29

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Open That Bottle Night (OTBN for short) is scheduled for Saturday February 27. Here is a link to the people and the history behind it, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher. I am championing this event because I think those of us who love wine have stored away a bottle or two, saving it for a special day. OTBN is that special day when hundreds, maybe thousands, of wine lovers will be opening their special bottle along with us.

Gather friends or loved ones close and have a few things on hand in case they are needed. First check the bottle you’d like to open and make sure the wine is sound by checking the fill level or if there are any leaks around the capsule/cork. Have a two pronged opener in case the cork is old and delicate-wines over 20 years old would be in this category as the cork ages too! If you have a decanter use it on wines less than 10 vintages old-older than this the decanting might aerate the delicate aromas away. As the OTBN rules suggest, have a ‘plan B’ wine on hand in case the first one has gone over the hill. Have fun with this-I’ll be posting my bottle on Friday and opening it Saturday night. A toast to older vintages and special wines!

Here is a bottle we opened with friends from Amathus Drinks who were visiting us this week from England-it was truly enjoyed by all. The wine was sound, the fruit and oak notes still alive, yet the tannin had softened up quite a bit making it all the more enjoyable.

Say hello to our friends Lucy, to my left, my husband Ed, Leo, Lee and Will. We had a smashing dinner!

Tags: Pedroncelli, wine tasting, Vintage Wine, Vintage Year, Cabernet Sauvignon
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Barrel Tasting Know How

February 18, 2016 17:37

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Today I’m going to divert a bit and talk about barrel tasting. The reason? Our own Sonoma-grown Barrel Tasting is in a few short weeks so I thought I’d share some advice when it comes to tasting wines straight out of the barrel.

First of all, at our winery, you’ll be trying wine that is thieved directly out of the barrel it is aging in. The barrel room is 55 degrees or even cooler during the winter months. Once you have the wine in your glass try warming up the bowl of the wineglass with your hands. This will release some aromatics from the cold liquid and help you determine the fruit or subtle oak notes developing in the bouquet. Swirl the wine, appreciate the color and release the aromatics.

If your nose becomes overwhelmed it becomes deadened to the nuances in your glass. Much like passing a perfume or cologne counter and smelling too many inhibits your olfactory senses. My recommendation is to turn your head and inhale some fresh air or smell the back of your hand (!) especially if you haven’t slathered on some perfume or cologne. This gives your nose a break and readjusts it so the aromas can be enjoyed.

Next thing is to take a sip. Now just a sip-you’ll have many wines to enjoy besides ours at Pedroncelli. You decide if you want to spit and remain a responsible taster. Taking one of those plastic red cups along (you know-the ones that typically hold beer) and spitting into them helps or we’ll have convenient spit buckets around the barrel room for you to use.

Lastly you are at the winery, in the midst of knowledgeable staff, ask questions! We would be happy to answer any and all your inquiring minds have about our wines and vineyards. A toast to barrel tasting with some of our Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon-our featured barrel sample this year!

For more on winetasting here are some great tips sponsored by the Wine Road-the handsome guy from Pedroncelli gives some great advice!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Barrel Tasting, wine tasting
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Barrel Hoop-la

February 17, 2016 17:40

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I have focused before on the important role barrels and aging play in the making of wine. A review today of what happens in our cellar where over 2000 barrels are used in order to age the wine the best way possible-over time. The first quarter of each year sees the cellar crew focusing on the transfer of wine from last year’s stay in barrel with the next vintage.

It is the quiet after the storm of a busy harvest and aging wines are resting in the barrel room. Their repose comes to an end a year or so after they have been filled with new wine. The barrels and the atmosphere in the barrel room (usually around 55 degrees and humidified to slow the oxidation) have incrementally oxidized the wine with visits by the crew to top them off every three months or so. This process preserves the overall condition of the wine, making sure no extra oxygen, a detriment, spoils the wine. The aging process is key to softening up wines, red wines in particular.

We use mostly American oak for our wines and add French oak when we feel it is the right fit. Pinot Noir and our Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon are in this category. The size also matters and in our case it adds up to 59 gallons, which produces around 25 cases of vino. We feel this gives our wines the advantage because this size has the correct wine to oak ratio—just right to make the fruit shine and the oak components frame it. Additional bottle age will also do justice to the process and this is a story for another day. For now, a toast from my Dino to yours with a splash of Zinfandel.

Cellar work is never done or so it seems.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Barrel aging
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In Water We Trust

February 12, 2016 17:44

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The weather outside is delightful. It seems like spring is upon us with these mild warm days with temperatures in the 70s-I know our friends on the East Coast would like a bit of this warmth right now! We are experiencing a spring-like mid-February with the high pressure system pushing the rain north and east of California. It isn’t unusual to have a break in the rain and a warming trend.

There is good news even as a few are fearful El Nino has left the building. Winter isn’t over until March 20 and there is hope we will receive more rain between now and then and into early spring (April showers…). For now the update is we are slightly above average on rainfall for our area. The two lakes, Sonoma and Mendocino, are full to capacity and even slightly above in Mendocino’s case. They are doing their job as flood control and for future water needs and recreation year round. As farmers we depend on the weather and work with what we have. Here's hoping for more precipitation and a toast to Mother Nature in all of her glory.

Thanks to the rain we have a lush cover crop. Bell bean shoots and buttercups mix between the vines.

Tags: Pedroncelli, weather
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Taking the Cellar's Temperature

February 4, 2016 17:47

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If it is February then it must be barrel time. This is one of the busiest months in our barrel room for the cellar crew. Led by Hipolito Cano, our cellar master, the 2014 wines that have aged for one year are being emptied to make room for the new vintage of 2015. An important aspect of our barrel room is its’ temperature especially while aging 2000 barrels.

Rule of thumb for cellar temperature is more or less 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This is used for keeping barrels at the right temperature for slowly aging the wine during its 12 month stint. For bottled wines you’d like to cellar this is also the rule. In the case of barrel aging, if the temperature is higher-let’s say by 5 or 10 degrees, the wine would age faster than if kept at a lower temperature. Too low and it will slow it down even more but not give those microorganisms that age the wine the right temperature. The same can be said for that bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon you’ve been aging.

If you have followed me for a while you’ll know I reference Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa Florida. If you are a wine lover make this part of your bucket list. Some of the wines on their list go back to the 1800s and they are in great condition. The reason? The cellar is kept at a very low temperature-40 degrees. They give you a tour too-take a parka! So we’ll keep our cellar at just the right temperature. Now for a splash of Cabernet in my Dino, cellar temperature of course!

Today's temperature-taken after barrel work. The temperature will go down as the evening sets in with vents opening to the night air, capturing natural air conditioning.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Barrel aging, Barrel
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Terrific Terroir

February 3, 2016 17:52

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I attended a two day event in Chicago this week. One was a consumer focused tasting held as a benefit for a local charity. I enjoyed talking to all the attendees but one particular taster had a question about what exactly ‘terroir’ is when you taste a wine. I even joked with the gentleman about the pronunciation-rhymes with Pinot Noir-which I happened to be pouring.

Last month I talked about the climate and micro climates and wrote about how important these were to the character of our wines. Terroir is one step beyond micro climates. You may be familiar with the word ‘umami’ which is a category of taste in the food world (besides sweet, salty, bitter and sour). Terroir is the umami of the wine world. We have soil, we have sun, we have fog and then this French term for character or the taste of place, a very specific place. It has the roots of the word earth (terra) so is tied to how soil and place affect the vines are firmly ensconced in the word.

I have read of people visiting vineyards where they will taste the soil or rocks. I haven’t tasted any rocks or soil lately and I am not sure I’d be able to identify the ‘terroir’ of our land in a glass of our wine. Taken in the context of ‘je ne sais quoi’ I’d say there is a certain something which defines our wines and sometimes you can’t put your finger on exactly the difference. I say "vive le terroir" and enjoy a splash of Zinfandel in my Dino!

Terroir in our Mother Clone vineyard-the steep hillside, gnarly vines and Dry Creek Valley rocks make a delicious Zinfandel.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Mother Clone
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Degree Days

January 29, 2016 17:55

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My posts for the month of January have been devoted to our winegrowing climate. Today I will focus on degree days. They are important to growing grapes because they determine how the climate of a particular place is in sync with what will grow well there. Wikipedia says, “A degree day is a measure of heating or cooling. Total degree days from an appropriate starting date are used to plan the planting of crops and management of pests and pest control timing.”

Dry Creek Valley is ranked as a Region II. This means there are between 2501 to 3000 growing-degree days. This is the way wine growing regions are classified and was developed by A. J. Winkler and M. Amerine in 1944 at UC Davis (go Aggies). How they defined the method was by taking the sum of degree days over 50 degrees Fahrenheit from April 1 until October 31. This is how Regions 1-V were born.

As quoted from their definition, "It is believed that Region I and II are the best for most varietals as they produce the best dry table wines with light to medium body and good balance." When looking at Region V, which has the highest heat over the time period, this would not be considered the best for wine grapes at over 4000 degree days. I’ll wrap up with a toast to my grandparents for finding this hospitable corner of Dry Creek Valley 88 years ago.

Region II in Dry Creek Valley-a summertime view of our Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley
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Fog Blog

January 27, 2016 17:58

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Fog makes up a significant part of climate here in wine country. It is what makes summer nights into cool evenings. The ripening grapes benefit from the marine fog intrusion by cooling down the vineyard. The temperatures, typically in the 90s during the day at the hottest point, quickly cool down to 50 degrees or so because of the fog.

Today I’ll be talking about the two types of fog we have here in California: radiation fog and advection fog. The first type comes in the wintertime and the second in the summer. In fact it is the cooling down of the vineyards from the advection fog in thanks to the marine influence just 30 or so miles to our west combined with a deep crevice along our Sonoma Coast making the water even colder hence creation of this type of summer morning and evening fog.

Advection provides us with Tule Fog-famous in Sonoma County in my younger days for blanketing the stretch between Healdsburg and Windsor, the town to the south. I haven't seen much of it in the last decade or so in this area although while out on my walk at 6am today there was quite a layer-obliterating the waning moon. You find it mostly situated in and around San Francisco. I found a video of it for you here by our local ABC news station. The vines don’t need much cooling in the winter but the beauty of it is indeed striking.

Remember Carl Sandburg’s poem Fog?

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

I think this is the perfect image of winter fog. A toast to our unique California climate and all that it brings to our wines!

The photo below captures the winter fog as the vineyard crew prepares for erosion control measures.

Tags: Pedroncelli, weather
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Winter and Erosion

January 22, 2016 18:02

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As I walk around the vineyards during the rainy season one concern on my mind is erosion. I keep my eyes on the hills and vineyard rows as does the vineyard crew. We’ve had slippage in years past. Erosion is a fact of life during any winter season. As rain accumulates either in a large storm or over a number of days once in a while you have a hill slip or a vineyard row collapse. When I was 10 years old or so my sisters and I watched as the hill beside our home split in the middle-a big event because we thought the mud was going to reach our house. It didn't and the hillside has been planted to zinfandel for many years, helping to bring stability there.

To mitigate these from happening we do a number of things in the vineyard. Most important is the cover crop that actually helps hold the ground together. Straw mulch will also protect the vineyard by applying before the rains. When I write about a vineyard crew’s work is never done this is why it is a year round project. Once the grapes have been picked it is time to stabilize the vineyard by planting cover crop and if needed adding straw on some of the roads or rows. We even have employed the use of grape stems on some of the vineyard roads to help provide important coverage. All in all is boils down to being good stewards of the land at all times. A splash of vino in my dino to the rain and all it brings.

The top of the hill looking over the home ranch. You can see the cover crop is doing its' job.

Tags: Pedroncelli, weather
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