2020 Pinot Noir and the end of an Era!

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We are delighted, and a little sad, to announce the release of our 2020 Pinot Noir. Delighted because it’s one of the loveliest wines we’ve ever made. Sad because it is our last harvest. With the attraction of five grandchildren and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest where I was born, we have moved to Vancouver, Washington and wake up every morning with a breathtaking view of the Columbia River.

As with all of our Pinots, it is light in color and full of flavors. It’s soft enough to pair well with seafood and poultry yet able to stand up to a nice steak off the grill. It can balance a rich pasta or be a decadent treat on pizza night.

Its beautiful light cherry color makes you ready to welcome spring. Its flavors boast of plum, rose petals and green strawberries.

 

In addition, 2020 was a wonderful growing season for us. I was characterized by a well balanced crop with even ripening.  Harvest was about 10 days earlier than normal, which was fortuitous, since temperatures able 100F followed the week after.

It is available for $33/bottle with free shipping for orders of 6 or more. Please contact me at dww@sonic.net for payment and shipping.

We also have a limited number of cases of 2019 Pinot available for purchase.

 

A Beautiful Time of the Year in Sebastopol

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Just thought I would share our little piece of heaven.  May in Wine Country is perhaps my favorite.  The vines are green, fruit is setting, the weather is perfect and by early June the 6 weeks of intense vineyard work comes to an end.  After two fires in the last three years and a flood in the Barlow a little over a year ago, sure hope we have a non eventful rest of the year…but still 1/2 the normal rainfall.  We are installing a generator for our home this year in case we get fires or PG&E blackouts like last year.

Announcing the release of the 2018 Turtle Vines Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc

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We are pleased to announce the release of our 2018 Turtle Vines Pinot Noir. For us, 2018 was our best harvest and we think one of our best vintages to date. The harvest was the end of September, which was later than normal. Cooler temperatures resulted in a fermentation that was almost twice as long as average. This produced a delicate and light strawberry colored wine with aromas of fresh red fruit followed by flavors of raspberry and cherry complimented by a hint of oak. Very easy to cozy up to (or shelter in place with) and pairs nicely with food. We think so much of this wine, that we are entering it in our first big wine event, the “2020 International Women’s Wine Competition”. This wine was to be served at our daughter’s wedding this month which, unfortunately, had to be postponed until the end of 2021 due to the Corona Virus.

For the first time ever, we are offering Joanne’s Sauvignon Blanc for sale. If you have been to our home, these are the vines in the front and side of the house. This is not your ordinary Sauvignon Blanc. While most Sauvignon Blanc is primarily made from Clone 1, ours includes Rochioli and Musque’ Clones to reduce the classic citrus/grassy flavor while giving it more of a flavor of white stone fruit. We soak it on its skins for 12 hours to develop a lovely color and it goes through a secondary fermentation, so it has a smoother mouthfeel than a traditional Sauvignon Blanc. I think you will enjoy this flavor profile. We are limiting sales of this wine to 3 bottles per order while supplies last.

If you haven’t purchased in a while, we changed our packaging in 2017. Our son Vaughn took his original label design and integrated it to a painted bottle. On top of that, to prevent cork issues, we have converted to a glass stopper. Not only is the wine wonderful, but the bottles are keepsakes!

It is hard to believe, but it has been 10 years since we planted the vineyard. Spring is my favorite time as the young vines are a lush green and flowering/fruit set is just around the corner. Even with all the hard work, we can’t forget to enjoy the beauty of everything that surrounds us.

Bottles are $25 for the Sauvignon Blanc and $34 for the Pinot Noir (which includes tax) plus shipping. Minimum order 3 bottles. Orders of 6 or 12 will receive a discount of 50% off shipping.

 

Flowering 2020 – Early start to the “Fruit Season”

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Just like bud break, flowering is early this year.  I attribute it to the lack of water early in the season.  In fact we are only about 1/2 of our rainfall for the 2019/20 rainy season and even worse if you just look at 2020.  But…I really don’t want it to rain heavy or be cold and windy for the next 3 weeks to ensure we have a good fruit set.  We put up a second fruit wire in February so I’m hoping to have 40% more clusters this year…will see soon.

2020 International Women’s Wine Competition

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We think so much of our 2018 Turtle Vines Pinot Noir that we have decided to enter it in the 2020 International Women’s Wine Competition! This is our first try in a wine event. The competition is June 9-10th.  Should be interesting to see how the judges rate out wine since it is light in color but has an intense flavor, much like French Burgundy’s i’ve had.  This is not your ordinary Russian River  Pinot Noir.  Check back late June to see how we did.

A Little Rest and Relaxation – Taipei

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Our niece Monica decided to get married in Taipei…so we spent a few days in Taiwan.  It was a wonderful trip to see Doug’s immediate family, Sam’s family, and friends of theirs who made the long trip from the US.  We wish them a long and happy life together!!!

Our hotel was near Taipei 101 which was the world’s tallest building for a number of years…and hard to believe is a “green” building.

In addition we visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (unfortunately the building were closed the day we visited for yearly maintenance) and a smaller museum dedicated to the history of Taiwan.  So interesting to learn other peoples history.

Harvest 2019

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Another vineyard season comes to an end.  We harvested almost 5 tons of grapes on our 1.3 acres of vineyard, most of which went to Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma for their Sabella Pinot Noir that is sold to individuals and restaurants.

Just have to take off the nets, pre-prune and chip the canes and we can spend the next 4 months winemaking  and recharging for 2020.

Country Champagne

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We had an hour before our second Thanksgiving dinner and decided to make country champagne.  Country champagne is made by taking finished wine and adding sugar, yeast and acid and then filling up champagne bottles.  Unlike commercial champagne, we do not disgorge the yeast…we simply leave it on the bottom of the bottle when we drink it.  The champagne process takes approximately 6 months.

We had a little left over so Vaughn demonstrated the art of pouring wine from a 5 gallon bucket to a wine glass!  Quite a good skill to have.