As I put together this letter in February, Judi and I are expecting our second release, a boy, in early March. So, by the time you read this we will probably: 1) be critically sleep-deprived, 2) finally have a name for the new addition to our family, and 3) remember to mail this letter out on time. Assuming that we did mail this out on time, we are pleased to announce not only the release of the 1997 Shale Terrace Zinfandel and 1997 Old & Mature Vine Zinfandel, but a few surprises as well! We are also releasing a 1997 Special Cuvée Zinfandel, our 1997 Chardonnay, and 1998 Vin Gris!
This spring marks the first full year I have been completely self-employed. In 20 years of making wine, I have never had as much fun during the harvest as I did in 1998. The cool and rainy growing season was the most challenging I have seen, so we spent the entire non-spring and summer arranging and removing the vineyard foliage. The resulting fruit was some of the best material I have worked with…very loose and open grape clusters that began flavor development at lower than typical sugar levels. Nevertheless, the alcohol levels generally ended up in the mid- 14% range. Fortunately, we were able to harvest the Zinfandel under cool conditions. The 1998 harvest went smoothly and the winery facility (big garage) was easier to work in than anticipated. Thank you for your interest and support of our wine. It has allowed me to achieve my longtime dream of operating my own small winery. I hope to see you at our open house this spring and I hope you will enjoy what we have produced.
Download the complete newsletter: Spring Release Notice