I can't tell you how excited I am for our third Harvest in the beautiful Livermore Valley (sixth harvest since the launch of Satyrs' Pond in Burlingame, and my personal 5th). Our first Livermore Valley wines came in 2007 when our former Winemaker and my mentor decided to produce some Del Arroyo Vineyard wines for the program. At the time we had no idea these wines would launch or Nottingham Cellars program and LV would become our focus.
Here we are today, three harvests later in our warehouse on Vasco producing wines that we feel (and a lot of you do, too) are amongst the best produced in our region. As I have told many of you, my personal quest is to find the best fruit sources and work with dedicated growers to help us craft the wines in our program. With a couple new vineyards partners and some clever ideas with existing growers, 2011 really feels like something special.
A few things to look for down the road -
What We Already Knew - As with the previous vintage, Casa De Vinas Cabernet Sauvignon will make up about 75% of our Cabernet Production (about 40% of our total production) to establish the base of both our entry level and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon's as well as Supremacy, Ralphi's Red Blend, and of course our Vineyard Designate Cabernet Series.
What We Can't Wait to Try - We are pleased to announce that we will be producing Smith Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Smith Ranch is located at the corner of Arroyo Rd and Wetmore at the main entrance to the Wente golf course. The Clone 8 Cabernet Sauvignon we selected is from block 31420 situated at the top of the bench. Smith Ranch has been on my radar for the last two vintages and I look forward to working with this reputable fruit source.
MoRhone - Riding on the heals of a very successful 2010 harvest, especially with Rhone Varietals, my production plan is including double the tonnage of Marina Ranch Grenache (In my mind the most interesting wine I have created since I started) and Hayes Ranch Syrah. Both turned out to be fantastic wines with tons of flavor and true varietal character (The Syrah is a BEAST). We will also be working with Michael Princevalle's Mourvedre from the vineyard situated at the Ravenswood Historic Site. Look for Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre stand-alones, as well as a burly GSM blend from the '11 vintage.
The Outside World - If you can't beat em, join em! Just kidding, but seriously. I have decided to further our Chardonnay production and step outside of Livermore. I will continue to produce Livermore Valley Chardonnay (this year from Wisner Vineyard, which I am very excited about) but I will also be producing Chardonnay from the Wente-Made-Famous Riva Ranch in Arroyo Seco, Monterey County. The fruit is fantastic, Clone 2A Chardonnay (the Godfather of all California Chard clones) that should provide tremendous floral and tropical fruit flavors. It is exciting to work with passionate growers like the Wente Family who pioneered both Chardonnay as a varietal, and the Arroyo Seco appellation.
As Always - All lots of fruit that we bring in are broken down into Micro-lots with the intention of creating a very diverse group of blending components with tremendous complexities. This is achieved through several means including various press times, yeast trials, barrel program trials, lees stirring, the list goes on. My philosophy is to create several different blending components to create a very complex final blend. That goes with every lot of fruit that comes through our back door.
I hope that you are all as excited for this harvest as I am. Cheers to good wine, good family and friends, and health.
SALUTE!
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