Here’s the latest pics.  Enjoy!

Enjoy some of the latest pictures.  Last week I had to order toilet paper holders so I think that means were getting close to completion!!  It’s really looking beautiful.  Walkways, patios and trim work are next.

I have to say that May has been a crazy, fun, exciting whirlwind of a month from start to finish.  Since we had our kids, I have always said that May is one of the craziest months.  Usually it’s filled with ball games and end of the year school activities.  Well, this month was no different in that respect(YES…Kirsten’s softball team is undefeated to date)!  BUT…this year, the winery has added to the whirlwind!!!  May began with the Lodi International Wine Awards pouring on May 1st.  This was a really fun event with a lot of local people.  Nice size crowd to be able to really talk to people about our wines and our venture.  Fast forward to the next morning and you will find Kyle and I on the road to San Francisco to do our first radio spot on the Gene Burn’s Dining Around show on KGO.  We were lucky enough to be invited to share a little about Harney Lane and to help promote Zinfest.  Mr. Burns and his executive producer were very gracious and we even got to share a little Primitivo with them live.  You can still catch the interview by podcast.

The following Friday night, May 8th we held our first Wine Club event to share a pre-release tasting of our 2008 Dry Rose and 2008 Albarino, our first white wine.  It was a great night packed full of great food, wine and even some flamenco guitar by Jesse Hendricks.  Lots of fun to get to know our wine club members better!!!!

Tom & Irene @ Wine:30 Party

May 15th-17th brought the 100 degree weather and….Zinfest weekend. The Vintners Grill on Friday night at Lodi Lake was a wonderful event.  Our Old Vine Zinfandel, being chosen as one of the 12 Zins of Lodi, was one of the featured wines for the evening.  Then…off and running Saturday morning in preparation for Zinfest Festival.  Kyle even got to talk about our zin at the Wine School along with Tim Holdener from Macchia.  Sunday’s Winery Open Houses was a great day at the winery.  We had lots of familiar faces along with several first time visitors who braved the 100 degree weather to visit us!  And…the Albarino was the BIG hit of the day!!!

We also have had the privalege this month to be on the cover of D’Vine Magazine.  Pick it up and read a bit about us if you get a chance.  You can find a copy at most local wineries.  We think they did a great job on the article.  Thanks Deana and Fran!!  It’s pretty crazy…we have even had to autograph a few copies.  Too funny!

Well…May couldn’t go out quietly so Saturday capped it off.  We had a VERY busy day in the tasting room and we had the pleasure of a mention on KGO’s Dining Around with Gene Burns again.  Seems Mr. Burns had tried our Petite Sirah, which we left as a thank you  when we were on the show.  And he called it “sensational”!  What a great compliment.  We had a few people come to visit for the first time just because they heard that segment. 

What else can I say.  Except it must be nap time.  Just kidding…..while the month has been exhausting….it has been one of the most exciting in this crazy venture so far.  And one of the best parts is that we are seeing lots of familiar faces back time after time so I hope that means we are doing something right.  Until next time….CHEERS!

It is commonly thought that a “stressed” vine produces the best wine with the most intense flavors.  This train of thought is great marketing for certain terrains and climates.  But, the jury is still really out on if there is much truth to this.  Research, as well as Kyle and my Dad, point to the success of creating great wine to a ”balanced” vine.  It is important, especially in the great growing climate that we have, to manipulate the vines throughout the season in order to create balance.  The right level of crop, the right amount of foliage, the right amount of water are a just few factors that we work to control each year.  At this time of the year, the crews are busy shoot thinning.    Each block is shoot thinned according to it’s age, variety, vigor and growing history to name a few factors.  This is the simple process of removing some of the young tender shoots to begin to control some of the above named factors….crop level, foliage vigor as well as air circulation and sunlight.  And the point is of course, great fruit which is essential to great wine!  So, next time you have a glass of your favorite wine, appreciate all the hands that have been involved just creating the starting point…..the winegrapes!

REWARDS & AWARDS
Well…it has been a very busy last couple weeks at the winery.  Organizing glass, labels, capsules, corks, etc. to prepare for bottling day. Then this last week was filled with final blending and filtering of the wine.   All this in preparation for bottling on last Friday…..which took about 6 hours total.  Lots of preparation for the final piece in the winemaking process.  But each little piece is so important to getting the final product right.  I do have to say that it is very rewarding to see the wine come off the bottling line.  Such a relief to know that all the pieces have come together finally.  And even better when you are excited about what’s in the bottle….which we are!!!  This bottling included our 2008 Rose, 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel and, for the first time, our 2008 Albarino.  The Rose and Albarino should be ready to release in the next couple months.  The Old Vine Zinfandel will cellar a little longer first.  Can’t wait!!!!

There have been new awards to brag about too.  The Lodi International Wine Awards held last month brought us some more “bling”.  Our 2006 Petite Sirah tied for Best of Class and our Primitivo received a Diversity Platinum, which means it took GOLD in all three tasting groups!  To round it out the 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel received a Diversity Tri-Medal and the Tempranillo took a Diversity Tri-Silver.  This is an interesting competition that aims to match the consumer with wines that will be appealing to their particular tasting sensitivity level.  For more information visit www.lodiwineawards.com.

Most recently, we were notified that our 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel was chosen as one of the “12 Zins of Lodi”.  This is quite an honor as we all know how great Lodi Zinfandels are!!!!  We are excited to be included in such a great group of wines and excited about the exposure this will bring!  To read more about the judging see the article in the Lodi News Sentinel.

Cheers until next time!

Meet the guys.  On the left is Dan Morris.  He and his son, Barry, are the contractors for our tasting room project.  On the right is Robert Morris.  Robert is a long time friend of the family as well as an outstanding architect.  Dan and Robert also happen to be brothers.  On March 10th Robert came down from Oregon to go over some details of the tasting room project.  It was great to see him and to feel like we nailed down some decisions.  It was also exciting to see the color palette come together for the first time.  Thank you to these guys for creating a unique and inviting tasting room that we will enjoy for years to come!!!   

SO…the windows are in, the fireplace “guts” (as I call them) are in and the electricians have been busy trying to take care of all our electrical needs.  We understand that we will see roof, stone and drywall all going in soon. So…while things never seem to go on our timeline (which would have meant being done in October) we are making progress.  This week we also met with the landscape architect, Jeffrey Gamboni, who added some cool ideas for our patio area. Now it’s finally becoming 3 dimensional to me.

Oh, and I apologize that there haven’t been any updates for a little while.  It seems like forever since we had got away for vacation.  So…we did…twice!  Always good to get away and gain a little perspective of what’s most important in life!  Cheers to you and those you love.

The last day of January we got initiated into the world of public pourings.  As usual we jumped right in for something big instead of easing into the experience.  So…. we poured for the first time at ZAP Festival which includes about 250 wineries pouring just Zinfandel.  It was a long day but we were well received, especially by the trade, including other wineries.  It was awesome to have other wineries that we have loved and respected for years sending people our way!  What a pat on the back that was!!!

February 14th & 15th we opened up our door for Lodi’s Wine & Chocolate event.  The event was a success area wide and especially for us.  We saw close to 1,000 people over the 2 days and had a great time! We saw some familiar faces (and even a few hardhats) and lots of new ones.  Thanks to all of you who braved the weather to join us for wine, chocolate and chocolate chili!  I’m not sure what was the bigger hit…the wine…the chocolate chili….or the feather boas!

Progress continues on the tasting room.  And it is finally getting to a stage where I can start to visualize the space.  I can just about picture looking out the windows to the north towards the pines and grounds while we sip & sit by the fireplace.  I can almost picture tasters at the bar and the space filled with people for a winemakers dinner.  For so long, the tasting room has been very 2 dimensional to me so I’m thrilled that it is starting to take form.  Framing is nearly done, so then windows, masonry, doors, etc.  We can’t wait!  Surprisingly, every weekend people comment on how much they like the winery building.  People wonder why we are going to the trouble to build a tasting room.  Well…simply…the winery makes a good tasting room but it complicates the functionality of the winery for the important part…making wine.  And I promise the tasting room will still have that comfortable non stuffy feel.  We wouldn’t be happy any other way!  Cheers!

A couple of months ago, we discussed whether we should start entering some wine competitions.  We came to the conclusion that we had nothing to lose and honestly felt our wines would hold up pretty well.  So we entered the SF Chronicle Wine Competition, as it was the first one that came up once are wines were ready.  It is a huge competition with over 4,000 wines entered.  This was our first competition and I had read the results would be published in February in the Chronicle.  We knew that judging was taking place last week because Lodi Winegrape Commission Executive Director, Mark Chandler, was out of the office as a judge.  BUT we really had no idea when to expect the results.  SO…..on Friday afternoon when we got an email blast from Lodi Wine Country that the results were in…I couldn’t wait to scour the awards.  First I searched the Zinfandels in our price category.  Wait, I thought, that can’t be OUR wine listed.  Close your eyes, scroll the page again.  Yep, it was still there under the GOLD medal winners.  At this point, I couldn’t contain myself.  I called Kyle and shared the news as I searched for the other wines.  Petite Sirah…I missed it the first time through.  Okay, I checked again.  GOLD for the Petite Sirah too!!  Unbelievably surreal.  Then, the Tempranillo.  There it was listed.  SILVER medal which was given a class where no GOLD was awarded.  WOW!!!  The word spread quickly amongst ourselves and then close family and friends.  I know lots of wineries have won many awards but how sweet the victory is that very first time!  We’ve joked about hanging some of the kids swimming medals around the neck of one of our bottles and see how long before someone noticed.  Now our wines will be collecting a little bling of their own!  To view all the results go to www.winejudging.com.