March, 2022
Well, it’s a good thing they didn’t stop the farmers from farming. Wine production is definitely not down, but costs are sure up! We are just finishing pruning season, the most important job that we do. Each vine requires five to ten minutes of attention, and we only have about 600,000 vines to prune. To get the job done takes at least 30 people. Most of our crew have been with us for more than 20 years. We are so fortunate to have a loyal and dedicated workforce in these times.
We had that great rain in December but we could really use another donation from the rain gods.
We had our first taste of last year’s wines. They look to be very promising.
2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir: Provence has taught us all a lesson. Today’s rosé is not the rosé of old. They are now making great rosé from great grapes and from great vineyards. This Rosé of Pinot Noir is easy to drink, refreshing, and goes well with appetizers. Serve chilled. It’s a fun experience - a cocktail from the vine! Pinot really fits the bill in this Rosé. I just sold 40 tons of Pinot Noir grapes to an outstanding Napa Valley winery for this coming year. Need I say more?
2019 Merlot: Well, Merlot has almost recovered from the movie. There is talk now that more Merlot needs to be planted in Napa Valley. It is a great grape and does extremely well in Los Alamos. It seems to like it where it is a little cooler. Remember, 60% of Bordeaux is Merlot. This one is a little tricky. Like a Bordeaux, it is a little bit sleepy and needs time to wake up. I would like you to decant it for a few hours or use an aerator to let it open up. This one could use a little more time in the bottle as it is a big wine.
2017 Hidden Asset: I am not supposed to tell you that this is a designer wine. Everyone today seems to be blending more and different varieties - almost anything is acceptable. It took four months of tasting at the winery to come up with this blend. We compared it to several hotshot wines in the marketplace. We left out Cabernet Sauvignon on purpose as we were looking for softness and complexity. It needed to be delicious at release with no further aging needed. The answer was 1/3 Syrah, 1/3 Malbec, and 1/3 Merlot with a dash of Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc. It is soft, lush, and flavorful. Addictive - it makes you want more! Fun wine.
Spring will soon be sprung. Go out and enjoy the fresh air.