Archive for April, 2008
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
New Artifex Contract
The new Artifex contract for 2008 arrived. Billo and I have been very happy with Artifex. Chris Dowsett and staff are competent, knowledgeable and friendly. We are looking forward to making our wines there for years to come. For 2008, we will increase production to 1300-1400 cases… better get the contract signed and mailed.
1 Comment » - Posted in Rasa Vineyards by Pinto Naravane
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Champoux Vineyards and a 103% Blend
Horse Heaven Hills is one of the nine AVA’s in the state of Washington. Officially recognized on August 1, 2005, it comprises of 570,000 acres and is totally within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. Some of the oldest vineyards in Washington are in Horse Heaven Hills. One of these is Champoux Vineyards.
Champoux is one of most important […]
No Comments » - Posted in Rasa Vineyards by Pinto Naravane
Friday, April 18th, 2008
Research - Sheridan Vineyard
One of the nicer things about starting a winery is conducting research. Research for me is tasting a lot of wine – not bad huh? Since we will continue to purchase fruit even after our vineyards are at full production, I am tasting every Washington wine I can get my hands on (well, at least […]
No Comments » - Posted in Rasa Vineyards by Pinto Naravane
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
Primitivo
I had the 2005 Majara Primitivo Salento a couple of days ago. I don’t drink much Zinfandel or Primitivo but this one from southern Italy caught my eye.
I thought it was overripe with pruney notes. It is nicely made if you like that flavor profile. At 14% alcohol and the overripe tastes, I couldn’t help thinking […]
No Comments » - Posted in Wine and Food by Pinto Naravane
Saturday, April 12th, 2008
Inexpensive Reds
It’s great to drink good wines that don’t cost a fortune. I had 3 this week that were all good wines and great values.
First one was Vina Sastre Roble 2006 Red Wine from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. This wine is 100% Tempranillo aged for 7months in 2-year old American oak barrels. It’s […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Wine and Food by Pinto Naravane
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
Spanish Syrah
Sunday night I opened the 2006 Val Tosca Syrah from Casa Castillo. The wine comes from Jumilla in southern Spain. There’s not a lot of Syrah coming from Spain but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more in the coming years.
This wine was very oaky but well made in a new world style. The wine showed […]
No Comments » - Posted in Wine and Food by Pinto Naravane
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
23 Tons for 2008
We need about 23 tons of high-quality fruit for the 2008 vintage.
When we were in Walla Walla, we met Shane McKibben, vineyard manager at Les Collines Vineyard. We agreed to purchase 12 tons of Syrah for 2008. We are very happy with the way the Syrah from 2007 is developing and look forward to Les […]
No Comments » - Posted in Rasa Vineyards by Pinto Naravane
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Alsatian Pinot Noir
What?
I’m a huge fan of the white wines from Alsace. I like it all, from the dry inexpensive whites to the decadent (and expensive) SGNs. But a Pinot Noir from Alsace? The production of Pinot Noir in Alsace is miniscule and the reputation isn’t very good.
Saturday, I came across two Pinots and my curiosity was […]
No Comments » - Posted in Wine and Food by Pinto Naravane
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
Good News from DuBrul
Good news. A few days after visiting Hugh and Kathy Shiels, Billo sent Hugh a thank you email. In it, he again expressed our wish to obtain some DuBrul Vineyard fruit. He asked that Hugh keep us in mind if some fruit should become available for 2008 and to put us in line for 2009.
As […]
