Cartlidge and Browne Winery Blog

Brief Fall Hiatus

2009-10-31T17:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween! We'll be taking a brief hiatus here (not quite hibernating for winter yet) - while harvest is over, all of the work certainly is not. Look for blog posts to return soon.

Cheers!
The C&B team

October Update - Crush 2009

2009-10-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Our Sauvignon Blanc just finished fermentation:

Enologist Mauricio brought by a sample for us to taste. The two components, the grapefruity, lower Brix lot and the warmer, honey-ed lot, have integrated into a lovely seamless whole. Grower Maile Field wasn't kidding when she told us early in the season that the flavenoids were there and that 2009 might be the best Dancing Crow Vineyard vintage yet.

We'll be racking it off the lees today, and it will go back into the tank until early January, when we'll bottle the wine.

It's cold here. Warehouse temps feel much different in October than in July. The leaves on the trees are changing ... as are the leaves on the Pinot Noir grapevines.

Only a few left-behind grape clusters remain.

The last grapes we will get in are Cabernet Sauvignon: from Mulhner Vineyard in Chiles Valley and several other Napa Valley vineyards.

2009 Dancing Crow Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

2009-09-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Winemaker Paul Moser just brought by this Sauvignon Blanc juice from Dancing Crow Vineyard in Lake County. The grapes were picked Tuesday, pressed yesterday and here at the winery now to start fermenting.

The first block came in Saturday morning (one degree Brix lower than this set) and has a crisper apple/grapefruit quality. Paul says this has beautiful pear and sugared grapefruit notes, with hints of honey.

And it does. So delicious! It reminds me of being a little kid and having fresh, sweet grapes in my lunch.

First Grapes - Crush 2009

2009-09-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

Our first grapes of the year arrived today: Zinfandel/Primitivo from Snows Lake Vineyard in Red Hills Lake County. More info about this fruit in last week's dispatch.

Last year we grafted over the rootstock to Zinfandel grapevines:

We had 4.3 tons come in today - and are still waiting to get the final stats from the lab as to sugar, pH, etc. We'll update in the next day or so!

The winemaking crew kept a very close eye on things ... and it's on. They're continuing to monitor the other vineyards, sampling grapes, and now seeing this first lot through fermentation. The winery smells like grapes today & we know that in the next few days, aromas of fermenting grapes will waft through the building.

This Time of Year

2009-08-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Empty grape bins are all clean and stacked in the warehouse. And now are just waiting to truck to the first vineyard ... the anticipation of Crush 2009 ...

Harvest 2009

2009-08-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

... still no grapes at the winery yet ...

Mauricio took this picture yesterday: rolling rows of ripening Cabernet Sauvignon vines at Snows Lake Vineyard (appellation Red Hills Lake County). The soil really is that red. And the hills are much steeper than they appear.

Probably we'll harvest these grapes in various times of October (different parts of the hill). Last year we brought in some Cab from this vineyard in the 2nd week of October.

More updates to come next week ...

Quick Grape & Harvest Update

2009-08-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today Mauricio pulled Zinfandel grapes for sampling of sugars and acidity at Snows Lake Vineyard in Lake County. He amended the info, though - it's actually Primitivo (Clones 3 & 4).

The upper blocks are at 25.4 brix and a pH of 4 ... he says the lower blocks are still at 22 brix. It's likely we will hand-harvest the two upper blocks (one on an eastern-facing hill and the other adjacent on a western-facing hill) next week. Later on the lower ones.

The Sauvignon Blanc from Dancing Crow Vineyard isn't as close to being ready - Mauricio's current guess is September 14th or thereabouts.

He's also beginning to look at Merlot and Cabernet from Totem Ridge Vineyard - Cabernet is much later ripening - it will probably be ready in mid-October.

Lake County Field Trip

2009-08-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Dylan & enologist Mauricio trekked north yesterday - checking on the Sauvignon Blanc grapes at Maile Field & Lars Crail's Dancing Crow Vineyard. Mauricio thinks perhaps the first week in September on these grapes, though he'll be keeping an eye on the fruit and the Brix.

Originally pear orchards planted by Maile's family, the vineyard encompasses 28 acres and has been certified organic since 2004.
Pear trees still surround the property, and the 2008 vintage of Cartlidge & Browne Sauvignon Blanc has lovely pear aromas. Coincidence?

They also stopped by to see Buzz, who's been providing us with amazing Merlot for years.

Harvest is right around the corner!

Everyday Days at the Winery

2009-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Once in a while people tasting at the winery will peek into the office, see everyone working (very hard) away, & then turn to me confused, "Why is everyone so busy? Can't you drink wine all day? Isn't it only harvest that much happens?"

Something's always happening. And usually more than several somethings are happening.

There's bottling - when the winemakers decide it's time to rack the wine out of barrel to be bottled (via tanks). It's not just the bottling, though. They have decide on the lots that will be blended together for a final wine, which involves numerous flights of potential blends.

They're prepping barrels, tanks, equipment for harvest.

And checking on grapes, surveying vineyards, talking with the vineyard managers.

Constantly monitoring wine in barrels & in tank - is it ready to go? Is there anything wrong? Testing samples in the lab.

Buying new barrels for harvest. Supplies.

The sales team traveling the country and talking with distributors and stores and restaurants that carry our wine.

Hosting people who've come to taste.

Current information about wines - making sure everyone has the correct, updated information - from vintages to pricing to tasting notes.

Fulfilling orders for wines - making sure our distributors in 46 states and accounts in 16 countries have the wine they need, keeping track of their inventory.

Paperwork. Paperwork. And even more paperwork.

But we also have some very fun opportunities. I shared our C&B Dancing Crow Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and C&B Pinot Noir with attendees to the National Kidney Foundation's first annual charity polo tournament in Santa Rosa yesterday. We joined other wineries & vendors and had a grand old time in support of a good cause.

I especially enjoyed the Pinot Noir paired with a cheese spread of smoked mozzarella with slow roasted tomatoes. It may even be my new favorite!

Perfect Pairings: Petite Sirah and Peacock?

2009-07-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

We sat down last week to taste six different Petite Sirahs. Winemaker Paul Moser says the varietal is one "built for off-roading" and "built for action." While the berries are small, they don't produce a small wine at all.

At the winery, we are getting set to bottle the 2007 Lot 205 PS tomorrow. That wine was in the tasting lineup, as was our 2006 - and then 4 other wines, both 06 and 07s. We tasted the wines blind, though we knew which producers and vintages they were from.

We liked the 2006 Bogle and the 2006 Lot 205.

Our guesses as to which wines were which were all over the place The unbottled 2007 Lot 205 Petite was the only wine that we all got right. It was also the clear favorite.

Paul's notes on the wine: High notes at first, not too tannic or oaky. Youthful, bouncy, cherry drop, juicy profile, round, grapey. Not overly rustic. Blackberry cobbler and purity of fruit. Bright, clean acidity with excellent balance and a freshness.

YUM!

Digression: Paul writes the tasting notes. And they are very elegant and delicious-sounding tasting notes. The only thing is that the suggested pairings can be a wee bit esoteric, at least for me. I don't generally stand at the store and think, I'm going to pick up some feathered game tonight.

So we got to talking about what would comprise feathered game: squab, grouse, game hen, pheasant, pigeon ... peacock? Someone (I'm not naming names) at the table thought the Bremner crackers would pair well with peacock.

Then this was suggested: crackers, peacock & Petite Sirah. Yikes. I think I'll stick to some of the more "normal" pairings for the Petite. When I chatted with Paul today, he said to go with the bigger foods that wouldn't be overwhelmed by the wine. He says lamb shank, duck confit, heartier pastas, particularly bolognese, but also game: wild boar and venison stew. If you're vegetarian, he suggests ragout of red wine and portobello mushroom, perhaps grilled portobellos, or a five-cheese risotto.

Heat Wave

2009-06-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

After a month of moderate weather, the end of June got hot! The grapes are soaking up the warmth and the sun:

What a difference two and a half months make! Check out the g rapevines in mid-April:

June winery updates

2009-06-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

We have been sorely remiss in posting!

It's finally heating up significantly - there's nothing like the smell of baking earth in late June. The dirt under the grapevines to our west smells just like warm, uncured leather. And you wonder why some tasting notes - generally for Zinfandel, Syrah & Cabernet - mention hints of leather.

The grapevines seem to grow each day, they're no longer flowering but now have clustered grapes. It seems a miracle that something so acidic at the moment will later ripen and sweeten.

Our 2007 C&B North Coast Cabernet (fruit from Mendocino and Lake County) was bottled last Wednesday. We all tried it - and enologist Mauricio Livellara couldn't stop raving about it, praising its true-to-Cabernet character, with soft, mouth-filling tannins on the finish, with delicate aromas.

Pictures to follow - and we'll update more in the future. Happy Summer!

Twenty-nine Flights of Five

2009-05-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Twenty-nine flights of five wine blends ... akin to five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes ... so, how do you measure, measure a Chard?

Winemaker Paul Moser and enologist Mauricio Livellara are perfectionists, and we love it.

To arrive at the final blend of our 2008 Cartlidge & Browne Chardonnay -- they tried 29 flights of five different blends -- for an end total of 145 different possible blends. One hundred forty-five is the charm!

We tasted the final blend (just off the bottling line) along with the 2008 Lot 205 Chardonnay.

And then we tasted through 2007 & 2008 Pinot Noirs.

Before the bags came off, Paul noted that they all tasted like Pinot Noir to him. Next time I'll have to throw a few other varietals in there to trip him up.

We liked them all - which was good news. Even before he smelled the wine, Mauricio knew each vintage by the temperature of the wine (some had been lab samples and others pulled from the warehouse) and different specs on the glass.

Paul was pleased with the consistency between vintages and thought the 2008, though just a baby, already aromatically had a lot to say. He talked about the lovely floral notes and cherry cobbler flavor, along with a spicy character and a supple feel.

Sign me up for tastings like this more often!

Spring Release pictures & end-of-vintage sale

2009-05-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out for Spring Release Day the other weekend! We enjoyed the 2008 C&B Dancing Crow Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, the 2007 Paso Robles Cabernet ... and really everything else under the sun. Good food, good wine, good people - what more can you ask for?

And two views of our sunny & cozy new spot:

Be sure to join us on Saturday, June 13th for a clear-out-the-odds-and-ends, end-of-vintage sale! 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. We'll have more info up on the website soon and in June's email newsletter!

Wine Spies Infiltration!

2009-05-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

The Wine Spies have swooped in!

They snagged a very limited amount of our 2005 Moser Scharding Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir and are offering it at a very special price this Friday only! Full details will be av ailable on their site beginning at m idnight Pacific on 5-8-09.

Winemakers Paul Moser and Rebecca Scharding Steinschriber produced this wine from fruit grown by Durrell Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley along with Parmalee Hill Vineyards, which adjoins Durrell to the west. Notes of cherry and strawberry, with soft leather and violets underneath. Swoon!

May showers

2009-05-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

It's pouring here ... and supposed to rain all weekend. The April showers seem to have brought May showers! It feels like February outside, and instead of springy whites, we're opening up Cabernets. (That said, you never know what people will want to drink! When it was 95 degrees the other week, the tasting room visitors were snapping up the Dessert Syrah. )

The grapevines are soaking up the rain, which is sorely needed. We're still facing a drought, but every single drop of water counts.

April showers and sunshine

2009-04-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

From last week's rainy skies ...

... to current sunny vineyards. What a difference a week makes!

The new tasting room!

2009-04-08T10:30:00.001-07:00

Lynae in the middle & the Gordon brothers and their lovely wives (one crew from Palo Alto and the other from Chicago, Illinois). The 2007 C&B Paso Robles Cabernet was a favorite!

What you can't see is that we're all looking off into vineyards!

2008 C&B Dancing Crow Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

2009-03-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's March 31st, so this is no April's Fools joke! So many of you (and me!) are eagerly awaiting this wine ... it was bottled last Wednesday.

We'll have it in the tasting room on Spring Release Day - April 25th.

Spring has sprung here - from warm temps to Monarch butterflies to the beginning of budbreak. And the Sauvignon Blanc will go so well with it!

Alaska!

2009-03-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

It's extremely chilly here in Anchorage, and I'm ensconced in my puffy down coat (600 down fill). But I've seen a few natives in t-shirts and a girl last night was rocking cropped capri pants! Brrrr. Great food here - I had a fresh wild salmon BLT - wow!

Check out some of the beautiful scenery:

Now, off to share some fantastic C&B wines with Alaksans!

They'll get to taste the 2008 Dancing Crow Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc!

Keep your eyes peeled for info about when we'll release that lovely wine.

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here in the southern Napa Valley, we've had fog a few mornings this week - on Tuesday it burned off around noon, and it's already dissipating today. Yesterday it must have been about 73 degrees (heavenly for the last day of winter)!

It's supposed to be a bit cooler today, but still oh so lovely. And the first day of spring! There's an extra spring to everyone's step, we have gorgeous sunflowers radiating in the tasting room ... and it feels like white wine weather.

In or around Anchorage on Thursday, March 26? We'll be pouring our wines at Specialty Imports' 10th annual Symphony of Wines, a wine tasting that benefits the Anchorage Symphony.

Upcoming: Spring Release Day! Saturday, April 25th, from 1-4 p.m. at the winery. Join us to try our new releases!

And now off to open the doors - it's too beautiful outside not to!

Tony Cartlidge's paella for a cause

2009-03-05T13:36:00.001-08:00

Two posts in one day, good golly! This is time-sensitive, so check it out now!

The one, the only, the Tony Cartlidge is participating in the tenth annual Forever Young benefit fundraiser for the Young School on March 6th. Tickets to the auction (at the Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, which is sooooo beautiful at sunset!) are sold out, but proxy bidding online is open until noon on Friday. You can email or fax your forms. I'm having to hold myself back from bidding on this one:

B4. Paella, Wine, and Tall Tales at Smith-Madrone

Tony Cartlidge of Cartlidge & Browne Winery will prepare his famous seafood paella for a group of 40 people at Smith-Madrone Winery on top of Spring Mountain. Enjoy the views from the mountain and tales of the wine wars from Tony and Stu Smith, who together have more than 60 years of experience making and selling fine wines around the world. Wines to be enjoyed with the paella will be from Cartlidge & Browne Winery, Smith-Madrone, and Trivium.

Event date: To be scheduled when mutually convenient two months in advance.

Winemakers at work, Wine Club at play

2009-03-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

(We had to make this photo teensy-tiny for the email newsletter, and VP of Awesomeness Marc wanted to see it up close) A few weeks ago, winemakers Paul Moser & Rebecca Scharding Steinschriber tasted through wines with members of the C&B Wine Club. The barrels they're next to hold lots of the 2008 Snows Lake Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - and they brought a barrel sample of that wine in addition to the 2006 Snows Lake Cab. Yum!

Somehow a promised half an hour turned into an hour plus! They talked Austrian wine, working with small lots of Malbec for the first time ever, the aging curve of Lot 205 versus C&B, vineyard sites ...

BTW, on Open That Bottle Night, I saved my Mount Veeder Cabernet (it was a 2005, way too early even for OTBN) but pulled out an expensive Chardonnay (for me! I don't like paying more than $15 for Chardonnay) and cracked it open with our neighbor, who is one of the biggest Chard fans I know. It was a Beringer Reserve and had oodles of creaminess and butteriness. It still makes me a bit nervous to open pricey bottles ~ so, this was the perfect opportunity!

Open That Bottle Night!

2009-02-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher are wonderful - their Wall Street Journal columns are wonderful, their book, Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage, is wonderful, and their brainchild, Open That Bottle Night, is simply wonderful.

This Saturday marks the 10th(!) Open That Bottle Night! Here's their thought behind it:

"You know that bottle of wine you've been keeping around for that special occasion that never arrives or because the wine is always going to be better tomorrow?

Open that bottle!"

That prompting - along with one of my 2009 goals to drink 25 bottles out of my cellar (closet) before I buy any more wine - means I'll probably be opening a Mount Veeder Cabernet. Nothing too crazy.

Last Saturday our winemaker, Paul Moser, mentioned opening a 23-year-old Mouton Rothschild that ended up being still too young ... at first glance, he would not be a candidate for OTBN. But he too wrestles with: What if the wine is over the hill? What if I'm not around by the time it's ready to drink? What if?

Sometimes you just have to do what you gotta do. And in this case, open that bottle.

What are you opening up?

California sunshine, Napa mists, bottling Chardonnay

2009-02-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a topsy-turvy month! We finally had a deluge of rain, and then everything dried up once again. Supposedly we are in for more rain starting Saturday night. I adore rainy Februarys, so here's hoping.

The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers has been taking place at Meadowood the last few days, and I greatly enjoyed reading NY Times wine writer Eric Asimov's "From the Mists of Napa" post:

Greetings from Napa Valley, where, since I arrived on Sunday, I’ve seen nothing but cold rain. You would think this would be a blow to smug Californians, who generally feel that sunshine and warmth are their reward for living in such a beautiful place, but no. When asked about the rain, they to a person feign sincerity and say, “We really needed it.’’

I blushed. That was me in the tasting room last week. I love the commenters who also pled guilty! But no faux sincerity here and I don't think on the part of anyone else. During the downpours, we could see the lovely swirling Napa mists and the green hills from the tasting room, and with tasters from out of town, I fully meant it every time I said we missed the sunshine but absolutely really needed the rain.

Here at the winery, we are bottling 2007 Lot 205 Chardonnay today! Hooray! (we sold out of the 2006 here at the tasting room a few weeks ago)

Winemaker Paul Moser says, "The wine has a supple, lingering mouthfeel and inviting pear/peach flavors filled out by spicy oak, lychee and butterscotch." Yum!

We just tasted it off the bottling line (no bottle shock the first day), and it's fantastic!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Rain, rain ...

2009-02-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

... don't go away!

It was so warm and lovely and spring-like (and dry) the last few weeks that everyone seemed to be in white wine mode. In a quick return to winter weather, we here at the winery were all enjoying the rain last night and this morning.

There was a brief respite of blue sky earlier this afternoon, and we thought about trying to go find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Dylan took this picture from the door of the tasting room. The sky has since clouded over and it looks ominous to the west - but ominous in a good way! It looks like it might pour in 10 minutes.

Winemaker Paul Moser says we need rain! With the drought and last year's frosts, many grape growers emptied their reservoirs - and if there are frosts later this season, there's really no where to go. In cases of frost, growers without wind machines rely on overhead sprinkler systems to prevent damage.

And now we just have to wait and see about budbreak.

January-ness, No Rain, Wine awards

2009-01-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy January weather-wise! From morning frost to highs in the upper 70s the other week ... I'm all confused, and the wild mustard and grapevines are no different! (Yes, I am anthropomorphizing them, I admit it.)

A few rain drops have just fallen outside, but they're evaporating almost as soon as they hit the ground, "and I start to complain that there's no rain." Any Blind Melon fans out there?

The folks over at Napa Valley Wine Blog had a neat post about January in the Napa Valley - that it's like stepping back in time. My dad prefers to wine taste in Amador and El Dorado Counties, lamenting that Napa isn't like it used to be 30 years ago ... I'll send him the way of some of their suggestions!

Things have been fairly quiet here, though we've had some fun tasting crews, and this past week we released our C&B Reserve Dessert Syrah, which has been a big hit!

Even better, we were thrilled to find out that a number of our wines took medals at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition! We were honored to be recognized among more than 4,000 entered wines.

The 2005 Lot 205 No. 1 Red is truly #1! It took Best of Class in Bordeaux Blends up to $14.99.

Our other award-winning wines:

2007 Lot 205 Cabernet Sauvignon, Gold Medal
2006 Lot 205 Merlot, Silver Medal
2006 Cartlidge & Browne North Coast Merlot, Silver Medal
2005 Cartlidge & Browne Red Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon (Snows Lake Vineyard), Silver Medal
2006 Cartlidge & Browne Amador Zinfandel, Bronze Medal
2005 Moser Scharding Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir, Bronze Medal

Saturday, February 28, 2009 is the public tasting for the Wine Competition. We'll be pouring our winning wines, and so will all of the other fantastic winery awardees. Tickets are on sale, and the advance purchase price is fabulous!

Cheers!
Lynae

Happy 2009 from C&B!

2008-12-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

Dispatches from the Tasting Room:

All of us at Cartlidge & Browne would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year filled with health, prosperity & great wine!

Thank you all for your support—we wouldn’t be where we are without you. From wine lovers in New York to visitors from Sweden to our lovely regulars from American Canyon and nearby—we love you all!

2008 has been an amazing year here at C&B: Over the months we released several great new wines, gotten settled in our tasting room’s new location (It’s warmer here than the warehouse! We have chocolate daily!) and revamped our wine club. In top 10 retrospectives on 2008, wine writers have hailed this year for the greening of wineries. And we love it! We are dedicated to making eco-friendly decisions when it comes to our packaging (to the point of changing how our case boxes are produced), conscious use of energy, and maintaining a clear vision of our carbon footprint.

We embarked on a new wine venture - Lot 205 Winery. Consisting of six varietals, Lot 205 wines are 100% California appellation wines and sure to please everyone – from novice to connoisseur. Deb Harkness at Good Wine Under $20 enjoyed the 2006 Chardonnay & Gary Vaynerchuk was quite impressed by the 2005 Petite Sirah. Click here for these 100% California Wines with a Twist! And we now have the 2006 Petite here in the tasting room.

RELEASES of 2008!

C&B 2006 North Coast Merlot: Ripe cherry & red currant notes, this wine is velvety with lush cocoa tones. Winemaker Paul Moser called this an ideal Merlot.

C&B 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Snows Lake Vineyard, Red Hills Lake County: Hints of cedar, cassis, sweet tobacco and chocolate-covered cherries. Rebecca Scharding Steinschriber, our assistant winemaker, says she can always tell a Snows Lake Cab by the bittersweet chocolate notes. It’s truly a Cabernet lovers’ Cab no doubt! If you haven’t tried a Lake County Cab, I highly recommend this wine. The 2005 vintage is almost gone from the tasting room, and we’ll be moving in to the 2006 in January.

C&B 2007 Pinot Noir: Rich baked cherry, sweet toast with juicy red fruits. Our Pinot Noirs are always sure to please the Pinot lovers’ palate. We are completely sold out of this at the winery, yet if you are looking for another amazing Pinot, you should try our winemakers’ label—Moser Scharding. They produced only 514 cases of the 2005 Pinot, which came from two amazing vineyards in Sonoma Valley – Durell & Parmalee-Hill.

C&B 2007 Chardonnay: Aroma of stone fruits & vanilla oak spice, as well as pear nectar, apple pie & butterscotch flavors. We just released this about a month ago & this may just be one of our best Chardonnays yet.

C&B 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Dancing Crow Vineyard: (ORGANICALLY GROWN) Flavors of citrus, melon, mango & guava. This SB is all about amazing tropical fruit. It went quick—we are sold out of this in our tasting room, but our 2008 is vintage is being released in February.

C&B 2006 Zinfandel Amador County Deaver Vineyard: Ripe black fruit, raspberry high notes. Very generous and rich with jammy lush fruit character and solid mineral core.

COMING SOON! (aka, we can't wait for these fun releases!)

• C&B Dessert Syrah - A delicious port-style wine - we have an extremely limited quantity available only at the tasting room.
• C&B 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Dancing Crow Vineyard, Lake County (ORGANICALLY GROWN)
• C&B 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – Paso Robles
• C&B 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon – Knights Valley (Totem Ridge Vineyard)

Cheers!
Dylan & Lynae & the rest of the Cartlidge & Browne Team

P.S. What are you going to quaff this evening? Lynae's thinking maybe the 2005 Snows Lake Cabernet with dinner and then a 2005 Domaine Carneros sparkler later on ... Happy New Year's one more time!

December updates

2008-12-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

From Lynae:

We've been remiss in posting … there's been lots going on here at the winery, but that's no excuse! Here in foggy American Canyon, the 2007 Cartlidge and Browne Chardonnay is not only bottled but about to be released! Most of the 2008 vintage is in barrel or stainless steel. We went through a lot of Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving … and I'm working on putting up holiday lights.

We sold out of the 2005 Lot 205 Petite Sirah, but the good news is we also just bottled the 2006. It's not ready for drinking yet, though I will say I think it's going to be amazing.

Saturday is the last college football game of the regular season … I can’t believe it’s already over! I'm a Berkeley grad and love my Golden Bears. I've had the great fortune to meet some of the Cal greats (both players and coaches) from Joe Kapp to Mike Pawlawski to Jeff Tedford to Mike White.

Marc, VP of Awesomeness, is also an Old Blue.

A few weeks ago Bob Babbe, our national sales manager, mentioned an investor (and Cal alum) was coming by for a visit … and would we all wear blue and gold one day at the winery?

Well, he wasn't just an alum. Mike Casey played quarterback for coach Pappy Waldorf, who is one of the most storied in Cal’s history.

The fabulous Mike dropped by the office, we all exchanged stories and more than a few "Go Bears!"

He then took Tony Cartlidge to the 111th Big Game … Tony is from Great Britain originally, and this was his first American football game, where we might argue he brought the Bears luck as Cal trounced Stanford 37 to 16. (Disclaimer: While some of us here are huge Cal fans, winemaker Paul Moser did attend Stanford, and where you went to school or who you root for doesn't affect the size of the wine tasting pours here!)

What are you going to drink on election night?

2008-10-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a few email offers regarding election night wine specials, which I thought were pretty creative.

And I enjoyed this hypothetical blog post about what the candidates would drink.

But that made me wonder - what are people really planning to drink on election night?

So I started informally polling Cartlidge & Browne employees.

Tony Cartlidge told me friends of his are coming over for dinner - they're bringing wine to go with homemade stew. But he also said if things went well, there might be a 1953 Haut Brion.

"I believe that I am going to be drinking Champagne," says winemaker Paul Moser.

Paul confesses that he's not a huge Champagne drinker, but that he has a special bottle picked out - "Mumm de Cramant." It comes from the village of Cramant in France. Paul explains that in France the government sets the kilo cost for grapes, with certain locations setting the standard at 100% of the cost, which others are measured against and therefore receive less money per kilo. The village of Cramant is 100%, and this particular Champagne comes only from Chardonnay grapes.

Brian Clothier, our CFO, says his beverage of choice will be "either Pinot or vodka."

VP of Awesomeness and erstwhile sales analyst Marc Wittenberg continues in the "Either/or" vein: "Either a bottle of bubbly, or a shot of Old Crow."

Dylan, whom you've met in other blog posts, is planning to go with the C&B Snows Lake Cabernet.

Jim Reed, our Director of Operations, says: “Probably a good Zinfandel. A little spicy, a little high alcohol.”

And me? Well, some sort of sparkly bubbles. Perhaps a Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs. I love that their wines have been served in the White House under various administrations and at state functions. Perfect for watching the presidential campaigns wind down and the returns come in.

What is everyone else going to drink on election night?

On the enology side, Cabernet in the lab - video

2008-10-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Our enologist, Mauricio Livellara, has been with Cartlidge & Browne for seven years. He and the lab staff are constantly monitoring our wine - as it goes from grapes to juice to fermented wine. They test for sugar, acidity, pH. They make sure there are no odd microbes or bacteria growing in the wine ... and they work closely with the winemakers to make sure everything is going smoothly.

Check out the video below for a brief snippet of what goes on in the lab:

Crush video!

2008-10-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

So, we just got our last grapes in ... now we've got punchdowns, fermenting, putting wine into barrel, racking, etc. all to go. Of course, some of that is already complete with various varietals. But I know everyone is relieved and will get a brief moment to catch up with life.

And here's a brief video of Snows Lake Cabernet grapes arriving the past month! As we get more edited of crush and winemaking, we'll post them here.

Updates from C&B

2008-10-17T13:39:00.001-07:00

Harvest is beginning to wrap up ... Vineyard Manager Chris reports he had his first weekend off in ages and promptly got up and showered and got ready to go ... and then realized he didn't have anywhere he had to be.

Winemaker Paul Moser says this has been an unusual vintage - certainly not an ideal one - but everyone is very excited about the quality of the grapes.

After the little bit of rain the other week, it warmed up some here. October in Northern California! There's nothing like it.

Dylan went to Sonoma's Petrified Forest Road (up near Calistoga) and snapped some photos of our Cabernet getting picked:

Those grapes will go into Moser Scharding Cabernet. Winemakers Paul Moser and Rebecca Scharding Steinschriber produce limited release Cabernet and Pinot Noir - depending on the grapes and the vintages. Right now in the tasting room we have their 2004 Cab (part from Petrified Forest Road Vineyard and another from Mulhner Vineyard) and their 2005 Pinot Noir. The next vintage will be 05 Cabs - there will be two - one from PFR and one from Mulhner. So exciting! We tasted the Mulhner today, and it was swoon-worthy.

I'm currently munching on candy corn (yay fall!) and trying to figure out which wine I'm going to take home - something that will go well with football tomorrow. It's a toss up between the Moser Cab and the 2005 Snows Lake Cab. Decisions, decisions!

Happy Friday!
Lynae

Fall at Snows Lake Vineyard

2008-10-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Chris Walden (our vineyard manager), Marc Wittenberg (Vice President of Awesomeness) and Lynae Anderson. We're standing in front of Cabernet grapes - notice the colorful leaves!

Hello from Lynae, C&B's Tasting Room Manager!

2008-10-03T15:38:00.001-07:00

Meet Lynae Anderson - I’m the tasting room manager and marketing liaison.

Fall is absolutely upon us, and we walk into the winery stepping on crunchy leaves. The clouds are quite gray today and it’s a bit windy. We are in American Canyon, just south of Carneros.

We’re anticipating our first rain. It’s been sooo long! The last of our Snows Lake Vineyard grapes were harvested from a steep hillside block up in Lake County. That Cabernet came in this morning and is going to get crushed, following other Cabernet lots from that vineyard, which came in a few weeks ago.

You may or may not have heard of us. We find that we’re known nationally and internationally, and yet not always in our own Golden State.

And about me - I love wine, talking about wine, meeting new people, football, food. So, let's get this started off right with a recipe!

Lynae's sauteed baby artichokes:

They always sound so fancy, and they’re delightfully easy. I originally found this recipe in the New Basics Cookbook, though I’ve adapted it a little over the years. I’ve made it in the springtime when the artichokes first hit the market, but on the whole, it feels much more autumnish to me.

10 baby artichokes

Extra virgin olive oil--enough to cover a skillet

A few tablespoons lemon juice

Kosher salt

Ground pepper

Cut off the stems with a sharp knife and trim the top portion. Get rid of the tougher outer leaves. Quarter the artichokes. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, toss in a little salt and pepper, then saute the artichokes over medium heat until they start to brown a little. Add the lemon juice and a little more salt and pepper, and continue sauteing until they are crispy.

YUM! And if you throw in a little fresh garlic, well double YUM!

And pairing artichokes can be tough, as I’m sure you know. That said, these would probably be lovely with our 2007 Dancing Crow Sauvignon Blanc -- which I shouldn’t even mention, because we just sold out of it in the tasting room. But if you are lucky enough to find it in stores, enjoy! I’m also thinking about our 2006 Amador Zinfandel. That might do the trick!

Join us in the future for photos of crush, bottling, vineyards, more recipes, random musings on wine, and who knows what else.

Salute! Cheers!

Lynae

Welcome from Dylan, C&B's Marketing Manager!

2008-10-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Meet Dylan Elliott - I’m the Marketing Manger for Cartlidge & Browne, and I look forward to sharing the C&B Love with you!

I can't believe harvest is almost over. I'm not ready for the rain that Fall & Winter is going to bring, but I'm more than ready for the cool nights in front of my fire with my bottle of Snows Lake Cabernet. There are even rumors of a tasting room exclusive C&B Reserve Dessert Syrah that will be released just in time for the winter weather.

We are expanding the Food & Wine pairing section in our new web site. I’d love for our Cartlidge & Browne wine lovers to send in a recipe that pairs with their favorite C&B wine.With that I’m going to share a recipe to pair with our C&B 2006 Zinfandel:

Crab-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

* 4 large Portobello mushrooms, wiped clean. With stems removed and diced
* 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* salt
* freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 medium onion, diced
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 6 ounces crabmeat, drained
* 1 cup provolone

1. Preheat your oven's broiler.

2. Brush both sides of the mushrooms with 3 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and arrange on a lipped cookie sheet. Broil on highest rack, turning once, until golden and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms and reset oven to 400 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms stems and onions and lightly seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Transfer mushroom mixture to a medium bowl and crabmeat.

4. Spoon a portion of filling into each mushroom cap and top with cheese. Bake on middle oven rack until filling is heated though and cheese melts, about 15 minutes.

If you are a mushroom lover, these are nothing short of amazing!

Cheers,
Dylan