"Hot" Winemaker

Steffan has been blogged as a "hot" winemaker from the Wine Muse...thought we'd share. How "hot" is this....
Check it out!

The Blog

Amber just harrassed me for not blogging since September 17th. I quickly reminded her that I have not actually blogged since August 12th. She did the last blog entry. Things have been happening so fast it's hard to keep up! Steffan is in Chile right now preparing for baby #2. Harvest came and went before we knew it and we're getting ready for our annual Holiday Barrel Tasting. It's a great event because you can come and taste the wine from the barrel before it is in the bottle. Quite fun if I may say so myself. Tomorrow night Kevin will be pouring at the Winemaker's Fete at the Marcus Whitman. So, things are fast and furious as usual. We hope all of you enjoy the holiday season!
Cheers, Annette and the whole team!

Amber's Post!

Ok. So how does this blogging thing work? Am I supposed to just type out random thoughts about my career choice, the wines I drink, the foods I eat, etc… and expect to deliver a captivating message of humor, wisdom, and insight that all of you blog readers will not only enjoy but be enthralled with? Wow, is that the longest sentence ever? This is how I think people. It’s scary in here…. but I will keep on writing and pray that I will say something of interest to someone out there in the vast cyberspace of words.
I noticed that Annette has not written on the blog in over a month. What’s up with that? So, like the self-starter (wink wink) that I am, I’m writing the blog today cuz it’s loooooong overdue! AND I’m hoping that Annette will be disgusted and (therefore) motivated to write the blog from here on out cuz she’s a good conversationalist… or dialogist (I’m SURE that is not a “legal” word- it’s an Amber word). She loves to “chit-chat” and well… I’m more direct in my conversational style. So I guess it’s time to get down to it!
We brought in some killer Syrah this week from a great vineyard called Stone Tree Vineyards. This vineyard is in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the State… but it produces big, rich, and complex Syrah. Speaking of Syrah, I want to know why it’s not as popular as other varietals.?? It can be called by two names –Shiraz or Syrah. Then there’s Petite Sirah or Petite Syrah. Which is not be confused with “Syrah.” Got that? Pffft! Maybe I just answered my own question. I do want you blog readers to know that Washington State Syrah is definitely under-appreciated in the wine world. It’s like the underdog of varietals and usually when someone tries it- they like it! I have discovered that it can be complexly beautiful- earthy and terroir-driven or it can be meaty and gamey- with dark fruits and spice. Or just plain ol’ fruity. Depends on the winemaking practice, vineyard, and multiple other factors as well. I guess the bottom line is that I highly recommend that you Syrah-shy wine lovers go out and try a bottle… more specifically from Washington State- which produces some of the best Syrah in the world. It may just blow your mind. Word. Amber

What's more important?

Today is exciting because Steffan is working on our 2007 Barrel Select blend and our 2007 She-Devil Syrah. The barrels are all lined up and they are vying to make the cut for the Barrel Select Syrah. Some realize they have to be team players and are o.k. with becoming an integral part of our She-Devil Syrah.

Steffan is torn between blending and the soccer game, Chile versus Denmark! I asked him to tell me who he wants to win and he wants many goals and a tie! 4-4 would work for him. Who says big boys don't play dress up!?

Oh my goodness!

Has it really been almost a month and a half. Here's my excuse...now we are facebooking and twittering so it doesn't leave a lot of time for blogging. Didn't I say I was NOT going to twitter? Oh well, you have to make decisions either jump on board or get left behind. So we're now on multiple boards and trying to keep them all going in the same direction. I'll keep this post short and sweet. I know, unusual! It's August 11th and we're on the count down to harvest.

We shot some footage today in the vineyards however it's impossible to get loaded here so I'll be posting our vineyard videos to Facebook and see if goes faster. In a nutshell we visited two vineyards today here in the Walla Walla Valley, Lakeshore and Pepper Bridge. We're getting Cabernet Sauvignon from both vineyards and then some Merlot as well from Pepper Bridge. We're seeing veraison starting (grapes are turning purple) so we're on our way. We'll update more as we get closer to harvest!

Yum

Yesterday I was checking out the new July 31, 2009 Wine Spectator and NO we are not in it (this time unfortunately) however I found the most amazing recipes! I was looking to make something which includes fish and wa-lah..the front cover was talking to me! Chef Laurent Tourondel, who worked in France and now is in the states created these recipes. He says his heart belongs to Burgundy however I think we need him to come see us in Walla Walla!

The recipes I made were the "Grilled Striped Bass With Fennel Salad and Grapefruit Emulsion" and the "Barbecued Fingerling Potato and Bacon Salad". Both amazing and to die for. We enjoyed our meal with our 2007 Viognier. It was a wonderful match and paired perfectly with the dinner...there was nothing left in the bottle...or on our plates, if that tells you anything!

So, if you're feeling adventurous give this a try, From start to table it took about 1 hour and 45 minutes. There were even some jobs for Jaden, our daughter, who loves to act as my sous chef. We lit the candles set the table and it was pure joy!

Just Tied the Knot!

Our congratulations to friends and fellow Swirlies Lisa and George Jackson. They were here at the winery over Spring Release and they had asked me to send them a few wineries down in Sonoma to go visit. They were married on June 6th and they wanted to spend a day in wine country during their honeymoon. Yesterday I was plunking away at my keyboard and up pops a message from George and he was a happy camper! They were at Mazzocco winery and were picking up a little wine. He wanted to say hello, thanks for the recommendations and he had to give a shout out to his new bride, Lisa for sporting the Bergevin Lane Wine Diva gear! So, throughout the day I would get a fun quick note sometimes with a picture and was able to virtually wine explore with them!

George has such an infectious personality you can't help but get pumped up when he is excited about something. I was literally waiting for the little bing of my email to let me know his next note had arrived! They ended up visiting several folks and from the general direction of his comments I would say folks took really good care of them! They helped set up appointments and showed them a good time.

They also visited Unti, Mauriston, Passalacqua, and had lunch at Gustafson which is a newer winery, appointment only, recommended by our dear friend "E". She described this as a hidden gem.


George's last note was, "Whole Day was Lights Out!" How awesome is that!!! I hope someday we're described as a hidden gem. To our newlyweds the Jacksons...we LOVE you guys!!! Congratulations!

P.S. At the bottom of every email note George sends out is "Go Huskies!!!!" Well, I'm a Coug but it just goes to show that even Huskies can have fun wine tasting! (wink wink)