News and notices about the vineyard and winery
Pinot Noir image taken today, June 6, 2008. Not much progress from last week. Some of the clusters are still flowering and some are beginning to set. The weather is still cool — mid 70s — and very, very windy. With a little more heat the clusters could set and fortunately the forecast for this weekend is a warmer trend.
Click image to enlarge: To see the full cycle from the beginning.
Santa Barabara Winery 2007 Central Coast Pinot Noir
2007 marks the eighth vintage of our “color label” Pinot Noir. This year, all the grapes where grown at Scheid Vineyards up in Monterey County where winemaker Bruce McGuire has secured vineyard lots just for this bottling.
Bruce has toured this section of vineyard and was pleased with the viticulture as well as the three Pinot Noir clones available; Pommard, Clone 115, and Clone 23. Capitalizing on forward fruit and mid weight structure, Bruce used neutral puncheons for barrel aging, thus preserving the bright fruit character of the finished wine.
This particular blend of Pinot Noir clones makes a food friendly wine suitable for pairing with roast chicken, grilled fish, and a wide variety of pasta dishes.
Suggested retail 16.50
To order:
From the June 4, 2008 New York Times written by Nicholas Wade…
Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.
The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Some scientists are already taking resveratrol in capsule form, but others believe it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness…
Rose Moradian in the Bistro Restaurant & Wine Bar Blog has written an article on Basil. Some of it gleamed from Wikipedia as well from research and experience. Her Bistro Garden is at the Lafond Vineyards. Rose’s garden grows more interesting as time goes on. Today she planted what she calls Mission Corn. The same variety planted by the Padres at the various California Missions in the 18th century. She writes…
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) of the Family Lamiaceae is also known as Albahaca, St. Joseph’s Wort, and Sweet Basil. It is a tender low-growing annual herb, originally native to tropical Asia. It grows to between twenty and sixty centimetres tall, with opposite, light green, silky leaves one and a half to five centimetres long and one to three centimetres broad.
It tastes somewhat like cloves, with a strong, pungent,
sweet smell. Basil is very sensitive to cold, with best growth in hot, dry conditions.The word basil comes from the Greek âáóéëåõò, meaning “king”, as it is believed to have grown above the spot where St. Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes speculations that basil may have been used in “some royal unguent, bath, or medicine”…
This is an image of the Pinot Noir vine we have been following since the beginning of the growth cycle. Last week there was a great deal more foliage. Workers have gone through to ‘clean the head’ – remove excess foliage and shoots to better expose the fruit and reduce the canopy.
Later they will train the vine so that it grows vertically between the pairs of supporting wires. Vertical training permits more leaf exposure. Leaves shadowed by other leaves do not provide the photosynthesis necessary for the vine to mature.
And later still they will return to remove leaves that shade the maturing grapes. Night and early morning fog dampens the grapes, and although the cooling is beneficial the moisture is not.
To see the growth cycle from the beginning:
Click image to enlarge:
When you’re not in the mood for wine at the Bistro Restaurant’s Thursday Grilled Cheese Night, order the Irish Porter Cheddar melted on toasted sourdough to accompany your dark rich beer. Cahill’s Irish Porter is a full flavored and tangy cheddar that is marbled throughout with Guiness. Its firm texture is made from pastuerized cow’s milk. The marbled porter gives the mild Irish cheese an extremely unique and interesting mosaic patterned appearance as well as a distinctly rich sweetness. Putting this cheese on a party platter is sure to provoke a number of comments from your guests.
Porter is a dark brown ale, which is produced by Cahills from an old Limerick recipe. Layers upon layers of sweetness, nuttiness, and meatiness make this cheese one of the most interesting cheeses I have ever tasted. You can’t miss it served grilled between artisan sourdough (as is).
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager Santa Barbara Winery
Rose Moradian writes in the Bistro Restaurant and Wine Bar Blog…
These are a rare heirloom from India that I’ve heard so much about, I decided to grow it for the Bistro. Rare, beautiful and delicious, this unique, yellow, edible pod pea has tasty, flat pods that are sweet and crunchy.They have enchanting, two-toned purple flowers followed by their striking lemon-yellow pods. Originally from India, this heirloom is just fabulous in stir-fries. To be sure, I’m growing the usual varieties as well, like Precoville Petit Pois…
Recent Comments