Crush 2008 Video

Come see what it is like to make wine at CdT. We have uploaded a video of crush 2008 showing you all the steps we take. You can view it right here!

Getting Ready For Crush

As you can see, we are cleaning up the place to get ready for crush. Have all the barrels spic and span and ready for fruit. Looks like it will happen in the next 10 days or so.

CdT in NYC

They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, so CdT, I am happy to say, has arrived in New York. After a great day of working with our distributor, Noble House Wines, CdT can be found on some very impressive wine lists. You can now find us at Le Cirque, Bar Americain (Bobby Flay Restaurant), Klee Brasserie and BLT Steak(Laurent Tourondel Restaurant). If you are in the Big Apple, check us out.

2007 Start Bottling

The final blends are done for 2007 and it is time to bottle. I am very excited that we will have our first single vineyard bottlings for Abby's Block, Sarah Janes Block and Tallulah's Run. These are going to be very limited in production and will be available only to club members, but it will be the first chance to do a side by side comparison of the differences between 4 blocks on our estate. Very exciting.

Unbelievable Rieslings

There are some really cool things about being in the wine industry, and one of them is knowing some incredibly nice people. Today, I was in Washington DC showing our wines around and had the chance to have lunch at Hotel Tabard Inn (highly recommended) with friends Robert McFarlane and Dick Groppe. Dick brought a 1998 Clos Hauserer from Domaine Zund Humbrecht, and this is on top of the 1997 when I was last at Wild Ginger.

This is the way Riesling should be and do yourself a favor and get an older bottle of this juice. Racy and vibrant with minerality, with unusual power, texture and complexity. I personally preferred the 98 with its deeply textured palate. Thanks Dick.

Veraison is here

Well, we are in the home stretch for vintage 2008 and we are at the stage referred to as veraison. At this time the plants concentrate on ripening the fruit and have stopped the vegetative part of the season. We usually expect the ripening to happen over about 1 month, so harvest is shaping up to happen early October. As long as the weather holds (high 80s expected fornext 2 weeks), we should have a great vintage. We will keep you posted.

At The Farmers Market

Well, they let us off the vineyard for a few hours to pour our wine at the McMinville Farmers Market. This is a great event that has a local winery (us this time) with local organic farmers, atrisan bakers and artists. I walked away with some organic lamb chops, sweet corn and the fixings for a beautiful caprese salad. - Posted using Pocket Watch Software Mobile GBlogger.

Placed At Wild Ginger, Seattle

Well, I had my first chance to work with our new distributor in Seattle, Unique Wines. They were kind enough to haul me around the Puget Sound Area and show our wines to some very nice people.

The highlight of the trip was that Lisa's (and mine) favorite restaurant, Wild Ginger, in Seattle picked up our wines and really said some nice things about our juice. I want to thank Ole for seeing us and putting us on their list. If you are in Seattle, this is a must stop for dinner or lunch and my favorites are the Fragrant Duck (cripsy and flavorful) or the Hanoi Tuna. This place rocks and the foods are a perfect match with our Riesling and click this link to see one of the most unique menus I have seen.

If you are looking for our wines in the Seattle area, I know that they will be available at a very cool wine shop in Woodinville called Village Wines. Check out their wine club as it is unique how the members pick the selections each month. Ask for the owners, Tim or Lisa, and they will show you around a great selection and can direct you to many wineries to visit in the area.

Winecampblog.com

I had the pleasure last week to meet up with Craig Camp, famed blogger from Wine Camp Blog and Craig was nice enough to say some kind words about CdT. Sorry about the vanity plug, but it is nice to hear good things about the place.

Winery Updates

Thought everyone would like to see the changes going on at the winery. We are adding a huge deck and pergola for a place for everyone to hang out. Please come out, grab a glass of CdT and relax.

Biodynamics - Fact or Fiction

As most of you know, CdT is farmed organically, and we have kept a close eye on the Biodynamic wave in viticulture. I am not convinced as to its relevancy, but there are several growers who I greatly respect that are true believers. We are looking at this and I need to be convinced this is the way to go. I would love to hear thoughts and comments from growers, winemakers, consumers, et al, as to their thoughts on this subject.