Friday Snippets

Just when we thought that it would never arrive, the harvest comes creeping in on little cat feet (sorry Carl Sandburg). Yesterday, Wente Vineyards' Large Lot facility received its first truck loads of fruit from the Central Valley. The Small Lot winery will see our first fruit on Wednesday as we bring in about 5 tons of Pinot Noir from the McIntyre Estate vineyard for the 2010 vintage of Blanc de Noir sparkling wine and Rosé.

* * *

Did someone just scream SPARKLING WINE FROM LA ROCHELLE!!!!!?????? 

Oh...it was me. Anyway...we are very excited to be introducing a new wine club opportunity for white wine lovers...and the 2007 La Rochelle Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine will be the first release for this new club on October 23, 2010. Here is Steven talking about the new wine of which only 80 cases were produced in this first vintage. For more information about joining, click here.

Pinot Patchwork?

Last night I saw an interesting post on Twitter. Jayson Bryant of TheWineVault, tweeted, “If smell were a fabric, what would Sauvignon Blanc be?” Immediately I thought of linen. Cool, crisp, clean. He then asked me "what about Pinot Noir". My first thought was corduroy. Textured, structured, yet soft, like our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. Then I thought, no, pinot noir is more like velvet – deep, dark, elegant, smooth, luxurious. Hmmmm…which is it? Maybe it’s actually shantung silk, silky with some texture, crisp and brilliant color…I can’t decide! Maybe the true answer is that Pinot Noir would be a patchwork quilt. Some pinots are corduroy, some velvet and others silk…aren’t those differences part of the beauty of Pinot Noir? What are your thoughts?

Tasting the New Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir

The 2006 Pinot Noir - Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands is a blend of three clones: Martini, 113, and 667 (two Dijon clones). This wine is a gorgeous expression of the earthier, non-fruit aromatics face of Pinot Noir. Made exclusively for members of the Pinot Noir Program at La Rochelle, it will be available to taste for a limited time on our Pinot Noir Flight. Only 130 cases were produced.

Click on the video below for more detailed tasting notes.