News & Events
- Saturday, September 12, 2009 The Amber Ridge fruit came in Friday 9/11! Am making a barrel of the 115 clone and a field blend barrel of 2/3 667 and 1/3 777, which I’m hoping will make a magical final blend down the road…. Fruit was gorgeous and tasty, as usual, a pleasure to sort and eat! Nice intensity in the smaller-berried 667, brighter candy notes from 777. Awaiting better photos, here’s a crappy one from my phone, hands slick with grape juice. Haven’t been posting my Amber brix readings but it’s been climbing steadily since the beginning of the month, very even and warm weather in ...
- Friday, September 11, 2009 Just a quick catch-up post here: on 9/2 I met with winemaker Chris Nelson at the Devoto Garden vineyard to take more measurements and get his impressions of the progress. I measured median brix at 21, and we both thought that pick was still a couple weeks off, e.g. 9/15-9/20. Chris agreed that this site has the potential to be great in a few years. Right now though the vines are young and the variation in the vineyard is going to make the winemaking this year challenging — will definitely require some aggressive sorting. Finding great flavors right at the swell in ...
- Friday, September 11, 2009 Have been slow to post this, a formal announcement of our relationship with Devoto Gardens is here! http://www.sfwineassociation.com/article/22/Wait_Cellars_to_Produce_New_Green_Valley_Pinot_Noir.html San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease) August 25, 2009 – Wait Cellars announced today that it will produce a new wine from Pinot Noir grapes purchased from Devoto Garden Vineyards of Sebastopol, California, located in the acclaimed Green Valley appellation. “We’ve been looking for premium, cooler Russian River Pinot has been farming this ridge for 30 years. It’s beautiful soil, a fine ...
- Monday, August 24, 2009 Was a characteristically foggy morning on 8/20, the sun just starting to make advances. Here’s a shot of the charming, unassuming Devoto sign. Looking north over Sebastopol from the 828 block on Gold Ridge. Weather’s been steady, grapes look great; since last week the median brix has risen 1 degree to 18.1. Am anticipating harvesting around 24 brix; flavors, weather, and pH will be other big considerations. (I don’t have a great way to measure TA in the field, but may also be taking samples in to the lab in SF). Next week Stan will be going through the block and ...
- Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Took the first of weekly field measurements through harvest at the Devoto Garden Vineyard on Thursday 8/13. I really need to take a better picture; this place is gorgeous, on the crest of Gold Ridge with sweeping views of Sebastopol and beyond. Veraison began about the beginning of August. Temperatures have been somewhat consistently in the 80’s during the day, 50’s at night. 90-95% of the berries have turned color. The median brix reading from berry samples throughout the 828 block was 17. Flavors are tart, young, tannic, but with darker cola bean notes and appreciable intensity.