GOLD MEDAL at the San Diego International Wine Competition!

Two well know wineries out of Napa (Markham and Franciscan) received Silver.
A Sonoma County wine deemed better than many (20-40) Napa Valley Merlots that were entered in this competition-??? How could that be?

In all seriousness- Napa Cab is phenomenal and of course has the edge (and hype) on Sonoma for that varietal but every year Sonoma wins more medals and in my opinion is a better county for a wide range of wines including- Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, and oh yeah- guess Merlot too!

Definitely put tons of time and effort into producing this wine so I guess in a way it feels good to be recognized. I have been out selling 6 wines currently to restaurants and wine shops and have been most impressed with this wine although many of the buyers have been preferring the Bordeaux blend. The bad part is that I only have about 30 cases of the Merlot left..............

2006 "Lambert Bridge Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon

On March 10, I bottled the 06 Cabernet and think it will be our best Cab yet! This wine spent 28 months in French oak barrels and I blended in 11% Merlot with 5% Petite Sirah. I thought about bottling it as 100% Cab, but really liked what the Merlot and Petite Sirah brought to the table.

In the past, blending has sometimes taken as up to four days to figure out the percentages but this time it only took about 3 hours. The second I tried this combination, I knew it was the one as it possesses great mouth feel, a deep ruby color, and wonderful flavors. There is marachino cherry and plum in the nose and palate with some vanilla in the background . It has balanced acidity and the tannins are well integrated after 28 months in barrel.

To be Released- June, 2009

Next up for bottling- the 2007 "Lambert Bridge Vineyard" Petite Sirah