Pedroncelli Winery/News From Sonoma County

I look forward to each new segment from Pedroncelli!There are new features online with this winery also.Great new wines from Sonoma County! Editor: Julie Pedroncelli St. John Julie Pedroncelli St. John The Latest 3 Decades in the Biz or From the Tasting Room to Brand Ambassador 30 years ago I returned to my roots, having grown up at the winery amidst the vines, after obtaining my degree in English with a writing emphasis. Today as I look out my office window, formerly my bedroom, I realize how much has changed including what I have learned as well as the transformation of the wine market. My beginnings were humble as I worked in the tasting room for the first three years learning about wine as well as the vineyards. I learned what people liked about wine and what I liked about it too. I took classes in viticulture (a shout out to Rich Thomas for his great advice), wine marketing and wine tasting. I networked by joining trade groups, met my husband Ed through the Wine Road as we served on a board together, began market work and learned the sales/marketing side from my dad Jim. Those early years of wine education were invaluable to me-I still remember the first time a food-wine pairing made sense, it was when I paired carrots in a butter-dill sauce with our Sauvignon Blanc. Moments like these dot the path of my journey and frame my passion for wine. I am dedicating the month of June on my blog, Vino in my Dino, to highlights over three decades as a 3rd generation Pedroncelli making her way in the wine world. I’ll be posting twice a week so stay tuned. BunchVine Year: From Bud, Grapes, and Back Again You’ll see our Mother Clone vine has experienced another growth spurt. Once bloom occurred earlier in May, the crop was set. The berries are now pea-sized with 6-8 inch long bunches. Canes went from 40 to 56 inches in length. In fact Lance, our vineyard manager, said it seemed like mid-June for vine development. A cool trend in weather slowed the pace a bit as we didn’t see many days over 80 degrees and the fog didn’t burn off until late morning. We are still looking at an earlier harvest this year-but if Mother Nature keeps the vineyards under a blanket of fog, we might see a slight delay. Crop set overall in our 100 + acres is average in some varietals like Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc and above average in our Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Vine year 2014 Signature Selection Chardonnay Released 2014 Signature Selection Chardonnay These days, as the weather warms up, I am looking for a crisp, full flavored white wine. I found it in our Signature Selection style of stainless steel fermented Chardonnay combined with a modicum of barrel fermented Chardonnay (a small lot known as F. Johnson Vineyard). Our style manages to frame the fruit characteristics with a kiss of oak complexity. The right wine for a backyard BBQ of grilled chicken or a crisp shrimp salad. Ahhh a great summertime wine. Revealed Awards from wine competitions are coming in at a fevered rate, check it out. From World Wine Championships: 92 points: 2013 Bushnell Vineyard Zinfandel, Gold Medal & Best Buy 89 points: 2013 Signature Selection Pinot Noir Double Gold Medal: Tasters Guild International Wine Judging for our 2013 Bushnell Vineyard Zinfandel Gold Medal: Riverside International Wine Competition for our 2014 East Side Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Gold Medal: North of the Gate Wine Competition for our 2014 Dry Rosé of Zinfandel Peg Melnik, Press Democrat, writes about our 2014 Dry Rosé of Zinfandel: “A bold version with wild berry and a hint of cranberry. Crisp acidity. Nice finish. Approachable. A tasty summertime quaff.” Peg Melnik also included our 2013 Pinot Noir in an earlier tasting panel with this to say, “A medium-bodied pinot that’s uncomplicated. Leads with bright fruit and ends with a spicy finish. Approachable.” 2014 Sauvignon Blanc2014 Dry Rose of Zinfandel 2013 Signature Selection Pinot Noir2013 Bushnell Zinfandel2013 Mother Clone Zinfandel For other awards and accolades for our wines click here. Events Simply Summer Celebration: August 15th Have a hankering for Zinfandel? This event is billed as A New Zin Tradition, where you will sample Zinfandels from the Zinfandel Advocates & Producer’s membership—sure to please everyone’s Zin palate! Held in Alexander Valley this year, go to ZAP’s site for more information. Sonoma Wine Country Weekend: September 4-6th “You’ll think you dined and went to wine heaven.” Rub elbows and wine glasses with the best in Sonoma County. For Visa Signature card holders they have an early offer. Vineyards to Villages We have joined with Global Partners for Development to raise funds for clean water in East Africa in a program entitled Vineyards to Villages. In their words: “The Sonoma County wine industry works with Global Partners to improve health and wellbeing one village at a time through greater access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education.” via our just released Red Wine Blend Barrel Select. Join us in supporting this great cause and click here for more information about the program. For other events we are pouring at, possibly near you, check out our event page. Julie's Wine Friendly Recipes Marinate, grill, and ka-bobs your uncle. A great way to achieve deep flavor is marinating the protein before it hits the grill. Here you’ll find a couple of great recipes for getting the most out of your chicken and pork. Pairings are included or find your own delicious blend of wine and food. Make it your wine adventure! Moroccan Lemon Shish Kabobs Lemongrass Pork and Red Onion Kebabs FREE STUFF send me a sticker! friends 2 Pedroncelli Winery*1220 Canyon Road*Geyserville, CA 95441 Pedroncelli.com*800-836-3894