News From Pedroncelli and Sonoma County

Latest News From Pedroncelli and Sonoma County March did roar like a lion last month and gave us the much needed precipitation. We received enough rain (around 18 inches) to make this winter slightly above normal in average rainfall. The total for the year is just over 40 inches. The actual rainfall year ends June 30-we’ll see what April does or does not bring in the form of showers. The lakes and reservoirs near us are filled to the brim and bode well for flood prevention now and recreation in the summer. Even Lake Shasta to the northeast, which has been drastically low for years, was at 110% as of March 24. BudbreakWe began the march toward bud break early on because of the warm and virtually rainless February teasing us and the dormant vines with spring-like weather. It began four weeks ago in the valley and our vineyards followed suit soon after. Leaves are now pushing well past an inch or two and, barring frost and high winds, will continue their growth through April. Frost watching begins now and as Lance our Vineyard Manager notes, “we are hoping for a warming trend because temperatures below 36 degrees has us worrying about possible frost damage to the tender shoots, i.e. future grape crop.” In cellar news, the new vintage of white wines and rosé have been bottled and now the 2014 red wines make their way out of the barrel and into the bottle. New releases for the spring include our 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, friends.white, Dry Rosé of Zinfandel and Chardonnay. Released 2015 friends.white2015 friends.white This fourth release of our delicious white wine blend combines Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer in a fresh, floral and fruity bottle of wine. The friendly blend is more Sauvignon Blanc than Gewurztraminer this year adding citrus and tropical fruit upfront along with the fruity and spicy aromatics and flavors of the Gewurz. Spicy food? Check. Glass? Check. Spring or summer? Double check. What are you waiting for? 2015 Dry Rose of Zinfandel2015 Dry Rosé of Zinfandel Our Rosé is one of those perfect wines. Made from early picked Zinfandel combined with fully ripened Zin, where we waited 24 hours into fermentation and ‘bled’ the tank for the other portion the combination brings bright acidity and full flavor. The color and nose say strawberry, the taste says zippy fruit and crisp acidity. So versatile, if the menu says salmon, grilled chicken, burgers or ribs then this is your wine. Revealed Results from Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s Sonoma County issue of The Wine Advocate garnered 89+ Points for our 2013 Three Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, 89 Points for our 2013 Mother Clone Zinfandel, 88 Points for our 2013 Barrel Select Red Wine Blend and 2012 Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon. Double Gold Medal from The Fifty Best for our Mother Clone Zinfandel and a Gold Medal & 90 Points from the 2016 Critics Challenge. Best of Class, 95 Points and Gold medal for our 2015 Sauvignon Blanc. 97 points each for our Sauvignon Blanc and 2015 friends.white and, drumroll please, 99 Points for our 2015 Dry Rosé of Zinfandel from justwinepoints.com. Our Rosé also received a Gold and 90 Points from the 2016 Critics Challenge. Our Wisdom Cabernet Sauvignon received 4 stars from Peg Melnik at The Press Democrat and was named Wine of the Month by columnist Frank Mangio. And finally Cabernet for thought: in The Daily Business’s online magazine an article written by Patrick Schmitt, MW, entitled California: A Region on a Roll focused on Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the most widely planted grapes here. Cheers!From Pedroncelli and Sonoma county!