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While the external world has changed for all of us, Mother Nature keeps on doing her thing. Little green shoots started sprouting up in some blocks of Sauvignon Blanc on our Dollarhide Ranch in early March. On our Rutherford property, the vines showed bud break about 2 weeks later, starting with the Merlot vines that line the driveway. If you saw our virtual wine tastings, winemaker Michael Scholz brought us into the vineyard to explain in real-time what he was seeing – little swollen knobs that were about to burst into life.
During this early growth phase of the vine, frost can kill the shoots which would result in significant crop loss. Our primary frost-protection tool is water. Perhaps counterintuitive, when the temperatures drop, we irrigate with water that releases just enough heat into the air to raise the ambient temperature a few degrees to prevent freezing. At Dollarhide all of the water used for irrigation is 100% captured rainwater, another sustainable farming practice that keeps us Napa Green. The seven lakes at our Dollarhide Ranch are filling with rainwater thanks to recent rains after an unseasonably warm spell and the driest February in the Bay Area in 156 years. Especially in these uncertain times, it is great to watch these little green signs of renewal and hope continue to grow.
Since most of us are sheltering in place, St. Supéry Estate wants to bring the winery to you with a virtual wine tasting every Thursday afternoon through June 4. Our team will host the chat on Zoom and Facebook Live to discuss one specific wines. To make this experience easy for you, the winery created a 6-pack Injoy @ Home Tasting Kit that contains the wines to be discussed for six consecutive weeks with promotional pricing and shipping included and also features recent wines from your club shipment. If you’d like to make a night of it, we even suggest a recipe to pair with the wine. Check www.stsupery.com/injoy to learn more. From April 30, each week will have a Sustainable Seafood focus and be led by our Estate Chef Tod Kawachi with other special guests, talking about the wines in this Tasting Kit. Although a virtual wine tasting isn’t the same as enjoying a glass of wine together at the winery, we will continue to do so until we can see you in person. We hope to “see” you for our next virtual tasting next Thursday. Missed any of the virtual tastings? You can watch on our YouTube Channel or on saved Facebook Live links on our Facebook page.
Premiere Napa Valley, Napa Valley Vintners’ barrel auction held exclusively for invited members of the trade in mid-February, raised $3.9 million that will help fund efforts to promote and protect the Napa Valley. <here you could break to read more> Each of the 200+ participating wineries produces a unique wine that is only produced in 5-20 case lots; the finished wines are adorned with special white PNV labels that are signed and numbered. Wine shops and restaurants bid to take home limited-edition, never to be replicated wines to offer to their discerning customers. Until recently, these wines were reserved for trade cellars only. Now, Premiere Napa Valley labeled wines can be found by savvy consumers in online auctions and fine wine shops and serious wine collectors should seek out these rarities. This year, our Lot was a wine made specifically for PNV: a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon aged in a rare Louis XIV barrel which was made from a 350-year-old French oak tree. The wine was handpicked then sorted by cluster and berry and matured for 20 months in barrel. Mark your calendar for PNV release week where events around the country will make these rare wines available.
In April, we kick off the Great Sustainable Seafood Tour to increase awareness of sustainably sourced seafood and to promote protecting our oceans for future generations. At the winery, we are committed to farming our vineyards sustainably and have been certified Napa Green for all our land and our winery facility since 2012. We are passionate about enjoying our sustainably farmed wines, especially our Napa Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc, with seafood that has been farmed or fished sustainably. There are many ways for you to get involved. Enter the Sustainable Seafood recipe contest or support our restaurant partners by seeking out featured sustainable dishes including take-out and delivery options. We are profiling seafood companies and purveyors who share our ethos; you can learn how oysters actually clean the water and why Maine Lobsters are decadent and sustainable. Starting April 30, our Thursday Virtual tastings will be led by our Estate Chef and will include a wine and seafood pairing component so join the conversation online each Thursday.
Learn more about The Great Sustainable Seafood TourLearn More!
We take great measures to deliver our wine in optimal condition. How you care for your bottle once you get home can adversely affect the wine. The optimum storage condition for wine is low humidity in a cool, dark spot without vibration, laid on its side to keep the wine in contact with the cork. If it has been exposed to extreme heat fluctuations, it is possible that the cork could have expanded and contracted in such a way to alter the wine or cause wine to leak out. This is not due to the cork itself, but rather a result of improper storage. Keep in mind that cork is a natural product with inherent variation. If the cork in your bottle is old, it may crumble. If so, a crumbly cork has no bearing on the quality of the wine in the bottle. In this situation, our recommendation would be to use an ahso (double-pronged wine opener) to release the cork.
Store in a cool, dry place, on its side. A dedicated wine cellar isn’t necessary; under a bed or in a closet is fine.
Place on top of fridge or washing machine or exposed to sunlight.
As a valued St. Supéry Wine Club Member, you will receive a 15% discount in any Wine Enthusiast Wine Cellar purchase. Call 800-377-3330 and mention code: St. Supery!
If you don’t already follow us on social media, please do! It’s a great way to keep in touch, discover new recipes, learn about our developments in the vineyard and winery and now more than ever, to simply come together as a like-minded community. And truly, who doesn’t want to daydream with pretty images from wine country?
April 16, 2020