2020 Fall Wine Club Release
Harvest season is here again. Believe it or not, this will be my fortieth one since I started farming back in 1980. Yet, when I think about all of times we have picked the grapes we have grown, no other period compares to the one we are in today. On top of the current grape market downturn due to a huge glut from over-production, we have a sky full of smoke from all the fires that have been burning here for the last month, and I look around to see mostly everyone wearing face masks to protect each other from the deadly bug that has been on a rampage since January. One for the record for sure. But I'm determined to survive. Here are our picks for the 2020 Fall Release.
2017 Sangiovese
You'll love this wine. It's like a bowl full of ripe cherries, so fragrant and fresh. It's beautiful in the glass and wonderful in the mouth. Ripe fruit, good acidity and mature tannins. This wine is aged for its first year in those alternative aging vessels I use called FlexTanks (shown here). They work like a neutral barrel, allowing the wine to breathe and mature, but I use them to keep the wine away from oak. Oak can hide fruit, and I find the wines I put in these tanks have fuller fruit expression than those I put in barrels right away. For all of these wines, your price is $20 for the first bottle, and re-orders before November 1st are just $17.50.
2017 Olé
This label replaced what we've been calling Spanish Suite for the last few years. It's the same recipe, just a new look, something more fun and casual. It's an easy drinking blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Grenache. I find it to have an appealing smokiness on the nose (nothing to do with the current condition of our local atmosphere), a full texture and dark fruit flavors. It's got a lingering finish with just the right amount of oak on it. You can enjoy this wine now or cellar it for further aging. Either way, it is great on its own or with a favorite meal. For all of these wines, your price is $20 for the first bottle, and re-orders before November 1st are just $17.50.
2015 Charbono (3+ bottle Clubs)
This grape is currently one of the least planted varieties in California. In its heyday, fifty years ago before Cabernet Sauvignon, it was commonly found and widely recognized. Currently there are less than 50 acres in the whole state. I have one of them. It makes a wine that is similar to Cabernet, with dense color, firm tannins, good age-ability and a boldness that can stand up to new oak barrels. I find it to be less plummy than Cab, however, with flavors that are more reminicent of licorice and blueberries. This is delicious now, but has great potential to improve with aging. Your price is $20 for the first bottle, and re-orders before November 1st are just $17.50.
Like always, I recommend you try your wine soon so you can take advantage of the discount window over the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy this quarter's wines.
Wine description & write-up by owner/grower/winemaker Tom Hoffman
Short Video with Tom discussing the wines:
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