Last week we processed grapes from Shea’s 2009 harvest. The grapes taste great and, despite the below-average rainfall for the valley this year, the grapes are surprisingly plump without too much shriveling.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Dick Shea Visits the Thunder Show
Last week we processed grapes from Shea’s 2009 harvest. The grapes taste great and, despite the below-average rainfall for the valley this year, the grapes are surprisingly plump without too much shriveling.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Chardonnay Special! Buy a bottle, get a bottle!
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Interview with Assistant Winemaker Bill Hanson
Ryan Fish: When do you expect harvest to start?
Bill Hanson: If we had to guess we would say the fourth weekend of September. If we get a lot of heat then we’ll start the third week, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
RF: Which vineyards come in first? Last?
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Club Party
On Sunday evening our Reserve Board and Cellar Direct Club members enjoyed barrel tasting, festivities, and a gourmet dinner at the winery. The weather cooperated with sunny skies and a cool breeze, and round tables reached from the crush pad out into the backyard garden where everyone was treated with delicious spicy sausage, fresh mozzarella, and ice cream in waffle cones. Michael Stevenson and Bill Hanson strutted about pouring barrel samples of the 2008 Freedom Hill Pinot noir, our single-barrel, club-exclusive bottling, and mingling with the guests. Nick from Nick’s Italian CafĂ© manned the barbeque while his daughter Carmen and her husband Eric tended to the buffet line.
Pouring wine for each table afforded me the chance to meet the folks who are most passionate about drinking our wine. Couples and groups of friends shared stories about Panther Creek wine from as far back as the early nineties. The one thing I heard the most was that they’ve never opened a bottle they didn’t like, and that they can’t wait for next year.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Harvest is just around the corner
If you get a chance to see a field of Pinot noir vines up close then take a minute to notice the veraison, or change of color in the grapes from green to dark purple. Most clusters are purple with just a few green grapes lagging behind. It’s a reminder that harvest is just around the corner.
The winery has also come alive as Michael and Bill start planning next years blend and preparing for harvest. The once-empty counters in the back are now covered with vials filled with single barrel samples and experimental blends. The hiss of nitrogen tanks and roar of forklifts are a nice change after a few months of quiet. Last week I walked in on our two winemakers and our harvest intern all sitting at a round table with 10 glasses of wine in front of each person. It reminded me of a poker game and their faces were just as serious.
The tasting room here at Panther Creek is located right inside the winery, so stop by and see it all happening.