Good news for those of you who are fans of our the John C. Sullenger Vineyard Napa Cabernet: the 2013 vintage has a beautiful start! A picture and brief report from Viticulturist Aaron Fishleder:
Bloom is well under way, and our crop is setting for the year. It all looks great!
Through Auction Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Vintners have contributed nearly $110 million to health, education and housing programs since the charitable auction began in 1981. Each year, the event combines the enjoyment of wine, food and camaraderie with the generosity of hundreds of wineries, guests and volunteers. With this year’s event just a few weeks away, excitement is at an all-time high.
This year, we and our sister wineries have the privilege of partnering with Lamborghini and FlexJet to present an experience that we hope will pique the interests of automobile, wine and travel enthusiasts—and raise important funds for community programs. A week spent with gracious host and winery proprietress Beth Nickel promises to be an experience the lucky winner and his or her three friends won’t forget.
To find out more about this auction lot, click here.
Follow the Auction Napa Valley fun on Twitter using #ANV13.
Sliders are favorite appetizers at any occasion and can be prepared in a multitude of ways. In the winery kitchen, we grind beef from the trim of our larger roasts and steaks. Ask your local butcher to grind you specific cuts of beef. For the buns, many grocery stores now carry slider buns, or dinner rolls work just as well.
Pair with 2009 Nickel & Nickel Kelham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley–or your favorite Nickel & Nickel Cabernet.
For a printable version, click here.
INGREDIENTS
(YIELDS 8 SLIDERS)
1 pound ground beef filet
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 slider buns or dinner rolls
Slaw:
1 head Napa cabbage, chiffonade
1 carrot, julienned
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Aioli:
1 head garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup mayonnaise
Shape ground beef into eight, two-ounce patties. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and sauté on medium heat until the patties have reached desired doneness.
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, onion, parsley and chives. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well, then combine with the cabbage mixture. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
To create the aioli, preheat the oven to 325ºF. Take a whole head of garlic and cut off the stalk end to expose the top of the garlic cloves. Place in a baking dish, lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 houruntil the garlic is very tender. Allow to cool, remove cloves from the head and place in a small bowl.
Smash the cloves with the back of a fork then mix with the mayonnaise. To assemble, slice the buns in half, place on a baking pan, and toast in a 325ºF oven for three minutes.
Spread the aioli on both sides of the bun, place cooked beef patty on bun and top with slaw. Then cap with the top bun and enjoy with a glass of Nickel & Nickel Kelham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
For a printable version of this recipe, click here.
You may be familiar with our home vineyard, the John C. Sullenger Vineyard, and we hope you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy our Cabernet Sauvignon from this Oakville vineyard. But you may not know what it is, exactly, about this vineyard that sets it apart from other vineyards in our collection.
By location alone, Sullenger is distinct from other Nickel & Nickel vineyards. “Sullenger is positioned in the center of the Napa Valley, whereas most other Nickel & Nickel vineyards are on the eastern or western sides of the valley,” says Viticulturist Aaron Fishleder. This site on the valley floor offers plenty of sunlight and uniform soils that promote consistent vine growth.
Sullenger is also the vineyard that has shown the biggest changes since we began farming it. When we purchased the property in 1998, the vines were big and leafy, shading the clusters. With careful pruning, canopy management, drainage and replanting over the years with the optimal combination of clones and rootstock, Sullenger has really come into its own and is producing fruit at a very high level.
Because of the vineyard’s location and soil type, we don’t irrigate this vineyard much, which promotes moderate vine growth, giving John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that great, concentrated flavor we know so well.
Take a look at our recent harvest video, which compares Sullenger Vineyard with the hillside Quarry Vineyard in Rutherford.
The 2009 Nickel & Nickel John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is extremely limited this year and will sell out soon. Click here to acquire the last of this vintage.
And click here for the previous post about the John C. Sullenger Vineyard, which includes an aerial photograph of the vineyard site.
There is so much behind a great bottle of Nickel & Nickel Single-Vineyard wine: carefully farmed vineyards, impeccable winemaking and a team of people passionate about our wines. read more →
