Meet the Cabernets
September heralds the official arrival of the 2003 Nickel & Nickel Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon portfolio. The lineup includes our eight single-vineyard Cabernets from Napa Valley appellations including Oakville, St. Helena and Howell Mountain, as well as three new Cabernets from St. Helena, Rutherford and Stags Leap District.
The new Cabernets are from Match Vineyard (St. Helena), Witz End Vineyard (Rutherford) and Regusci Vineyard Block 4 (Stags Leap District). Each wine has its own, individual personality and brings characteristics discrete from our other Cabernets, in accordance with our winemaking philosophy. Match, Witz End and Regusci Block 4 are available only to wine club members and visitors to Nickel & Nickel.
The Cabernets from 2003 are a solid group of wines, well balanced between fruit and structure. The cooler weather allowed the development of very sweet fruit without any overripe flavors and there is an interesting combination of dust and earth that shines through from some of the appellations.
Wine club members and winery visitors enjoyed the 2003 Cabernets at our “Cabernet Day” prerelease party on August 19 and already, the wines are moving quickly. Those who were unable to attend can purchase from the winery at (707) 967-9600, visit our online site, or, look for the wines at upscale restaurants and fine wine retailers in the coming weeks.
Nickel & Nickel, Far Niente Winemakers Featured in Forthcoming Book
 Darice Spinelli, winemaker at Nickel & Nickel, and Far Niente Winemaker Stephanie Putnam are featured in the upcoming book, "Women of the Vine, Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste and Enjoy Wine," by author Deborah Brenner. The book, which will be published in late October, profiles women from all walks of the wine world including sommeliers, marketers, wine journalists and academics, as well as winemakers.
More than a book about wine, "Women of the Vine" describes women whose passions dictate how they lead their lives and how their calling has taken them on the most rewarding journeys of their lives.
New York Times and Time magazine writer Alice Feiring says, “Brenner’s clutch of inspiring profiles will provide ample encouragement for women – whether they aspire to be sommelier, journalist or winemaker – to follow their dream.”
The book is being published by John Wiley & Sons and is available for pre-ordering at Amazon for paperback and Women Of The Vine for hardcover.
Environmental Update:
Barn Owls and Biodiesel
We’re revisiting two subjects this month that we have featured in past issues of the eNews, to provide an update on the progress of some of our environmentally friendly initiatives.
The owl boxes in the Sullenger and Dragonfly vineyards are fully populated with Barn owls, which in itself is a success, as it takes time for the owls to locate and inhabit the boxes.
John Schuster, owner of Wild Wing Company, who consulted with Nickel & Nickel in placing the owl boxes, notes that “because of all the rainfall that we had this year, the 2006 nesting season was a great year for Barn owl nesting boxes,” and he expects much the same in 2007.
Now that we have a full owl population in our vineyards, we are looking forward to the work they will do by helping keep pocket gophers, voles and other vineyard pests to a minimum.
Along the biodiesel front, Viticulturist Aaron Fishleder couldn’t be more thrilled with the results of the program, which was instituted this past spring.
“Our machines have never run better and they are actually a pleasure to work around, which is a real switch from the dirty, emissions-loaded, diesel-powered engines of the past. Seventy-five percent of our farming vehicles are running on biodiesel and we’ll be at 100 percent by harvest.”
Keep an eye on future issue of the eNews for more environmental updates.
Harvest Outlook
The 2006 harvest is just getting underway, and our production teams are gearing up for a fast and furious season. Here is the outlook from our winemakers:
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| Stephanie Putnam |
Stephanie Putnam, Far Niente: “We will probably start harvesting Chardonnay the week of September 18, which is about two weeks behind average. This year, I think we’re going to have a compressed harvest with a lot of overlap between Chardonnay and Cabernet. Normally we’re almost finished with Chardonnay before we begin Cabernet. Everything’s going to start ripening at once, because of the lateness of the growing season. We had a cool summer, despite the heat spike in July, and are experiencing a lot of morning fog, which we don’t necessarily have this time of year.”
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| Darice Spinelli |
Darice Spinelli, Nickel & Nickel: “I expect that our harvest, which would normally be about six weeks, is going to be condensed into just four weeks this year! Almost all of our fruit will be harvested in the month of October, with all of the varieties coming in together. We have a huge challenge ahead of us to bring in so many single vineyards simultaneously, but we are equipped to do it, both with our crew and within the winery. The good news is that we will probably be finished in time to take my kids trick-or-treating on Halloween.”
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| Greg Allen |
Greg Allen, Dolce: “The Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the Dolce Vineyard are ripening on schedule. While Stephanie and Darice might consider things a bit late this year, I don’t think they’re soon enough! But then, Dolce wouldn’t be Dolce without a late harvest. The morning fog we’ve been experiencing is making for a nice, prolonged growing season for Dolce and I consider it a good omen for more of the same, followed by drying conditions, to ignite the Botrytis…after Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel are finished, of course.”
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Galloping To the Future(s)
Nickel & Nickel Single Vineyard Club member Tari Stull was vacationing in Wyoming on August 30, when she realized there was just one more day to order 2005 Cabernet Futures from Nickel & Nickel. She was staying in a very remote area and couldn’t get cell phone reception, so we heard she rode her horse to town to find a signal and place her order. The truth is, she had to drive two hours over treacherous, bumpy roads to reach a town where she was able to place her call. However she managed it, we compliment Tari for having the horse sense, or rather, horsepower, to lasso our Cabernet futures just in time!
The Nickel & Nickel 2005 Futures Program is now closed, but look for the opening of our 2006 Futures Program, which will kick off with a barrel tasting event at the winery next April.
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Catch up with winery staff and taste some of the newest releases at these upcoming consumer events.
Wine Club Events:
Save the date for the following events, which are open to wine club members only. Please call (707) 967-9600 to learn more about our wine clubs.
September 23: Barbeque and Barn Dance at Nickel & Nickel expressly for our wine club members. Celebrate the harvest while enjoying a rousing evening of great wines, tasty barbeque and barn dancing! $80 per person. SOLD OUT!
Vintner Dinners:
September 20: Big Rock Chop House,
Birmingham, MI,
(248) 647-7774
September 21: Morton's of Chicago,
New York, NY,
(212) 972-3315
September 28: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse,
Charotte, NC,
(704) 556-1115
October 11: Fleming's Steakhouse,
St. Louis, MO,
(314) 567-7610
October 26: Fior d' Italia,
San Francisco, CA,
(415) 986-1886
Tastings:
September 27: Village Wine Market,
Birmingham, AL,
(205) 879-5240
September 28: Gentile's,
Columbus, OH,
(614) 891-3284
October 4: The Wine Steward,
Pleasanton, CA,
(925) 600-9463
October 25: Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse,
Cincinnati, OH,
(513) 784-1200
October 26:
Lavanda Restaurant and Wine Bar,
Palo Alto, CA,
(650) 321-3514
Charitable Events:
September 22-24: Southern Exposure, an Experience in Food, Wine & Music
Benefiting "Local Boys Do Good,"
Soby's Restaurant,
Greenville, SC,
(864) 232-7007
October 13: March of Dimes
Celebrity Chefs and Master Vintners Extravaganza of Silicon Valley,
Fairmont Hotel,
San Jose, CA,
(408) 260-7629
October 15: Healthy Kids Benefit,
Joseph George Fine Wines,
Woodside, CA,
(408) 448-9463
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