The Grapes are in, let the rains begin!

When asked by the media, would a winemaker ever say the wine grape harvest was anything less than a good vintage? I stand corrected, than a Great vintage? Of course not, but in defense of winemakers around the world, the sheer excitement, the intensity and the incredible concentrated effort evoke a sense of greatness long before the actual new wine can be justly evaluated. On August 23rd picking began, first of our Chardonnay. The 6 bins of Chardonnay were loaded with sugar up to 30 brix but not to worry; they'll be no 16% alcohol white wine because both our Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc were destined for the distiller. But before that as the Sauvignon Blanc was cold fermenting, I drew off 4 barrels worth and fortified to 18% to create another Joyce's Preoccupations which of course will have to age gracefully in oak for a year. But my beautiful golden 2004 Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc has been distilled into 168 proof spirits that will fortify our ports for 4 or more years to come. One reason our ports are so good is the ultra clean quality of our organic spirits. Remember with the spring rains ceasing before it was yet even spring, this summer was the longest driest summer ever. I anticipated problems in the vineyard especially with the small-berried varieities like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. And when it was time to harvest it was still shocking to get just 3 barrels of Merlot where last year there were 20; and only 7 barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon when there was more than 20 barrels from 2003. Concentrated? You bet! But the grape varieties whose normal berry size are plumper fared well. The Syrah was gorgeous and was picked only after hanging extra time to develop its Double Gold flavors. 70 gallons of fermenting Syrah was drawn off and fortified to make our lucious Morrissey's Journey. Grenache turned an almost blue- black color and was fermented with the traditional one bin of Cinsault. If you haven't already discovered how good Grenache can be, try ours. Many years ago I planted an experimental block of Sangiovese and Nebbiollo. Thank god, because the Nebbiollo has been very elusive with its yields and ability to ripen and I've threatened for years to cut off it's heads and graft over to Sangiovese. So this was to be the year to graft and in preparation I did not prune the Nebbiollo during the winter. But by the time spring sprung and it was grafting time, the weather was so warm and dry that I abandoned the idea of grafting. So now for the first vintage ever the Nebbiollo set so much fruit, it was loaded. And my curiosity said leave all this fruit and see if it could ripen. Well I may have learned a lesson on how Nebbiollo sets fruit but I'll tell you about that some other time. So the Nebbiolo never ripened to perfection but was a welcome addition to ferment with the concentrated Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc. We picked another tiny harvest of Pinot Noir (a little more than a barrel) and a growing yield of our much cherished Cabernet Franc. By the way the Sangiovese harvest was the best ever both in quantity and quality so expect some good things sometime in 2006. The shining star of 2004 is our Zin. Sure the yields were down a little but we're flavor farmers not jug fillers. However patience was the order of the day. I left the Zinfandel hang and hang until near every berry was "live" ripe and the peak came at 27 brix, 0.7 acidity and 3.5 pH, pretty much like a beautiful lady. But remember these wines need time, long months of slow aging in toasted oak barrels before we wax poetic verses about their beauty and pleasure-giving effects. So let's turn our heads around to what is here now and just around the corner like the 2001 and 2002 vintage reds and the 2003 whites. These are the children of recent vintages just past and this is where we can find pleasure and comfort for the months and year to come.

Unvieling the Uncork the Magic Collections series

In perfect timing for holiday gifts, our Uncork the Magic Collections series could be the most unique gift out there for the wine enthusiasts in your life. Think special gift for a special someone, excellent business gift demonstrating that your business client deserves quality and distinction, or pamper the most popular one on your list - you. Another great idea is to style an evening around exploring one of these mini-vertical collections. Imagine inviting 3 or 4 of your best wine drinking friends or couples over to explore the nuances of three vintages of our award winning estate grown Syrahs from 1998, 1999, and 2000. Pair these wonderful Syrahs with a selection of appropriate appetizers and you've got a wine tasting party. We'll have eight or more 3-bottle Collections to choose from ranging in price from $39 to $79 all packed in excelsior wood shavings in wooden boxes emblazoned with "Uncork the Magic Collection by Fitzpatrick Winery & Lodge, since 1980". The bottles can be signed by the winemaker in gold pen if you like and a little wine info card will be included too. As soon as I put together the order sheet for these collections I will email you a reservation form so you can reserve your special Collection beforethey're all gone. Less than 150 boxes have been custom ordered and will arrive the week of Thanksgiving. Here's a sneak preview: Grenache Collection, Syrah Collection, A Rhone Medley, Robert Cowan Zinfandel Collection, Remeber Rocky I & II 2- bottle Collection, King Brendan Collection, Chardonnay Past, present and Future Collection, Poet's Choice Series Collection, King & Queen 2-bottle Collection plus a Magnum presentation box for the new King's Red XI. Our Price: $39 - $79

Ports Ahoy! The new Ports are coming starting 11/12/04

Remeber the Joyce's Preoccupations, that lovely white port made from our Sauvignon Blanc? Well, maybe it was sold out before you could get a bottle for yourself. We'll be tasting two of the new ports starting Friday 11/12/04. The other long awaited port is our Z2 Cuvee made from a blend of two vintages 2002 and 2003 of Zinfandel Port, both estate grown and oak aged. This is the beginning a new series of multiple vintage blends of Zin Port always blended back with the 'Mother'. For instance, one barrel of 2002 was blended with one barrel of 2003 but only one barrel of the blend was bottled leaving one barrel of the 'Mother' to further age another year. Then the 2004 barrel will be blended with the 'Mother' and one barrel of the Z3 Cuvee will be bottled leaving a 'Mother' blend of 2002,3 & 4 to age for another year. Then will come the Z4, Z5 ....Z25! Imagine the Z25 will have Zin Ports from 25 vintages blended together or so the story goes if we last another 25 years. We still have some of the wonderful Gold Medal Morrissey's Journey Ruby Port of Syrah and the fantastically smooth Wilde's Soul of Man, a blend of Cab & Merlot Ruby Ports. Imagine receiving a branded wooden boxed set of our great Ports and those cute tiny Port glasses as a gift. That will be part of our Uncork the Magic Collections. Reserve yours asap. Our Port Prices range $11 - 15

The Labels are coming! The Labels are coming!

Not! Bureaucracy has done it again. It's been over 100 days since starting this label approval process and they're still sitting on someone's desk in Washington, DC. Actually some progress has been made. They rejected my Chardonnay labels because I said "fermented and aged in Marsannay French oak" and they want to know how long? So I've resubmitted with adding "12 months". But why, because they didn't ask if they were new barrels, old barrels or whatever. But that's the kind of unpredictable bullshit they come up with. Everything else has been approved to print except our King's Red XI labels. There hung up on the "from the Land of Zin" asking how much Zin is in this blend. Well, I told them look the label says premium red table wine; if you make me state how much Zin then your rules would make me list the exact percentage of all 6 other varietals and that would be ugly on the label and counter to what premium red table wine means. So, I said, I'll change the "Land of Zin" to "Land of Z" if it makes you happy. So far it's been three weeks and they must be hung up on such a big decision. Well enough for my winening. That's just an update , especially for our Wine Fellowship members who are patiently waiting for our new releases. They're coming! They're coming! Someday!

It's beautiful up here!

You've got to come up and enjoy the colors of fall before they're gone. I thought, at first, we were destined for a drab brown dry Fall but with all the recent rains Fall is back with all its splendor. Just play hookie, make a last minute getaway and discover Fair Play in the Fall and best during the week when all is quiet. We've got romantic cozy rooms with fireplaces, so give us a last minute call to say your coming. Don't forget we have 4 excellent restaurants with at least one open every night of the week. Our Weekday B&B Price: $79 - $110 and $10 less for the second night Check availability online

The life of an Organic farmer never ends!

Like compost, when an organic farmer dies we're just composted and recycled back to the farm. Well that wasn't exactly the topic of the day but it went well with the title. Actually I just wanted to share a photo taken Sunday showing how I plant every other row with a nitrogen- fixng winter annual cover crop. I plant a mix of legumes (fava beans, Austrian field peas, vetch) and oats to grow all winter and then turn under or mow down in the spring. About a hundred pounds a seed per acre will create about 20 tons of green nitrogen rich organic matter that will keep the billions of soil microbes healthy and happy for months into the summer. And when the soil microbes are happy, my vines are happy because they absorb all the wonderful nutrients that these microbes release when they chew up the organic matter. Way too cool to keep to myself; thought you might want to know. Our Price to you Good health is $priceless Learn More about our organic practices

Think Fitzpatrick for your gift giving and holiday needs. I can't say enough about our new Uncork the Magic Collections and what great gifts they'll make. But don't forget gift certificates, our new Ports, and great deals on our current wines. Even if you can't make it to the tasting room you can enjoy our products shipped right to your door and we'll always give you the best discount that happening at the time of your order, including the unannounced ever-changing tasting room deals.

Good Health and All the Best,

Brian Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick Winery & Lodge

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email: brian@fitzpatrickwinery.com

voice: 530-620-3248

web: http://www.fitzpatrickwinery.com

Remember we can ship either via UPS or FedX to many states now. Don't hesitate to call us at 800- 245-9166. You can order by calling, email, fax or use our online shopping cart. We will always apply the lowest price at the time of order even if its not posted. Give us a list and we will help fulfill your desire to spread holiday cheer.