Uncork the Rhone magic of our 2002 Grenache. Our naturally limited yields of 2-3 tons from our lone acre of Grenache create a intensity and richness not seen anywhere but from the few, the famous, the great Grenache vineyards of the world. We've nicknamed our estate vineyard of Grenache the Mouse that Roars - from such small and humble scale comes such great wines. The vines are conservatively trained to only two cordons (bi-lateral) and the bunches are small to moderate in size with small blue- black ripe grapes. Separating the Grenchae from our mother block of Syrah are two rows of the less famous secret ingredient of Rhone wines - Cinsault. Cinsault shares a second life as a seeded table great. What Cinsault brings to the bottle is its aromatics and its ability to interact with the more intense grapes like Grenache and Syrah during fermentation.

When we harvest our Grenache with also harvest half the Cinsault and they ferment together. Diddo for our Syrah with the other half of Cinsault. Aging of both our Grenache and Syrah enjoys the company of Hungarian oak, Intermedio (barrels made with staves of oak from Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania) and a bit of American oak barrels.

So the selections for the month of May are the 2002 Grenache for $11.40 ($136.80/case), the 2002 Syrah $12.00 ($144/case) and tasting better than ever the 2001 Cab/Shiraz $10.80 ($129.60). Consider this both your first and last chance at these prices for these Rockn' Rhones because these vintages are soon to become members of the Library of endangered vintages.

To play is simple. Reserve your tickets by calling us at 800-245-9166. Then show up at Fitzpatrick's at or after 11AM to pick up your welcoming map. Begin your day tasting here or come back during the day. At each of the 5 participating wineries you taste and pick out your complimentary bottle (total of 5 bottles). Purchase a case here or at any of the five wineries and earn an extra playing card to better your hand. Buy two cases at a winery and get an automatic joker. Then return at 5pm to Fitzpatrick's to enjoy salad and the Pizza Buffet. Unviel your hand as you check in for dinner. While your eating, all hands will be put in order. Then the winning hands will be announced in order and you'll be invited up to pick out your winnings. Number one prize is a night in the Winemaker's Suite. There's enough prizes for at least half the players. Everyone's a winner when you add up the 5 bottles, Pizza Buffet and an afternoon of good times. Give us a call to get your tickets 800- 245-9166

These two weekends promise to be the highlight of the year for those wine drinkers seeking to engage our local wine industry from a behind the scenes perspective. Besides the obvious private wine tastings, food pairings and live music at some venues, there are special behind the cellar door events too. I'm offering a rare trip into our wine cellars at 11am each day to barrel sample and talk wine where the wine is made. Then back to the wood- fired oven to enjoy our wholesome breads and tapas as complements to our new lineup of wines.

We're introducing a new idea this Festival to make fun of massaging the flow of where everyone decides to go. Picture a BINGO card called VINGO (pronounced VanGogh) which has all the 15 participating wineries listed plus wild card spaces. Follow any line, up, down or diagonal and get each space stamped as you show your VINGO card at each winery. Complete a VINGO on Saturday and another on Sunday and you'll be eligible for a gift of your choice. And you may end up having discovered or rediscovered a new winery that you may have otherwise skipped. Have fun!

Phone in for your tickets at 800-245-9166 or 530- 620-3248. Dinner starts at 6pm, music starts at 7pm with a dessert intermission between sets.

And if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about click on the link below.