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Newsletter August 2012

In This Issue
2010 Di Bruno Pinot Grigio - Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
Salmon "Gravlax" with Lemongrass and Cucumber
2007 BADGE Pinot Noir - Sta. Rita Hills
Duck Confit with Waffles
Upcoming Events & News
Last Call
Grenache wins Gold!!!
Tempranillo wins Bronze!
Save the Dates!
Quick Links






Like us on Facebook
Greetings!

WOW!  No wonder why this email took me so long.  Look at the size of it!  And I have even omitted stuff like being featured in Golf Magazine & Elegant Living Magazine, our new Grenache Noir (the first one), dog updates, harvest updates....all sorts of things.  So, Tally ho!!!!

 

Another Pick-Up Party has come and gone; it was great to see everyone!  While many of you were mingling around the winery, enjoying the wines, we were constantly being told how impressed everyone was with our wines; especially how consistent they were as far as quality goes.  We cannot tell you how much the entire crew at DCW loves to hear that - and we weren't even holding guns to your heads!!!  Because of this, Bruno and I started to think about the reasons "why" this would be the case.  Here is what we came up with, for starters anyway: 

  1. Crossflow Filtration - As we explained to you over a year ago, we now have a cross-flow filter! As many of you know, Bruno and I were known for bottling our Pinot Noirs at Sanford and Sea Smoke without filtration.  But, after conducting demos on several units, with several different red wines, Bruno and I liked what we saw.  Crossflow filtration removes all microbes in the wine as well as any bits of grape debris left over after fermentation and aging.  This makes a wine smell fruitier (because it removes all of those things from the wine), reduces bottle variation (because it removes all of those things from the wine) and makes us sleep better at night (because it removes all of those things from the wine).  And it does not do any damage to the wine; it is a "win-win" situation.  It makes a wine better than it has a right to be.   
  2. Diam corks - These processed corks are a by-product of the wine cork industry. They are the pieces left after a cork is punched out - sort of like the leftover dough when you make biscuits.  These scraps are then ground up and run through a bath of super-critical CO2, which is liquid CO2, that cannot be found on Earth unless CO2 gas is subjected to over 200 atmospheres of pressure.  Obviously one need's a special chamber to reach that pressure!  The liquid CO2 bath removes any TCA (2,4,6 Trichloroanisole - which is what causes "corkiness" in wines) and kills all microbes present on the cork.  We know winemakers who have used these corks for over 5 years without finding a single corked bottle of wine.  Plus it decreases the bottle variation due to oxidation (more about that at a later time).    
  3. Life - We feel that life is the biggest change. Bruno's and my sole focus is now on our own project: D-C Wines! Harrowing at times, because we no longer have a paycheck, but fully rewarding after a hard day's work, knowing full well that we did it all for us. OK, and all of you as well.  And we are making better wines then we have ever made before, primarily because of this.  

Salud!

Kris & Bruno 

2010 Di Bruno Pinot Grigio
Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
The 2010 Di Bruno Pinot Grigio is the last Pinot Grigio to hail from the famous Sanford & Benedict Vineyard.  Yes, you heard correctly, Sanford Winery pulled the PG vines out of S&B after the harvest of 2010 to plant more Pinot Noir.  Bummer for all involved! (Have no fear though- we will source elsewhere for future vintages.)
 
This wine is another one of our "Patio" wines: wines that can be enjoyed while outside, enjoying our lovely summer days.  This wine also pairs beautifully with simple shelllfish, seafood tacos with fruit slasa, ceviche, icy-cold gazpacho, various salads and grilled fish, chicken and vegetables.   This wine can do it all - almost!

 

Winemaker Notes: 
This Pinot Grigio is fermented cold; entirely in stainless steel.  We stop it from undergoing malo-lactic fermentation, so it is crisp and lively. 

Tasting Notes: 
Bosc pears with notes of lemon rind and white flowers meld well with green apple and fresh melon.  This wine has a striking body with a beautiful mid-palate even though it did not undergo ML fermentation.  Great minerality and an acidity that creates a lovely long finish.   
Best served chilled to 42 degrees F.       
SRP - $18.00/bottle
Club Price - $14.40/bottle
Club Case Price - $151.20  Just $12.60 per bottle!

Salmon with Lemongrass

Salmon "Gravlax" with Lemongrass & Cucumber 

 

This sounds difficult but it is not, you just need to plan ahead for this refreshing dish.  And now is the perfect time to find fresh, wild, linecaught salmon!  FANTASTIC!!!

KC 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 4 stalks fresh lemongrass
  • 1 bunch cilantro, with stems
  • 2 Fresh WILD (do not use farmed - ever!) salmon center cut fillets, with skin attached

Directions:

Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool slightly and crush in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Mix the sugar, salt, and spices together.

Roughly chop both the lemongrass stalks and cilantro, then mix them together, this can be done either by hand or in a food processor.

Lay the salmon, skin side down on a cutting board. Pull the pin bones from the fillets if needed. Scatter the curing mixture over the fish, and then the lemongrass and cilantro mixture. (This may seem like a lot of rub but use it all.) Sandwich the fillets together, skin side out, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Set the package on a plate, cover with another plate or small baking sheet. Place 2 to 3 cans on top to weight down the fish. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days flipping the salmon daily.

Unwrap the salmon, and rinse under cold running water to remove the spices and herbs. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Slice the salmon at a slight angle, as thin as you can.

If doing this ahead lay the salmon on a parchment lined pan, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on a slice of cucumber or a fingerling potato. Garnish with herbs and serve.


 

 

2007 BADGE Pinot Noir
"Double Barrel" - Sta. Rita Hills

Notice the new label!!!!
 You'll see it better when you receive your shipment but we finally got around to re-designing the BADGE label AND building our new website!  We have been very busy, in and out of the winery.  Bruno and I decided to mirror the BADGE "Blue Steel" Chardonnay with a name for the 2007 BADGE Pinot Noir.  We wanted our customers to be able to identify the "style" of this wine: how the wine was made.  So we came up with "Double Barrel" - get the winemaking styles and the gun themes for these two wines?

Winemaker Notes: 
This Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is from fruit sourced from Rancho La Vina and Rancho Las Hermanas.  This fruit was fully de-stemmed and cold soaked in open-top fermenters for 4 days prior to inoculation; with a total maceration time of 18 days.  Gently pressed and racked into French oak barrels, 30% of which were new; it underwent a complete malo-lactic fermentation while in barrel.  This Pinot Noir was aged for 56 months (get the term "Double Barrel" now?) prior to bottling and given one month of bottle age prior to release.  This wine "is saddled and waiting!"  No need for you to take up space in your corral with this dandy!!!.  (Thanks Magnificent Seven!) 

Tasting Notes: 

This Pinot Noir is dark ruby in color.  Rootbeer, black cherry and plums are layered beuatifully in this wine and sprinkled with notes of exotic spices (see waffle recipe) and red apples.  Wow, too much to describe.  This Pinot Noir is dominated by a solid tannin structure, extremely well integrated oak (from 56 months of barrel age) and fearless acidity and a lengthy finish; this wine is a mouthful.  Can you tell we are very happy with it?  
This wine is ready to drink now through whenever.


Best served at 54 degrees F.  In fact, please do not serve above 54 degrees, it will warm up in your glass!

SRP:  $32.50/bottle
Club Price: $26.00/bottle
Club Case Price: $273.00 Just $22.75 per bottle!

Duck Confit & Waffles

Duck Confit with Waffles and Pinot Noir

YES!  Pinot Noir and Brunch!!!  And yes, it sounds strange but just think; waffles and bacon are totally accepted in this country and Duck Confit is way better, for both health and flavor issues, than bacon.  So we came up with an easy way to create this flavorful dish: by using a waffle mix and purchased duck confit.  This is simple, easy to make and absolutely delicious!!!  

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup Carbon's Golen Malted Pancake & Waffle mix (prepared according to directions - needs egg, water & butter)
  • Ground cardamom to taste in batter
  • Ground star-anise to taste in batter (this stuff is powerful, so beware) 
  • Butter (for cooked waffles)
  • Real Maple Syrup (for cooked waffles)
  • Duck Confit (you can make it yourself or buy from local grocery store or via email at D'Artagnan's)

 

PREPERATION:

Pull Duck Confit off bone, shred and crisp in a skillet.  Make Waffle batter (Bruno says only American waffles will do!) then prepare Waffles as directed.  Plate dish by buttering waffle, top with hot, crispy Duck Confit and drizzle with hot Maple Syrup.  Serve with BADGE Pinot Noir.  Simple, delicious and a totally satisfying way to start a Sunday!

Enjoy!!! 
Specials, Upcoming Events & News
Last chance for Merlot
2008 Di Bruno Merlot - We have a few cases left. 
The "One Barrel" of the 2008 Di Bruno Merlot was released to our Wine Club Members and we have a few cases left.  If for any reason we have remaining Merlot after this newsletter we will offer this rare wine to our List Members.

One of the most frequently asked questions at our last PUP Party was "How long should we let our Merlot (and other various wines) sit prior to drinking it?"  Our answer is "We have done it for you!"  One of the reasons why we age our wines in  barrel longer than most other winemakers is because we want the wines to be drinkable upon release.  Life is short, so pop open those bottles (don't wait for a special occasion) and enjoy them NOW!  The most you will need to do is to let them air-out for 30 minutes or so prior to enjoying them with your summer excursions.  This is easily accomplished while preparing dinner or hanging out with friends; just pop open the bottle and decant the wine, trying to get as much aeration into the wine as possible (we call this "grossly" decanting).  Just don't forget to put a clean kitchen towel over the decanter to keep out any unwanted fruit flies - they are nasty this time of year!  
Sunset Gold
Curran
Grenache Blanc 2010
Wins GOLD!!!   
We didn't quite make it to the Olympics but we made it to Sunset Magazines First Annual "International Wine Competition" where we took a GOLD!
We are quite happy for the win, which was in the category of "White Wine" - not for Grenache Blanc - which is an even bigger win!!! 
Sunset Bronze
Curran  
Tempranillo 2007 
Wins BRONZE!!!

If California produced Tempranillos could speak, they would probably utter the famous line from Rodney Dangerfield: "I (we) don't get no respect!"

This may not be gold medal but for a Tempranillo, once again in the very open "Red Wine" category, this is quite an honor! 

And because we are almost sold out of this elixir another famous saying comes to mind - "Drink up ye maties you ho!!!" 
Save the Dates!

ALL DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE &/or CANCELLATION

Stemware Seminar or Blending Symposium (TBD)
September 22, 2012 
Join us again for either our Stemware Seminar or our Blending Symposium.  We will show you why a wine glass matters for the sensory aspect of a wine or how blending can really help (or hurt?) a wine.  Either way, we will learn about something cool in the wine industry AND have a great lunch to boot!  Seating is limited to 40 people.


PUP Party: October 6th, 2012 
Wine Club Members have a chance to Pick-Up their new wines and taste some great wine and food as well.

Spanish Wine & Tapas:  October 20, 2012 Second time is a charm!  Join us for a tour of Spain with food & wine.  We will be pairing our Curran Spanish varietals (Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Tempranillo) with foods from various regions of Spain.

Winemaking 101:  November 10th, 2012  Join us for our FIRST EVER seminar to walk you through the entire winemaking process.  And what a better time to do this then right, smack-dab in the middle of harvest!  Bringing in the fruit, crushing, destemming, pressing, racking, punching down, pump overs, barreling (Whew - I am getting tired just thinking about it!)...  What a better time to come visit the winery, see how we make the wines we make and sample some of our new juice.  We will also have a slide-show presentation to walk you step-by-step through the process.  We may even let you have a break and some bread crumbs: a novelty for harvest!

Holiday Family Festival:  December 8th, 2012  Join us for our annual Holiday Family Festival, to be held on Saturday, December 8th.  As usual we will be trying bottled wines, wines just put to barrel, tank samples and library surprises, as well as sampling some great food and holding a gift raffle.  You must be present to win so don't be late!!! 
 
For any information regarding Events, Wines, Tastings or Group Excursions please contact us at [email protected], or call us at 805-736-9463. 

Kris, Bruno, The Crew and The Pack 
D'Alfonso-Curran Wines
4457 Santa Rosa Road, Ste. 5
0808