 Cellarmaster
Volume 2, Issue 3
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Le Coursier Sale
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Our Seasonal Wine Special will continue to be the 2006 Le Coursier, through the end of October. Regularly priced at $30, we have marked it down to $25 for the public and just $21.25 for our wine club members. We are proud to announce that the 2006 Le Coursier just received 91 points from Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. |
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Greetings!
Even though our summer weather in Western Washington hasn't given
us much to brag about we have been very busy in the winery and the tasting
room since our last newsletter in June.
We hope you all found some sun and made the most of the season.
Thankfully it didn't rain on the Solstice and although the
weather wasn't ideal, we still had a wonderful turnout for our 3rd
Annual Solstice Party. Those who
attended got a real treat. The food from Dr. B and music from Rylen set the
perfect mood for introducing several of our newest wines. We released our
Abracadabra Rose and we gave some sneak tastes and offered presales of our two
new ONE wines, featuring a 100% Malbec and 100% Sangiovese.
FYI - Very limited amounts of these wines are still
available in the tasting room only.
In late July we bottled approximately 3,500 cases of wine
over 4 days. This was our second bottling of the year and it included the 2007
Solesce, the 2008 vintages of Byzance, Corrida, LeCoursier, and Trentenaire. We
couldn't have done it with out our friends at Signature Bottling and our great
volunteers.
Since bottling, Brian and Robert have been busy with racking
and blending several of the 2009 wines as well as preparing for the upcoming
harvest. Brian and Robert both
have begun their regular sojourns to eastern Washington to visit our vineyard
partners and to check on the progress of this year's vintage. Although we may be a week or two behind
a more typical harvest, Brian and Robert both feel the vintage looks promising.
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It was great to see so many of our wine club
members in
early August for the Summer Wine Club Release. Our Friday evening
tastings were especially popular. For
those members who receive their wines via UPS we may still be holding
your
shipment until the weather cools in your area.
In case you
missed it, we just released the 2006 Solesce. Once again, our Cabernet Sauviginon based Bordeaux-style blend continues
to be our shining star - full of
fruit, tannin and a wonderful finish. To balance out the release we presented the 2007 Abracadabra which
continues to be a fan favorite and our most affordable blend. If you
haven't
stopped in to pick up your wine club allocation we hope to see you very
soon.
As always when you pick up your club wines, you and a guest will receive
a
complimentary tasting of our special wine club offerings.
It has been especially gratifying to have so many of you
bring friends, family and other out-of-town guests by the tasting room
this
summer. It is our pleasure to serve you and we thank you for your
support.
We had a wonderful evening on September 8th at our annual Grand Melange dinner at Madison Park Café. Thank you to all our savant club members for joining us and Karen Binder along with the team at Madison Park for putting on great event.
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| Special Announcements |
| Harvest is Coming
If you are at all interested in volunteering during harvest,
please send Robert an email to get on our volunteer list. We try to
give as much advance notice
as possible, but since much of the harvest is very weather dependent we
can't
always give much warning. robert@briancartercellars.com
To all our friends in Oregon,
Brian Carter Cellars is now being sold throughout your great
State. The Mitchell Wine Group, based in Portland, is now
distributing
our fine wines. So be sure to ask for your favorite blend from Brian Carter
Cellars at your local bistro, wine bar or wine shop.
We are pleased to announce the itinerary for our Treasures of Southern Italy tour
departing April 28, 2011.
Join Brian Carter and Karen Binder of the Madison Park Café for an Italian food and wine holiday you will never forget.
From the sumptuous luxury of the Amalfi Coast and the romantic island of Capri to the rugged but famously picturesque rock dwellings of Matera and the world class
elegance of Lecce, Southern Italy has something incredible for you to discover.
Amalfi Coast  |
resisting the trend of globalization. We have designed this itinerary with two night stays so you can really get to know each location, enjoy amazing feasts of locally sourced produce, seafood and meat while exploring excellent local wines and getting to know
fascinating people. For more information visit www.mg-expeditions.com
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Vin d'Elegance in Woodinville
The Kirkland Concours d' Elegance and Woodinville Wine Country are joining hands. We will be offering a taste of some of Woodinville's finest wines AND an eyeful of classic, vintage automobiles from the Kirkland Concours. The highlight of this partnership is the new Vin d' Elegance to be held on Saturday, September 11th from 11:00am - 4:00pm. Brian Carter Cellars will be hosting four classic cars in our parking lot . Proceeds from our tasting fees and 5% of our sales will be donated to charity for the day. Guests will receive a coupon for $5.00 off the entry fee to attend Concours d' Elegance in Kirkland the next day.
Concours d'Elegance
Managing Partner Mike Stevens will be pouring Brian Carter Cellars wines at the Concours d'Elegance in Carillon Point on Sunday, September 12. www.kirklandconcours.com
BLEND: The World's Best Wine, Food & Places
Brian will be attending this new event celebrating and showcasing the world's best wine blends, paired with delectable cuisine from Columbia Hospitality's unique hotels, inns and conference centers all on the spectacular Seattle waterfront at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Created with the purpose of bringing people together to enjoy an exceptional experience, BLEND offers a mix of many exciting tastes, epicurean delights and palatable adventures available in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. September 12th from 4-7:30p.m. at Bell Harbor Center. www.columbiablend.com/Cooking with Class
Brian Carter Cellars will be part of Cooking with Class again this year, a fundraiser for Providence Heritage House at the Market and Providence ElderPlace, both of which assist low-income, frail elderly. It's a fun event for us as we get to choose a recipe to pair with one of our wines. Twenty-two chefs teach one of their recipes to their "students" and then they eat what they produce and pair it with an appropriate wine. Our Oriana will be paired with Chef Gabe Cabrera's scallop and shrimp ceviche (Salty's at Redondo Beach). Sounds great! The event takes place on Tuesday, September 14, at Salty's on Alki in West Seattle. The cost is $125 per person and includes three hands-on cooking classes, the food, wine and appetizers and a chance to try out our wine along with others and Pike Brewing Co. beer at the tasting table. Get more details, register and pay online at www.seattledining.com/cwc/The Grape CupHusky Alumni vs Cougar Alumni Winemakers Mike Stevens, UW '81, will be representing BCC again at this year's Grape Cup. All Husky supporters will receive an added treat at our table, so wear your purple and gold! 415 Westlake - Seattle, WA Thursday, Sept. 16th from 6:00-9:00 pm - $40 Click Here for TicketsGrape Stomp
Join us Sunday, Sept. 19th for our 3rd Annual Grape Stomp. This year we are featuring an old fashion Italian grape stomp and spaghetti feed. The Stomp begins at 12 and ends a 4PM.
We will be featuring our 2008 Oriana, the 2009 Abracadabra Rose, 2006 Tuttorosso, 2007 Abracadabra Red, and our newest label, ONE. This year we are especially proud to offer our limited production, single varietal wines: a 2007 Sangiovese from the Boushey Vineyard and a 2007 Malbec from the Stone Tree Vineyard. Additional wines will be available for purchase by the glass or by the bottle.
We will be featuring Artist Jose G. Pantoja at the Grape Stomp. His hand turned wine stoppers are beautiful! He will also bring along a few surprises. www.turningnaturesgifts.com
Sign up your stomp team (3 members) today or come on your own and join the fun. Stomp contests will be held every half hour and prizes will be given to the winners of each session and for the best stomping costumes.
Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.briancartercellars.com
$30 per person
$20 for our wine club members
$12 for food only (grape juice for the kids)
K'Syrah Dinner
Mike will be pouring wine for our Southern Washington and Oregon friends on Saturday September 25that K'Syrah Bistro in Camas, WA. For details go to ksyrahbistro.wordpress.com/
Winemakers' Dinner at Madison Park Café with Brian CarterMonday November 8th in Seattle Sign up by calling (206) 324-2626 Winemakers' Dinner at Russell's with Brian Carter
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| Features |
| Come Celebrate Karen, Brian and the Madison Park Cafe
Opened in 1979 by old friends Karen Binder and
Peggy Stamm, the Madison Park Café has become the quintessential Seattle
neighborhood restaurant serving seasonal French Bistro dinners and weekend
brunch. For 19 years, the café
operated as a busy, neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot until 1999 when Karen
took sole ownership of the restaurant, dropped weekday breakfast and lunch, and
opened as a full-time dinner house serving French bistro cuisine, cocktails,
and wine Tuesday through Saturday nights.
At the helm in the kitchen is chef Rich Coffey who
brings 20+ years of French cooking experience to the job, offering bistro
classics such as Cassoulet, smoked trout rillettes, and the best frites in
Seattle. As Seattle Magazine wrote
recently "if you can't make it to Paris this summer, at least make a trip to the
courtyard of the Madison Par Café.
No longer cooking at the café has provided Karen
with time to study wine in Washington, Oregon, Europe and at the CIA in Napa
Valley. The French and Northwest wine list at the Madison Park Café reveals her
personal passion for introducing and educating diners to her value driven
well-researched wines. Thus the café has hosted winemakers' dinners every other
month for 13 years.
In 2001 her 'research' led her to a wine event
where Brian was being honored for his over 20 years of winemaking in Washington
State. After falling in love with his 1998 Cabernet Franc, she invited him to
do a dinner at the Café. Nine years later they still hit it off just like great
food and wine always will.
We will be enjoying another fantastic Brian Carter
Winemakers' dinner on Monday November 8th. Sign up early by calling
(206) 324-2626 and come celebrate with Brian and Karen, each with their passion
for food and wine for over 30 years.
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Kilpsun Vineyards 
Trisha Gelles was looking for
a project, an investment that would keep her considerable energies occupied
while her husband David kept himself busy at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in
Richland Washington. She found
that project in Klipsun Vineyards on Red Mountain, and in so doing created one
of the most, if not the most, prestigious vineyard property in Washington
State. Somehow she and Fred Artz,
her first vineyard manager, recognized the terroir when only cheat grass and
sagebrush ruled this windy desolate ground and started planting.
Today Brian Carter Cellars is
fortunate enough to get a few tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from that same block,
the 'Old Block Cab' established in 1984. Like most of the vineyard blocks that Brian Carter Cellars buys we have
certain rows assigned to us that we manage in conjunction with the current and
capable manager Julia Kock. If you
saw a list of the wineries that currently purchase from this block of grapes
you would think that you are reading from a list of the best in
Washington: Quilceda Creek, Betz
Family, Col Solare etc. There is
in fact a waiting list to get into this block, you have to be willing to pony
up the big bucks, and of course you have to have Trisha's blessing to be in the
'club'.
And then there is the wine.
Tight as a fist when it first comes out of the press, this wine takes years to
come around, but well worth the wait when the wines do reach perfection they
are some of the most complete and complex wines made anywhere. Nobody really knows why Red Mountain
and its epitome the Klipsun old block Cabernet possesses the great structure
and much heralded aging potential it has. Some say it's the wind, some the
soil, some the aspect to the hot western sun. Whatever combination comes together in this special piece of
the planet makes for wines that have a significant impact on Brian Carter Cellars
Wines, specifically the Solesce. This is as good a time as any to let you know that next year we will be
releasing another limited ONE from the 2008 vintage of Klipsun Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon. |
In The Gallery
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|  Montana Blue Heron is Marilyn Evans and William
Stevens, two self-taught
weavers who have taken their willow structure weavings
from simple
basketry into the realm of woven sculpture and
three-dimensional
wall art. Indeed, their work has won not only "Best of
Fiber" but "Best
of Sculpture" at
Western state art shows from Scottsdale and Sedona to Sun Valley and
Sausalito.
Marilyn Evans has been weaving for nearly twenty years. Her craft
of focus was fine beadwork until she spent a summer day
visiting
with her sister in Illinois and learning the amenities of
basic
wicker weaving. Upon her return to Montana she went to the
river
to find willow, bulrushes and cattail and in a few sunlit,
riverside
hours she was ensnared. Her background is still manifest
in the
embellishments, which are the finishing touches on nearly
every
piece.
William Stevens joined her over ten years ago, bringing with him a
desire to
explore shape, form and color previously founded in low
fire, reduction
pottery. The "sculptural" direction their work has taken is
probably
a result of his creative propensities, and yet their
collaboration
is nearly total.
The Willow is the foundation, the "bones"of every piece.
It gives us grace of shape, strength and durability. Over
these
bones are laid the flesh of weaving in colors and textures
ranging
from the brilliant to the sublime.
Color is the domain of Marilyn. Watching her work, like
some combination
of chef and chemist, she mixes her potions and powders to
some
recipe known only to her through her years of experience
as a master
dyer. She takes bundles of rattan and raffia, jute,
seagrass
and sisal, plain drab and
common, place them in her magic vats, and then hours later draw them
out, gleaming
with all the scintillating color their work has become known for.
From the dye-works, the hued weavers are taken to the
rinse tubs
and then to the vats of soda-ash and salts where the
colors are
fixed. Hung to dry in a breezy shade, the ritual is
complete. The
only further color pertinent procedure comes with the
final weaving
of a piece. The last thing they do with each and every one
is to
spray them with and acrylic, ultra-violet coating, thus
ensuring,
to the very best of their ability, a color as strong and
long lasting
as the willow underlying it all.
http://montanablueheron.com/index.html
P.S. Bill is also Mike's big brother!
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Cheers
from the entire Brian Carter Cellars Team, Brian,
Mike, Cathy, Greg, Kathleen, Ken, Laura, Laurel, Mary, Maureen, Norm,
Renee, Robert and Terri!
14419
Woodinville-Redmond Road NE
Woodinville,
WA 98072
Phone 425.806.WINE (9463)
Website
www.briancartercellars.com
Email wineclub@briancartercellars.com |
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