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Upcoming Events |
McEvoy Ranch, just west of Petaluma offers three different options for olive milling each harvest season to meet the needs of small, mid and large-scale growers.
Artisano Grand Tasting
Saturday, November 17
12 noon until 4:00 pm
The Event Center at Vintners Inn, Santa Rosa
Details here!
The Experts' Secrets to Selling Wine Grapes
November 30, 2012 8am to noon
Sonoma State University
P-Gap Winter Wine Soirée
January 26, 2013
Mystic Theater, Petaluma
Save the Date! Details later. |
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Random Wine Facts |
Petite Sirah -- also known as Durif -- is not a smaller version of Syrah, they are two different varieties. Petite Sirah was first propagated in about 1880 from a cross of Syrah with the lesser-known variety Peloursin. |
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Member News
Several wines sourced from Petaluma Gap grapes won awards at the 2012 Sonoma County Harvest Fair! Medal winners include:
- Adobe Road 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir -- GOLD
- Adobe Road 2009 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay -- SILVER
- Fogline Vineyards 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Sun Chase Vineyard, Sonoma Mountain -- SILVER
- Hart's Desire 2009 Pinot Noir, Rockin'H Ranch -- GOLD
- Hart's Desire 2010 Pinot Noir, Eastman Lane -- BRONZE
- Loxton Cellars 2009 Syrah, Griffin's Lair -- SILVER
In the amateur competition, Doug Cover won Gold and Best of Class for his 2011 Heartstone Vineyard Rosé of Syrah.
Griffin's Lair Vineyard has been approved as a "Certified California Sustainable Vineyard." The California Sustainable Winegrowing Program encourages practices that are sensitive to the environment, socially equitable, and economically feasible. The assessment and audit procedure involves all aspects of grape production -- water and air quality, soil conservation, pest management, energy efficiency, and human resource management.
Pinot Noir sourced from the Terra de Promissio and Gap's Crown vineyards were part of the blend that won Kosta-Browne Winery the Annual Wine of the Year award from Wine Spectator for their 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir! This is the first time since 1999 that a Sonoma County wine has won the coveted award and the first time ever for a Pinot Noir!
Vine and Barrel is featuring several selections from the Petaluma Gap for November:
- John Hart's Rockin'H Ranch 2009 Pinot Noir -- an outstanding vintage!
- The ever-dynamic Clary Ranch 2006 Pinot Noir
- The very last of Don Baumhefner's 2005 Burgundian Baby
- Sonoma Coast Reata at $19.99
- Kastania Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir, from our good friends Hoot and Linda, and
- Gold Medal Harvest Fair and Gold Medal Chronicle winner, Adobe Road 2009 Pinot Noir - big pepper notes and huge, cool climate, dark fruit.
Also available are Jason's two favorite Petaluma Gap Syrahs: Clary Ranch and Armagh Vineyards. Jason is offering these at better pricing than anywhere on the market. Don't miss out! |
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2012 Harvest Report, Lakeville Area
by Joan Griffin, Griffin's Lair  "Best harvest ever" was a refrain echoing throughout Lakeville! Yield was up, quality is excellent, prices were good, demand for grapes was high, winemakers are happy. After three difficult vintages, it was a welcome change. Mother Nature provided near perfect growing conditions this summer, including beautiful weather at critical bloom time. Even the dreaded late heat spells never materialized - here, close to the Bay, we had just one or two days in the 90s. Andrew Flocchini speculated that a "long, cold winter" was key in producing a better set and a larger crop. Clusters and berries were generally bigger than usual, even in Pinot Noir. Gary Hendricks (Rockin'H Ranch) reports his Syrah and Grenache produced large clusters and big berries. Gary thinned his Syrah three times and still ended up with an excellent yield. Flocchini reported more tonnage this year; Griffin's Lair was up as well. It was a long harvest for everyone: Flocchini Vineyard and Griffin's Lair both started picking Pinot Noir in early September (for winemakers who prefer low brix) and picked the last of the Syrah the 3rd week in October! Ana Keller (Keller Estate) reported that although the last warm days caught them a bit by surprise and they scrambled to bring in the Chardonnay, the overall moderate temperatures allowed gradual, even ripening. Keller Estate is "very pleased with the wine" - Ana said the "juice panels were great, giving us perfect numbers." The 2012 vintage is shaping up to be excellent. At Griffin's Lair the grapes were all ripe at lower sugar levels, with mature, brown seeds and well-developed flavors. While the lower sugars will mean lower-alcohol wines, the flavors are expected to be some of the best ever from the Gap. A shortage of labor was predicted for this harvest, but vineyards in Lakeville did not report problems getting picking crews. Night harvests are the norm here - for most of September and October light bars and head lamps were visible all up and down Lakeville Road. By dawn, you could see full bins being loaded and trucks heading out to the wineries. |
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2012 Harvest Report, West Petaluma Area
by Gayle Crane, Armagh Vineyard, and Mark Pasternak, Chileno Valley (Corda) Vineyard
 The 2012 growing season was near perfect for growing grapes in West Petaluma. In March, Armagh Vineyard was prepared for frost with the sprinkler system ready to go but didn't have to use it even once. According to Gayle Crane at Armagh, the mild spring with no rain during bloom resulted in excellent fruit set. Mark Pasternak at Chileno Valley (Corda) Vineyard echoed that sentiment and added that summer weather was great with warm, even temperatures and no extreme heat or extended periods of coolness. The brief heat wave in late September pushed sugar levels up very quickly and harvest was about two weeks earlier than normal for Armagh. At the Chileno Valley Vineyard, Mark noted that there were no significant issues with mold or mildew and the first rain held off until just minutes after the last bit of Riesling was harvested!
Generally, crop levels for Pinot Noir in West Petaluma were heavier than usual because of the size of the berries. Syrah was heavier as well but Chardonnay was about average in tonnage. Wineries were all delighted with quality so far, with good Brix, acids, pH, etc. Mark noted that all fruit was pre-sold on per acre pricing, and there were plenty of inquiries throughout the season for any potential fruit that was unspoken for, at favorable prices. Some growers in the area experienced a shortage of pickers toward the peak of harvest, but constraints on winery tank space helped to slow down the picking schedule to a manageable pace despite the labor shortage.
Gayle summed it up by saying, "It was a pleasure growing grapes this year and we are grateful for a bountiful harvest. With the previous two challenging years this was a most welcome change!" |
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Wine Grape Tasting at Harvest Days
 As part of the Harvest Days celebration organized by the Petaluma Downtown Association, the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance hosted a wine grape tasting event on Saturday, October 6th in Helen Putnam Plaza. The timing was perfect, as the wine grape harvest was in full swing so perfectly ripe clusters were available. Grand Vent / Clary Ranch provided Pinot Noir, Griffin's Lair provided Syrah and Viognier, and Armagh Vineyards provided Syrah and Chardonnay. About 100 visitors came by the PGWA table to see the differences in the size and shape of the Petaluma Gap varietals and to taste the fresh grapes. The event was a big hit! |
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