Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Well the new year has started and thoughts of harvest for 2011 have already begun. Focus to the vineyard- pruning, discing, tying- assessing what happened last year to do what is needed to bring the vineyard to it's best potential this year. Last harvest fruit was not taken from the Tres Palmeras vineyard-a hard decision to make for me. But some years warrant that action and from what I saw this year for grapes overall, a few more vineyards might have been better off left behind as well. A tough year....

Assessing the wines and how processes worked to produce those wines is also happening so that any changes can be started now. Last harvest brought a lot of challenges- molds, less than mature grapes, sunburn- things that I see, just not in the magnitude that I had this last harvest. So being ready for these situations is always warranted- though I hope not to see this happen for at least another 20 years!

This year Coral Mustang Wines will begin a wine club- yea!!!! Stay tuned to see updates on the website as well as an upcoming e-newsletter. Update on the tasting room- open by appointment only for the winter- let me know if you are in the area and would like to taste. Or if up you are willing to go just a short 30 minutes North, you can visit the winery. Either way give me a shout or an email.

In a tribute to Tres Palmeras, I would like to re-share a clip from a previous harvest - I hope you enjoy it and on with the new year 2011! 

Return to the Vineyard

Now that harvest is over and the wines are being tucked away in barrels or bottles, it is time to return to vineyard duties. We have had some cold weather that has taken the vines into slumber and are ready to be pruned. It is amazing to me still the transformation that takes place in the vineyard from leafless and pruned to full of life laden with fruit.

This is where the first determination of vine growth and fruiting
on the vines begins. We look at growth from last year to help determine where the cutting should happen. The hardiest buds are kept and then look at where we want to encourage growth to even out the vine.

This year we are also taking a hard look at what we want to do in light of water needs. The vines were pretty heavily stressed last year to conserve water. This along with weather brought us a very light crop last year.

Here is an example of what the weather can bring to the vineyard-not pretty. There was a vineyard in the Russian River area that I wanted to get grapes from that looked like this through the entire vineyard. Interestingly, the adage that stressed vines bring good wines proved true this last year. They also had prolonged hang time that helped the clusters that did survive.

So with the last harvest a lingering memory, I am now thinking about the next harvest to come. I am also thinking about the economy and how wines sales will do. This week there was a symposium regarding this in Santa Rosa. I wasn't able to make it to the symposium, but was informed by friends that did attend that Tempranillo was named as one of three varietals that are going to be the next Pinot Noir........time to make a movie!

Back to the tasting room- In Vino Veritas- don't forget to stop by if you are in Healdsburg and stay tuned for the upcoming wine club- Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

Let the Harvest Begin!

Pinot Noir for Sparkling wine started coming in last week- yippeee! The smells of the grapes and the juice from the press is magical- I really don't know how to explain it. What I have seen so far are very small berries and a fair amount of shatter. This is when the blooms to do not create berries, creating a cluster that does not have all of its grapes. I will talk more about shatter later with pictures. It is early yet to see what all varieties will bring us as far as crop load.

Yesterday the bird netting went up in the Tres Palmeras vineyard. The birds are starting to come in droves and without some protection on the vineyard they can take a substantial amount of fruit. I don't mind sharing the fruit, but the birds don't take the berries, they tend to pierce them. The juice of the berries then get bacteria and mold and create a problem to the whole cluster.

I do want to 'document' this harvest and have my phone set up to be able to blog and send pics-wish me luck with my tech skills on this one.

Before I sign off, Today at 6pm, tune into KSAV radio (http://www.ksav.org/) for Wine in Real Time- The Mustang Winemaker will be talking about Coral Mustang and my dayjob with Rack and Riddle Custom Wine Services, and the new tasting room in Healdsburg. I hope you will tune in.
Cheers to a new harvest,
The Mustang Winemaker

The Morning After

Another great weekend! Saturday was spent in the new tasting room and Sunday was the TAPAS Grand Tasting event in San Francisco. Today I am back in the winery, a little slower than normal. Almost like having a hangover, though not from alcohol consumption.

The tasting room is doing well in Healdsburg-you always wonder if you are located in the right spot, people will actually buy the wines, do you need more gadgets.............definitely a learning process. I expect that the cool weather and the economy are keeping the amount of traffic down somewhat, only time will tell.

The TAPAS event at Fort Mason yesterday was a hit! Great wine, great Paella provided by Marco Paella, and a fun science demonstration by Schmahl Science who this benefit was for. It was an absolutely beautiful day in the city- perfect for sipping the wonderful Spanish varietals that were presented. This is out second year doing this event and 'we need a bigger boat' to do this again. Little did we anticipate the interest in Tempranillo, Albarino, Touriga,.......I think we are onto something!

In the vineyard, Frank has been out leaf pulling to open up the shoots to allow air flow and light into the canopies. So far the vines are looking very happy- good crop out there so far. Weather has been very cool, and there have been 'threats' of light rain- haven't seen the rain.

It is mid June and harvest is ever present on my mind. Here is a short video from last harvest :



Back to the winery- the Mustang Winemaker

Packed Weekend

It is Sunday evening - Frank and I are finally sitting- on the deck Mojito in hand. Yesterday was CigarBQ and it was hot - damn hot! Even the red wines were in the cooler and it was hot enough to wonder if there was any wine worth drinking without an ice cube.........wish I would have brought my plastic cubes that I keep in the freezer just for days like that.

Thank you! to our friend Blaine for taking the photo- a fellow Tempranillo fan that is getting ready to plant some vines in the Russian River that could one day end up in our RRV appellation wines.

Today is another scorcher- >100F in some spots. I had a tasting room meeting earlier today and one of the winery owners vineyard sensors were lighting up his phone like fire alarms. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler-let's hope so. The Tempranillo vines in Tres Palmeras vineyard are days away from bloom-hopefully they are not getting fried! It did reach 98F here.......

Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I will be off with the family, though still near a computer! The following weekend my 30 day wait for my tasting room license will be done and a license issued-then let the tasting room fun begin. The weekend after that will be Taste of Alexander Valley- I will have some wine from my Tres Palmeras vineyard there-futures anyone? The following week is the TAPAS grand tasting- I am lining up volunteers-so far have about 12 - let me know if you would be interested and I will be getting the coordination of tasks going!

Cheers and I hope to see in the tasting room soon- the Mustang Winemaker

Two More Inches of Rain=Happy Grapevines

We have had a nice bit of rain here in Sonoma County-actually saw the Russian River rise and it was muddy. Even with the rainfall, here in Cloverdale we are on water rationing and making decisions on the water regimen for the vineyards as well as ourselves-very short showers these days! Check out my weather station data for rainfall udpates- Palomino Lakes/Tres Palmeras Vineyard

Aside from the weather I attended a great event at the Sonoma Mission Inn supporting the YWCA -what a great event-Women, Wine, and Cheese benifits the YWCA women's shelter and features women winemakers and cheesemakers. An auction lot of wines made by the winemakers there landed $4,000 - not bad!

There is another Benefit coming up May 16 - Cigar BQ -always a great event whether you are into cigars or not- great wines, great foods, and it all goes to charity- what a great mix!

Not much to report on the wines- they have all finished with their '2nd' or malolactic fermentation and are resting peacefully in barrels.

Pending licensing, the tasting room is a go! I and 4 other wineries have joined together to have a tasting room in Healdsburg- Yippeee! The room is across from the Raven theatre - 118 North St.
Will be having a Grand Opening the first part of June- but will be open for some limited tasting beginning this weekend.

Well, the cellar is calling-
Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

Coral Mustang is on Vator.TV

First off - Yipppeeeee, it's raining! We are still in a serious drought, so every little drop is a blessing. Check out my website www.coralmustang.com contact page to see the weather at the vineyard- it's very cool!

So- last week went to a great event in San Francisco -Wine 2.0 . I was at this event last year and will be at future events. This is a great group that is helping the wine folks get up to speed with technology. I brought along the new Netbook that my husband got for me-so that I am not lugging around the 'huge' laptop. I set it up so that people could see my website, order, and then Twitter live to the folks there and on Twitter. I am not a true geek-but am bordering on such........

One of the sponsors was vator.tv - the Voice of the Entrepreneur. Great group if you are starting or maintaining a business- they have some great stuff. They were doing interviews with the principals of Wine 2.0 and decided to do some filming and tasting at the Coral Mustang and Terra Savia table - here is the film they did : Vator.TV

A funny thing happened at this event of tech/wine people- people were checking out my netbook-for their own use- kind of different! But it also got my wine and website out there-wish I could find a coral colored netbook.........

Vineyard update : the vines are growing like gangbusters! So far growth is looking pretty even and looking healthy. Now the next part of growing grapes that keeps me awake- frost danger.....this is what caused most of the havoc last year. The leaves and shoots are very susceptible to damage at this point-enough to prevent grapes from happening. Lots of checking on weather reports and hoping that Mother Nature wants to stay warm this year!

Well, back to the cellar and taxes..........the Mustang Winemaker, Penny

If There is Budbreak, it Must be Spring!

It has finally arrived- budbreak- the little leaves are finally emerging from their winter hibernation. My Tres Palmeras vineyard is about two weeks later than last year. The weather has been pretty cool, and we are still pretty low on the rain. I was a little concerned about the cold snap we had about a week ago as the buds were looking pretty fat, but so far.........
Hopefully the vines have had enough water for healthy root growth- this may be the year that my Tempranillo does not overgrow itself! It will be a tough decision later in the year for water needs-there is a good possibility that it will not be available. This could mean another short year for grapes-we still have a ways to go yet- thinking too far ahead.

Looking back at last years harvest, here is a little video of the pics- the sound track is how I feel during this hectic time- enjoy!


Event update : Thursday I will be in San Francisco for the Wine 2.0 event - check it out and I hope to see you there!

That's all for now-
The Mustang Winemaker, Penelope

Back Home from San Diego Family Winemakers

What a great trip!
Not only did I attend the Family Winemakers event at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but I had a chance to meet up with friends and family that often seem far away.

Part of my mission was to introduce my wines to some new shops and restaurants. So a friends I was staying with suggested we go into the downtown area where there are some very cool wine bars. One of them, UNWINE had just opened- what a wonderful couple that are running this business and good food! Another I visited was Enoteca - supposedly an Italian wine bar- though I had a wonderful Vinho Verde that was being featured paired with an ahi tartare that was great!

An update on my website- I was trying to point the old site to the new site...........so going direct to my new site - still updating a few things, but the story is there and purchases can be made. Please take a peak- would love to hear comments back!

Back to winemaking!

Starting Off the Year

It's raining and with the rain I think of indoor activities like making videos. Well, watching more than making. But over the course of the last year I figured out that my phone could take videos. The video attached is my first effort at trying to show the disgorging process. This will just be a small part, an appetizer, until I can get the rest of them in the correct format.

I am also attaching a photo taken of me hand disgorging as I did not have a saber to do a real show on opening a sparkling wine. Crowd loved it- I was a mess and had to change before I could get back to lunch. But it was a kick- I love showing people this and then tasting the wine- yes! It is one of my life's little pleasures.

So a new start in my blog posts, more vids of what I do as a Winemaker and life in general. I was contemplating doing a what I do in the day of.....still working on the details of how to make that work, but I will.

The start of the year also means cleaning up the end of the previous year- inventories, taxes, reports to different agencies. Not good video, but some of the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly tasks that not many of us do.

It's a good thing that it rains this time of the year.

Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

PS-stay tuned, new website is starting to look pretty good!

The last of the Tempranillo is in!

It is a great feeling having all of my grapes off the vine. The last 4 tons is in from my newest vineyard that still has yet to be named- any ideas out there? It tastes good- has been destemmed, crushed and it now soaking away. Tomorrow is the big inoculation day - freedom day for the yeast! I am using a strain called T73- made to work with Tempranillo. Helps to keep down some of the smoky component and brings out the nice blueberry, blackberry that I like in Tempranillo.

This is my second full day away from the winery- yes, I am on the road- in Monterey to be specific- to attent the Monterey Wine Fest. Wasn't sure I was going to make it since harvest is running a little late this year. I work with an incredible team at my day winery- Rack and Riddle Custom Wine Services - so it made getting away a little less stressful. Also technology has made it easy to stay in touch with the team as well as all of our clients.

Though I am still working- I did get a chance to go to a place I love- Monterey Bay and sea otters. Last evening I had a little time before the event. found a bar on the beach, had a specialty martini, and watched the sea otters 'rafting' about in the kelp. Then the scene became more animated as schools of dolphin starting coming back into the bay and the seabirds perched on the floating kelp- I was in heaven! This is my place of worship- the ocean. Sometimes wish I had followed my dream of Marine Biology- then again, how can you beat winemaking- being in the vineyards, the smells of the cellar, and after all has settled, being able to share what you have done with others - very rewarding!

Enough daydreaming and back to sharing wine at the Monterey Wine Fest- hope I see some of you there,

Cheers, the Mustang Winemaker

Wine and Taxes

It's tax time! Personal and business, fed and state-"the horror, the horror".......
Like wine it is vintage dated and brings it own challenges. And like wine you remember the good years and the not so good. So far this year has been good on both fronts. I just finished last night and now am recuperating from crunching numbers and no sunshine. Amazing how quickly the body deteriorates within a short amount of time.

So, today I am making up for lost time- checking out the vineyard and the garden and cooking. Tomorrow I will be taking time with the wines-make sure that no barrel has missed my presence. There has not been a lot to do in the cellar this past month. The rest of this month will be tasting all the barrels to start making decisions on blends that will be bottled in late May. Along with getting ready to bottle is gathering all the supples, making any label changes, getting approvals. No rest for the weary is definitely taking hold.

It is crazy to see how fast the vineyard has grown in my absence! It seems like yesterday that I was reporting that the vineyard had just burst its buds. Now the Tempranillo has 12+ inch shoots. We had some very cold days last week, but it looks like all was spared- it's good to be on a hillside, all cold rolls downhill! So far so good. But we could still use a little more rain-keeping my fingers crossed....

Today is absolutely beautiful and warm out. I have the laptop outside typing this, a chicken on the barbeque rotisserie, an iced coffee made from home roast beans, and a bottle of Tempranillo Rose' in the frig- ahhh, another tax vintage over!

Cheers, the Mustang Winemaker

It's Wine Blogging Wednesday!

Cheers to the first addition of Wine Blogging Wednesday on the Tempranillo Tango Blog. Once a month those of us crazy enough to try, describe a wine to fellow wine lovers of the world. For more info and to join : http://www.winebloggingwednesday.org/
What I really love about being a part of this is that I have a good excuse to taste wines I might not otherwise try. Then when everyone has posted about the wines they have tried, there is a great wealth of information about the wine(s) of choice. And not only from people that make wine, but people that love wine, want to love wine, a broad range of palettes.

This months choice was Cabernet Franc from France. I purchased this wine as a WBW three pack from Domaine 547, an online wine retailer that was kind and brave enough to put these together.
http://domaine547.com/She has wines that I would have to travel a long way for and with gas prices- well- this was the way to go for me.

Now, on to the review!
The wine is from Chateau Du Hureau of the Saumur-Champigny region-their non-designated 2005 bottling (http://www.domaine-hureau.fr/uk/fichestechuk.htm)
I really like to taste wines with food, so the first night of tasting (yes, more than one, explanation to come) I put together a cheese fondue made with gruyere. My thinking was that it would help to bring out certain components, like fruit, of the wine. I opened the bottle and the aromas of the wine immediately started flowing out- good sign. A great precursor when you are about to taste-get the senses moving. Poured the glass- aromas of blackberry, vanilla, some warm spice, and dried herb came first. then a little more of the barrel wood-smoke, burnt rubber. There were no 'technical flaws', meaning volatile acidity or Brett or any other nasties. A very clean, young nose.
Tasting the wine brought a lot of hard tannins-not harsh, but young, need more time and less wood tannins. A little of the blackberry fruit came through, but was mostly overcome by the oak for me. Perfect acidity, making this potentially a good food wine. It also had a lower alcohol-very refreshing for me since I am immersed in high alcohol reds here in California......
With the cheese fondue this aspect of the wine was intensified, with the fruit totally fading away.

With this I decided I had not made the right food pairing decision and decided to cork up the wine and try it the next day with a beef and mushroom dish with egg noodles and steamed broccoli. The stay overnight I though might help to 'loosen up' the wine a little, allowing the beautiful fruit I could find to perhaps emerge. I am always the 'eternal optimist', but this was not the perfect pairing I was hoping for either. The overnight partial bottle did soften up just a tad, but the fruit still struggled to be free-the oak definitely kept it's hold!

I would love to try this bottle in a couple of more years- allow the fruit and oak to merge and become more as one.

I have said enough about my wine adventure- the Mustang Winemaker, Penny

Oh by the way, many of you may not know-I have an e-newsletter with monthly wine specials for news subscribers only and updates-www.coralmustang.com and click on the sign me up or respond to this blog.

Feels Like Spring!

Let's hope this is just a breather before more rain- we are starting to move below average for the year. But it is still early and as a winemaker you learn not to make any predictions this early-weather, crop load, quality- Mother Nature can do so many things between now and harvest!

But for now I am thinking about those days when I can catch some rays and drink.........yes, pink wine. Better yet, St. Patricks day is coming and a perfect pairing with corned beef and cabbage- yep, Rose'- it will be there on my table! And if you are in need- I can supply it- http://www.coralmustang.com/. While there, sign up for the newsletter where every month is a wine special only for subscribers.

Now for wine news: a couple of weeks ago the preliminary 2007 Grape Crush Report came out. It is full of numbers; number of tons crushed, comparison numbers, cost numbers- for anyone into stats this is the grape publication for you, www.nass.usda.gov/ca. Being somewhat of a statistical geek I read this to see where the state of the grape for wine. You can find out how many tons were used for other grape products as well, but too much info for me. My big interest the last couple of years is to see what is happening with Tempranillo. To my delight there were approximately 1200 more tons harvested this last year compared to 2006. That means about 76,000 more cases produced if it all went to wine- not bad. And if I figured it right it was about a 25% increase from the year before- woohoooo! The word is out- Tempranillo is making the news. In fact there was a recent article in the Ukiah Daily Journal about Tempranillo - http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_8407024?source=email.

March is a special month for me- it is my birthday month. I like to try to celebrate the entire month, try something different, learn something new. It is also the month that the Family Winemakers of California does an annual event in Pasadena and the Mustang Winemaker will be making her debut there this year. This is a great time of year to talk with retailers, restaurateurs, brokers, and distributors because this is when they do their purchasing- the big holidays are over and time to restock!

It is tax time and I hear the IRS calling my name- so until next week, cheers to good food, good wine and good friends- the Mustang Winemaker