2009 Barrel Tasting Bash

Our barrel tasting bash with friends and family last weekend was a blast. We introduced four estate wines from 2007 vintage that have been aged in oak barrels for 18 months: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.

The whole winery was washed and shined inside out. The vineyards were mowed and looked beautiful. Landscrapers were hired to plant trees and pruce up the landscape around the winery building. We re-arranged the equipment in the winery to make room for tables and chairs and put on tablecloth and fresh flowers. The tasting area turned out really nice. We displayed some of our wines that have won awards from recent wine competitions. Above long tables laden with appetizers and desserts, we hang Eugene's painting of our wine bottles. We ordered and also made some appetizers to go with each wine. My Mom helped prepare some scrumptious appetizers. She also made her delicious chicken and cabbage salad which was perfect as the first course with sparkling wine. Michael gave a vineyard tour to our friends who have not seen the vineyard. After everyone enjoyed some refreshments, Michael gave a talk about each wine before Geoff extracted the wine from the barrel. Everyone was excited and thrilled to have the opportunity drinking wine directly from the barrel. It was rewarding to see people interested in where the grapes came from and the wine-making process.

Anthony put his bartending skills in good use by pouring tastes from the four 2007 estate wines that were introduced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Syrah. The 2007 Syrah received rave reviews from everyone. Fans of Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel remained faithful and loved every drop.

Here are some notes from the barrel tasting and food that were served:

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon wine is a full-bodied wine with dark ruby color and very nice berry aromas. It has soft tannins and supple finish on the tongue at the end. We served a rare beef with olive oil and caper and Gorgonzola cheese with it.

2007 Zinfandel wine: This zin is a full-bodied red wine, infused with powerful berry aromas, soft tannins and nice mouth feel. It was excellent with the BBQ beef appetizer and a platter of Italian antipasto filled with salami, black and green olives and cheese. Our Zinfandel fans will love this wine a lot.

2007 Merlot wine is a dry, full-bodied wine with beautiful dark ruby color and nice bouquet of ripe berry fruit. We served it with a spicy shrimp and mango appetizer.

2007 Syrah wine is our first release of Syrah. We are so thankful that it has turned out wonderful! It has a very dark color and powerful aromas of berries. It has a wonderful combination of spicy and dry with pepper notes. It is definitely a full-bodied wine that would go well with grilled meat, sausages, pasta, and spicy dishes. It went well with the petit ham sandwiches made from with garlic and olive dip that we offered to our guests.

Of course, we had to serve dessert with our wines. Susie’s chocolate fudge sauce was a big hit with fresh strawberries and Kim’s rum cake. Ruby’s strawberry dessert was all gone in a flash. I was glad that I was able to sneak a small piece during a break. Dark chocolate was served with our Port-style dessert wine. It was heaven.

We were so glad to have our friends and family members joined us in this first-ever barrel tasting bash. Our friends from last year's grape harvest, Carol I. and Letitia, were there. Carol T. and Jerry looked so happy in their retirement. We envy them. They are so lucky that they get to retire in style. Although we are too young to retire now, but the way the economy is heading, we may not get to retire. Our neighbors, Bill and Jayn, came with their nieces and nephews. Our friends, Jackie, the famous fiction author, and her husband, the successful realtor, Thomas, came with their sweet daughter, Allie, and their friend, Andrea, from New York. Michael's cousin, Jim and his friend, Wendy, came. I loved the wine shirt that Wendy wore. We have to get some of those for the girls in our PIDWS club. My friend, Nhu, brought her significant other, Cliff, and a bunch of friends. They were fun. My Mom enjoyed chatting with Nhu and her friends. Other grape harvesters, James and Maria, came and both won prizes from the games. Maria always won something. James told us that she is quite a card player. Maybe, we'll take her to visit the Barona casino next time they come up here. Some of the prize winners went wild and created some excitement and good laugh. Next time, we have to put on some rock-and-roll music (instead of classical music) and watch them move!

After spending many hours getting ready for the party, we were totally exhausted but happy because everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. We’ve received many positive feedback and thank-you notes with requests for making it an annual event.

The word was out and orders have been pouring in steadily for the 2007 vintage. Amie has done an excellent job taking orders! We depend on word of mouth and hope the 2007 vintage will sell out fast. No pain no gain!