Recchiuti-Wait Cellars Holiday Gift Pack!

Looking for a gift for the discriminating wine drinker? Look no farther than our Caramel Almond Gift Pack! For $40, send a bottle of Wait Cellars' 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir and include a bag of gourmet Recchiuti Caramel Almonds. A great value, available this month only!

Recchiuti (www.recchiuti.com) is a fantastic local maker of artisan confections, we're very excited to partner with them on this holiday gift idea.

Click here http://tinyurl.com/ydurhaw, or simply go to "Buy" on waitcellars.com and look for the holiday gift pack.

Wait Cellars at The Wine Club on 11/21 1pm-4pm

The Wait Cellars 2006 and 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir will be poured this Saturday, November 21st from 1pm to 4pm at The Wine Club at 953 Harrison at 6th (thewineclub.com).

Tastings are free! The Wine Club is a venerable (since 1985) SF wine shop and they'll be highlighting San Francisco Wine Association wineries. If you don't know this shop, you should, it's a low-key gem!

Wait Cellars now pouring at Dosa!

Our 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir is now available by the glass or bottle at Dosa on Fillmore, 1700 Fillmore Street at Post (dosasf.com). Dosa is one of the most exciting new restaurants to arrive on the San Francisco scene, and we're pleased our wine is now a part of the attraction. If you haven't yet, drop in for a snack at the bar (or tasty meal) and compliment them on their good taste in supporting a fine local wine!

More praise for Dosa; you really must go if you haven't yet:

2009, 2008, 2007 & 2006 Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants - SF Chronicle

2009, 2008 Best Indian, Bay Readers Poll - SF Bay Guardian

2009, 2008 & 2007 Best Indian, The Eat + Drink Awards - 7x7 Magazine

2009, 2007 Best Indian & Worth the Wait, Reader's Poll Winners - SF Mag

2009 Best Indian Readers ' Poll Winner - SF Weekly

2009, 2007 Michelin Guide Recommended

2008 Best Eats in San Francisco, SF Examiner

The Top 10 (New) Restaurants of 2009 -Michael Bauer, SF Chronicle

2008 Best Eats in San Francisco, SF Examiner

The Top 10 (New) Restaurants of 2006 -Michael Bauer, SF Chronicle

Save the date: SFWA Holiday Showcase 12/10!

The San Francisco Wine Association's Holiday Showcase is coming December 10th, and Wait Cellars will be pouring its 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir and perhaps offering a pre-release glimpse of its 2008.

Tasting will be from 5-8pm at 2573 3rd St. (at 23rd St.) in San Francisco. With fine food and music, this event is always a blast -- purchase tickets in advance here for just $25/head:

SFWA Holiday Showcase

Devoto Ferment

We brought the Devoto fruit out of the cold room last Monday in preparation for inoculation on 9/30. We added a small amount of tartaric acid (510g in 668kg of fruit) and water (13L) to balance it out to taste during the cold soak, though at 25 brix we're looking at about 13.9% alcohol which is within range of where I want to be (would love to be at 13.5%). On Chris' advice we also added a small amount (25g) of FCE enzyme during coldsoak, a pectinase that increases extraction of polyphenols (flavors, color) from the skins.

So on Wednesday 9/30 I re-hydrated 140g of RC212 (a Burgundian yeast I have a fondness for) in about 1.4L water and 180g of Goferm (yeast nutrients for rehydration). The water was initially at 40C, then we let it cool down a bit to come more in line with the wine temp (about 15C). Here I set the yeast pail into the wine to help it acclimate. A few minutes later I added some juice to the yeast pail to further introduce the two.

The Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) in the must was measured at 201, low per Chris' view (lots of folks like a YAN more toward 300 for a nice problem-free fermentation) -- on his advice we added two courses of nutrients at 50ppm (DAP plus Superfood, which is yeast hulls and some vitamins and minerals), once Wednesday night during the "lag" beginning of the ferment, and the second at 18 brix. These guys took off over the weekend per plan (three to four punchdowns daily!), and we're at 2 brix as of today, Monday morning. Will press tomorrow (Tuesday 10/6) at 10:30am!

Chemistry

* The Amber Ridge 115 clone must was at 28.8 brix, 3.72 pH, and 7.9 TA. Flavors were great; but to bring down the alcohol (multiply brix by .55 to get a rough idea of where final alcohol will be) we added water (58L) and tartaric acid (615g) to balance that. The 115 was inoculated (with RC212 and some GoFerm) on 9/15 and went to dryness on 9/22; we pressed it into a neutral

Francois Freres barrel.

* The 667/777 clone field mix (70% 667) must was at 29.6 brix, 3.93pH, and 5.43 TA. (Note the nicer acid from the 115, which comes from the valley floor). Here we added 63L water and 700g tartaric acid to balance. The ferment was slower but not sluggish: inoculated on 9/17 and it went to dryness this morning (9/26); will be pressing into a 50% new-oak barrel this evening.

* The must from the cooler Devoto Garden site is measuring 25.3 brix, 3.73pH, and 5.9TA. Will be inoculating this coming Wednesday, 9/30.

* Both Amber Ridge bins were hit with 60ppm sulfur, a very modest amount. We put 80ppm in the Devoto Garden must, also not an extraordinary amount but more than the Amber -- the fruit was much more 'live', coming from a generally much richer ecosystem than the hotter, dryer Amber site, and had higher potential for microbial growth from spoilage organisms.

* Am considering a very small amount of enzyme (pectin) in the Devoto soak to loosen the (relatively) tougher skins and extract more phenolics.

Some shots of yours truly on the Amber 667 sort!

Devoto Harvest!

Hot weather early in the week confirmed our pick on Thursday the 24th. That morning I started out early in a rented 12' Penske into dense fog all the way from SF to Sebastopol. Could barely make out pedestrians on the Golden Gate bridge while driving over it.

Stan's crew had been picking since 6am when I arrived at about 8:30am. Here's the first bin already filled, fog still hanging over the vineyard.

Here's my meager bin, I filled one of these (selectively of course!) to everyone else's five. The flavors were decent though and I measured the median sugar at about 24 brix.

So it turns out the bins are 48"x44" and the 12' truck bed is actually 136" long -- one needs to orient the bins just right to fit three of them. We got it right the second time. Thanks to Stan's neighbor we had a tractor with the right size picks to deal with the bins.

Made it back to SF to sort and de-stem by 12:30, fruit was in the the cold room for a five-day soak as of 3:00pm. The sort was challenging; the variation in ripeness amongst clusters was significant. That's Bill W. on the left, trusted friend of Wait Cellars, and Chip, a Crushpad employee working the harvest. The must entered cold soak at 23.9 brix and had risen to 25.3 by Sunday morning.

Wait Cellars supports SF Bay Area Emerging Arts Professionals!

Did we mention that we contributed our 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir to this fine event at the DeYoung:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145497281135&ref=mf

Devoto pick: 9/24!

Just a short post in lieu of a 9/19 field report: we're picking this Thursday! Flavors, ripeness coming together, time to get off the pot! Pictures coming.

Devoto Field Report 9/15, Amber Notes

The rains and cool weather through the past weekend have put the grapes back -- on Tuesday 9/15 my field measurements put the median brix at 23. Back at the lab, I got the following from cluster samples: 22.9 brix, 7.2 TA, and 3.45 pH. (My hand pH meter put it at 3.2). Still some green flavors from most of the vineyard, though the grapes up on the swell are ahead and tasting good.

Am putting the pick date on Tuesday 9/22, supposed to be hot weather through the weekend, would love to pick up another brix degree without too much dimpling. Am afraid to go too much longer with the young canopy! Will be hitting the water for 2 hours tonight (Friday) and Saturday (1/2gal/minute drip).

The Amber Ridge fruit is looking and tasting fantastic, as always. Brought the 115 out of cold soak Monday and inoculated; the 667/777 field blend came out yesterday, inoculated last night. Start the punch downs!

Devoto Garden: 9/12 field report

I borrowed Josh's truck Thursday to run three picking bins up to the vineyard. Will be taking back about a ton and a half and then (aggressively) sorting/selecting down to a ton...






Median brix at 23! Some 90+ degree days projected through Friday, turned on water for four hours (.5gal/hour drip) Wednesday 9/9, these vines have very young canopies. Colder though this weekend. Tentatively putting pick on Thursday 9/17.






Have I mentioned that Stan is an apple grower?

Amber Crush!

The Amber Ridge fruit came in Friday 9/11! Am making a barrel of the 115 clone and a field blend barrel of 2/3 667 and 1/3 777, which I'm hoping will make a magical final blend down the road.... Fruit was gorgeous and tasty, as usual, a pleasure to sort and eat! Nice intensity in the smaller-berried 667, brighter candy notes from 777.


Awaiting better photos, here's a crappy one from my phone, hands slick with grape juice.

Haven't been posting my Amber brix readings but it's been climbing steadily since the beginning of the month, very even and warm weather in Windsor. We picked at 26 brix, 3.45 pH, and 8.00 TA. The must has risen a few brix; will do some minor amelioration. Everything was 100% destemmed; the 667 I lightly crushed to release some of the nice tannins I was tasting, maybe give the 09 a little more traction than the 08 in the mid-palate?

Will be cold-soaking for five days, then inoculating next week with RC 212, my usual Burgundian yeast. (One day will go native when I have a more controlled facility!)

Devoto Garden field report: 9/2

Just a quick catch-up post here: on 9/2 I met with winemaker Chris Nelson at the Devoto Garden vineyard to take more measurements and get his impressions of the progress. I measured median brix at 21, and we both thought that pick was still a couple weeks off, e.g. 9/15-9/20.

Chris agreed that this site has the potential to be great in a few years. Right now though the vines are young and the variation in the vineyard is going to make the winemaking this year challenging -- will definitely require some aggressive sorting.

Finding great flavors right at the swell in the 828 block. Eastern edge is sparse; western edge seems to be the last to ripen but showing better berry canopy development.

Wait Cellars To Produce New Green Valley Pinot Noir

Have been slow to post this, a formal announcement of our relationship with Devoto Gardens is here!

http://www.sfwineassociation.com/article/22/Wait_Cellars_to_Produce_New_Green_Valley_Pinot_Noir.html

San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease) August 25, 2009 - Wait Cellars announced today that it will produce a new wine from Pinot Noir grapes purchased from Devoto Garden Vineyards of Sebastopol, California, located in the acclaimed Green Valley appellation.

"We've been looking for premium, cooler Russian River Pinot [Noir] from a small, careful grower, and I think we've found it here at Devoto Gardens," said Wait Cellars' founder Bob Wait. "Stan [Devoto] has been farming this ridge for 30 years. It's beautiful soil, a fine expression of Green Valley. He takes a sustainable, low-impact approach, and I think that's coming through in lean, concentrated berries. I'm very excited about this fruit."

The Green Valley AVA is one of the smallest appellations in Sonoma County. The fog and soil give a distinctive nuance to Green Valley wines. Green Valley Pinot Noirs are especially prized. For more information, visit http://www.greenvalley-russianriver.com.

Devoto Gardens produces primarily heirloom apples and cut flowers, but recently turned over several acres to Pinot Noir. The Wait Cellars Devoto Garden Pinot Noir will be the first commercially produced wine from their planting of the 828 Dijon clone. For more information, visit www.devotogardens.com.

Wait Cellars has been producing small amounts of premium Pinot Noir from the Russian River area since 2004 for the local San Francisco market. For more information, visit www.waitcellars.com.

Devoto Gardens field report: 8/20

Was a characteristically foggy morning on 8/20, the sun just starting to make advances.

Here's a shot of the charming, unassuming Devoto sign.

Looking north over Sebastopol from the 828 block on Gold Ridge. Weather's been steady, grapes look great; since last week the median brix has risen 1 degree to 18.1. Am anticipating harvesting around 24 brix; flavors, weather, and pH will be other big considerations. (I don't have a great way to measure TA in the field, but may also be taking samples in to the lab in SF).




Next week Stan will be going through the block and dropping green clusters like those pictured here. He will likely be cutting the water to these guys in the next week or so. (This "deficit irrigation" approach is pretty standard for premium fruit).





I'm not the only one enthused by this fruit; note the damage done by uninvited beaks on this cluster (which measured 20 brix -- can the birds sense which clusters are sweeter?).








Consequently, Stan's begun putting reflective tape up to discourage birds, and is considering an investment in netting for next year.

Devoto Gardens field report: 8/13

Took the first of weekly field measurements through harvest at the Devoto Garden Vineyard on Thursday 8/13. I really need to take a better picture; this place is gorgeous, on the crest of Gold Ridge with sweeping views of Sebastopol and beyond.

Veraison began about the beginning of August. Temperatures have been somewhat consistently in the 80's during the day, 50's at night. 90-95% of the berries have turned color. The median brix reading from berry samples throughout the 828 block was 17.

Flavors are tart, young, tannic, but with darker cola bean notes and appreciable intensity.

Artisan Wineries are Showcased in San Francisco

Artisan Wineries are Showcased in San Francisco

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Fwd: FW: Bartz-Allen Winery, Kindred Wines and Wait Cellars join the San Francisco Wine Association

From: Info [mailto:info@sfwineassociation.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:36 AM
To: 'Info'
Subject: Bartz-Allen Winery, Kindred Wines and Wait Cellars join the San Francisco Wine Association

For Immediate Release

Contact:
San Francisco Wine Association
John D. Tarabini, President
415-695-0221
john@sfwineassociation.com

Bartz-Allen Winery, Kindred Wines and Wait Cellars

join the San Francisco Wine Association

Noted boutique wineries join growing alliance of elite urban wineries

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 24, 2009) – The San Francisco Wine Association announced today that Bartz-Allen Winery, Kindred Wines and Wait Cellars, three leading California boutique wineries, have joined as members of the growing organization. The SFWA, which promotes and sells first-rate, hand-crafted wines that are produced in San Francisco, now boasts 20 of the nation's premier vintners as members.

"These outstanding wineries, which produce incredible, hand-crafted vintages in San Francisco, are a natural fit for the SFWA," said John Tarabini, president. "They represent the new face of modern winemaking and will certainly help expand the market for boutique wines," he added.

Rather than spend lavish sums on large chateaus, sparkling waterfalls and fancy tasting rooms, SFWA member wineries invest in the finest grapes, cutting-edge equipment, outstanding winemakers and the time needed to develop small lots of exceptional wine. In what many consider a natural extension of the sustainability movement, these wines are produced locally by passionate vintners focused not on quantity, but quality.

SFWA member wineries secure superb fruit from some of the best-known vineyards in California, Oregon, and Washington. They employ outstanding winemakers. But their goal is not to turn out massive amounts of product. Instead, SFWA members crush, barrel, blend, and bottle small quantities of premium wines in San Francisco, not far from the bridges and cable cars that made the city famous.

Newest members

Proprietors Tim Allen and Rachel Bartz Allen created Bartz-Allen Winery to share their love of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast appellation. Tim has a twenty-year career in luxury wine, and Rachel brings her lifetime of culinary experience to the wines.

Kindred Wines is a new kind of winery; one without walls, vineyards, or dogs to greet you. It strives to source the best possible grapes, combines down-and-dirty hard work with 2.0 technology, and shares the results with passionate consumers.

Wait Cellars was founded in 2004 by Robert Wait, a San Francisco resident and owner of The Page. He focuses on producing small amounts of refined, elegant Pinot Noir from the finest local (Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Cruz) fruit.

About the San Francisco Wine Association

The San Francisco Wine Association is a consortium of 20 boutique, family-owned wineries that produce small lots of fine wine in San Francisco. SFWA member wines are available at http://www.sfwineassociation.com/, and the association often pours at events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bookings are now being accepted for events throughout California and in other states. Contact John Tarabini by email or at 415-695-0221 for more details.

SFWA member wineries include Aver Family Vineyards, Bartz-Allen Winery, Canine Wines, Connor Brennan Cellars, Damian Rae Winery, Due Cani Cellars, Flying Wine Cellars, Guy Riedel Wines, Jazz Cellars, Joelle Wine Company, Kindred Wines, Mark Moretti Winery, Milliarium Cellars, PerryMoore Wine, Pug Wine, Ricardus Corculum, Seawind Wines, Think Tank Wine Company, Townley Wines and Wait Cellars. For more information, visit http://www.sfwineassociation.com/.

# # #

Friends of Wait Cellars

Wait Cellars

Friends of Wait Cellars!

You're receiving this because you signed up at a Wait Cellars tasting table, or have otherwise enjoyed a delicious Wait Cellars Pinot Noir! In addition to a beautiful 2007 Russian River Pinot that has been pre-released as of May, and a 2008 which is integrating nicely in barrels, there is some other important news:

Wait Cellars is now available for purchase online at waitcellars.com. As a friend of Wait Cellars, please enter the promo code FRIENDOWAIT during checkout to receive your 20% discount off the retail price!

Wait Cellars will be pouring its 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir at the San Francisco Wine Association's Spring Fling tasting on Thursday, May 7th, from 5:30 to 8pm. It would be a pleasure to see you there! See their Spring Fling flyer for more details and advanced tickets.

Wait Cellars will be forming a Google group through which future news and promotions will be announced. You'll be receiving an email inviting you to join. If you'd prefer to receive no more email, simply don't join this group. Know that if you do join, your email address will never be shared or used for purposes other than occasional Wait Cellars news without your active consent.

Hope to see you at the Spring Fling!

Yours in thoughtful wine,

Bob

Wait Cellars
San Francisco