Newsletter March 2009

Waiting for “Popcorn”

Finally the rains are falling!! I haven’t enjoyed being out in the rain this much since a tour of the rainforest in Thailand twenty years ago—elephant rides, Aka hill tribe guides, motorcycle trips along the Burma border, and food as exotic and wonderful as the adventure. Granted, the 8 inches of rain that has fallen in the last two weeks is comparatively down on the list of having fun while wet, but exciting all the same—especially for winegrowers and vintners. After an extremely dry start to the season that had us worrying, the vineyards of the North Coast have now been soaked with storm after storm; filling reservoirs and recharging critical ground water. As a result, we can now go into the 2009 growing season comforted by the fact we have enough water to keep our vines happy and healthy.

The next step in the growing season will be bud break. This could be as soon as the third week of March for our warmer sites. The telltale sign will be a white cottony swelling of the dormant buds. They look like kernels of fuzzy popcorn that rapidly turn green as the new growth emerges. This is also one of the most critical stages in the growing season. If it frosts, the tender shoots can be burned by the cold, and in turn won’t produce any clusters. Low yields are great for quality, but we want to thin the grapes in the late spring, sculpting the vines, keeping only the strongest shoots and best clusters. When it frosts, the vines respond by pushing secondary shoots from the damaged positions. These weak shoots need to be thinned of all grapes, as they are several weeks behind the “first crop.” More work, more expense and less fruit. Painful. The good news is that it rarely frosts when it is raining. The clouds trap the heat close to the ground—so if you please, let it rain some more thanks!

While the work in the vineyards is slow for the next couple of weeks, this is a great time to taste older vintages; something we do regularly around here. Those of you with collections of Patz & Hall likely already know how well our wines age. But if you haven’t tried one of our older wines, or it’s been awhile, this is a perfect time to pull one out of the cellar and savor the joys of great, well-aged wine. I recently opened a bottle of 2001 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay that knocked me out. Beautiful light gold with green tints around the rim. An amazing nose of fresh peach and apricot pie, with cinnamon-hazelnut overtones. Floral and ethereal, it showed a layered, faceted expression that floated out of the glass; no two sniffs exactly the same. Surprisingly young and crisp, the textures were supple, smooth and vibrantly high frequency. A great expression of Hyde Vineyard.

Or if you would like to explore a number of our wines side by side, why not stop by our Salon the next time you are in Napa? If you’re in the mood for a more intimate and languid tasting experience, we offer seated, private tastings by prior appointment. But if you are short on time, or are just feeling spontaneous, you can always drop in for a more casual tasting at our new walk-in Salon Bar. Either way, it’s a great way to get in out of the rain!