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It’s baaaack! Yep, that’s right folks - the DCV
Scuttlebutt is back after an almost decade long
hiatus. And boy, has there been a lot of water
under that preverbal bridge! For starters, this
used to be a printed newsletter. Now it’s all
electronic (along with pretty much everything
else). Since the last published issue of the
Scuttlebutt we’ve managed to transition from the
first to the
second generation, hire a
new
winemaking team, change vineyard sourcing, realign
our portfolio to appellation specific wines – come
to think of it, we’ve pretty much turned over every
rock in an effort to improve our business. Whew,
we’re kind of tired just thinking about it!
Now, we think the time is right to bring back the
Scuttlebutt (and no, we are not bored and need
something else to do). The Scuttlebutt is a
great way for us to communicate new happenings at
the winery and share an inside perspective into our
family business. |
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So, without further ado, please enjoy the Spring
issue. And, if you have
content suggestions or other ideas, please forward them our direction.
Cheers! |
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VINEYARD UPDATE |
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We’ve been busy in the vineyard, to
say the least. Five years ago, we
ripped out DCV2 (in front of the
winery bordering Lambert Bridge and
Dry Creek roads). For the first
four years, we allowed the ground to |
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lay fallow
so that the soil could regenerate
itself in a natural and
sustainable
manner.
Last year, we replanted to four
distinct selections of head pruned
Zinfandel. This experimental
concept will allow us to determine
which selection will perform the
best and
hopefully pave the way for a rebirth
of head pruned, head trained
Zinfandel in the Dry Creek Valley.
The vineyard is still about
three years
away from any meaningful production,
but we’ll keep you posted as things
progress. |
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NEW PACKAGING |
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Wine labels at Dry Creek Vineyard
certainly have transformed over the
years. From the initial green
chateau look to
sailboats on the
labels, it’s been an evolution that
has taken many shapes and forms.
The current version, we think, is
our best effort yet. The difference
is noticeable with a reduced image
of the sailboat, a greater focus on
our brand name and, overall, a much
cleaner look and feel. We have also
moved toward screw caps on two wines
– the
Chenin Blanc and 375s of the
new 2009 vintage of
Sauvignon
Blanc.
The 2010 vintage
(750 ml) of Sauvignon Blanc will
also be screw capped. The next
project on the list is a refresh of
the Fume Blanc package.
We look
forward to sharing more exciting
news on this front as our new
designs roll out over the next few
months. |
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NOTES FROM THE WINEMAKER |
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Ahhh, spring! The trees are blossoming and
the grapevines are soon to be growing.
While we’d all like to be enjoying the
lovely spring weather, the work in the
cellar never stops. We’re very busy working
on the wines we made last harvest (and the
previous one). Our 2009 Chenin Blanc and
Sauvignon Blanc are bottled, and the Fume
Blanc bottling has just gotten underway. All three
wines are excellent and in keeping with the
traditions of
Dry Creek Vineyard.
The winemaking team gets to do the fun job
of creating the 2008 Mariner and 2008
Cabernet Sauvignon blends. I can say for
sure that is the best part of being a
winemaker – putting all the pieces together
to make beautiful blends. We have fabulous
vineyards to work with, which makes life
much easier. The 2008 vintage was
challenging to be sure, but the wines are
looking very promising. The red wines have
taken a while to show themselves, but our
patience is paying off. |
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Lisa Bishop Forbes, Winemaker |
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PERFECT PAIRING
Chenin Blanc and Oysters |
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For those of you who have known the
winery for a long time, you know how
wonderful our Chenin |
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Blanc pairs with
oysters. For you “newbies”
we’ve got some news for you – our
Chenin Blanc, paired with fresh
Kumamoto oysters is, well, pure
bliss.
Consistently, Dry Creek Chenin Blanc
is among the rank and file of top
wines in
the Pacific Coast Oyster
Competition – we’ve been in the Top
10 in 8 of the past 12
competitions!
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So here’s a helpful hint –
if you have a customer who is serving oysters, try
suggesting a by-the-glass
promotion that includes
fresh shucked oysters and a
glass of Chenin Blanc. It's |
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affordable, delicious, and
a great "happy hour" aperitif to
get the evening started off
just right. |
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