WINE CLUB NEWS
Fall 2007
(PDF Version)
The latest Wine
Club tasting selections are:
2006
AHLGREN Chardonnay
Monterey,
Ventana
2003
AHLGREN Cabernet Franc
Santa
Cruz Mountains, Bates’ Ranch
2004
AHLGREN Cabernet Sauvignon
Santa
Cruz
Mountains,
Bates’ Ranch
2006
AHLGREN Chardonnay
Monterey,
Ventana
Since 2003, we have been telling you how much we like these unfiltered
Ventana Chardonnays. Here we go again! We think that this may be our
favorite of all time, challenged only by the 1977, the last bottle of
which we drank on Val’s birthday in May when the wine, not the woman,
was 30 years old. Clearly, we do not expect to be around in 2036 when
this 2006 reaches thirty, so if you will be around for another 30
years, maybe this wine will still be alive and kicking. Cliché Warning!
“Only time will tell.” In the meantime, enjoy it now.
This wine shows typical tropical Ventana
Chardonnay bouquet with hints of butterscotch and pineapple. The wine is
well balanced and quite complex. It is rich, yet crisp and dry with a
long creamy finish. A terrific aperitif. We are certain that not
filtering has allowed the beauties of this wine to come through
especially well.
This is the fourth in the series of
Chardonnays we have bottled without filtration, beginning in 2003. As
time approaches for bottling, the procedure is to fine with bentonite.
Fining with bentonite, a natural clay product, assures that any unstable
proteins are pulled out so that protein flocculent will not develop
should the wine get warm. In the past, after fining, we filtered to
remove any possibly remaining malolactic bacteria to insure that the
wine was completely stable with no potential for malo-lactic activity in
the bottle.
With these unfiltered Chardonnays, tests for malolactic fermentation
indicated completion, all the malic acid had converted to lactic acid,
and that the wine was stable and could be bottled without filtration.
Additionally, it clarified so well after fining, the bentonite settling
naturally in the barrel and left behind when the wine was racked off in
preparation for bottling, that we realized we could bottle without
filtration, preserving the lovely qualities we thought might otherwise
be diminished. You may notice that while there might be a very slight
bit of haze, you also have the benefit of the special qualities of
heightened bouquet and flavor that we especially like in these
unfiltered Chardonnays.
Serve lightly chilled. Fermented
in French oak. Aged on the lees. Unfiltered. 181
cases produced.
$25.00 per bottle
Club Member price per
bottle-10% $22.50
Club Member 12 bottle
price-15% $21.25
2003
AHLGREN Cabernet Franc
Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates Ranch
Cabernet Franc from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates' Ranch, has
surprising depth and body. The blend of 90% Cab Franc with 10% Cabernet
Sauvignon, also from Bates' Ranch, enhances the structure without
compromising the soft fruit of the Cab Franc.
This
2003 Ahlgren, Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates’ Ranch Cabernet Franc has a
rich and fruity bouquet reminiscent of berries: soft, aromatic, dusty.
The fruit flavors are also rich, showing depth, complexity, silkiness,
and elegance. Aged in American oak barrels.
Unfined and unfiltered. 140 cases produced.
$26.00 per bottle
Club Member price
per bottle - 10% $23.40
Club Member 12 bottle price -
15% $22.10
2004 AHLGREN Cabernet Sauvignon
Santa
Cruz Mountains, Bates’ Ranch
The Ahlgren Santa Cruz Mountains, Bates’ Ranch Cabernets continue
to impress. The 2004 is reminiscent of the 2003,which received a Gold
Medal at the Santa Cruz wine judging, but is somewhat richer, deeper, a
bit more intense, and definitely delicious. The only problem the
Ahlgrens have with these wines is making enough of them
The wine clearly displays classic Bates’
Ranch characteristics: Aromatic, bold, dusty and briery bouquet; Rich,
complex, mouth filling, full-bodied Cabernet flavors. Big fruit balances
tannins and acids. Exceptional vintage. Unfined and Unfiltered. 225
cases produced.
$35.00
per bottle
Club Member price
per bottle - 10% $31.90
Club Member 12
bottle price - 15% $29.79
THE
RANT ON DECANT CONTINUES:
(This is a repeat of a repeat
for the benefit of the new Wine Club Members.) We keep
hearing from Wine Club Members who are subjected to our continuing
admonitions promoting decanting, and they report delight and surprise
with the results of their decanting experiences (Send us your
decanting stories!) that duplicate ours: wines are elevated to a new
level of quality, resulting in new and added pleasure to the palate. So,
we say again, please do yourselves the favor of decanting. If you do not
have a handy decanter, but you do have a steady hand or a funnel, simply
decant into a clean wine bottle, a pitcher, or even a Mason jar. If you
cannot decant, at least pull the corks and put the reds in a place where
they can gently come up to room temperature.
We are
reminded every time we open a bottle of red wine, taste, and then
decant, and then taste again, that all reds, and most especially Pinot
Noirs, respond dramatically to decanting.
So, be
advised: These red wines will reward you well, if you make certain the
temperature is about 65º or, roughly room temperature. Heed not our
advice on warming and airing, and you will still have a very satisfying
experience, but something even finer awaits you in these well-structured
red wines. Young or old, they have been closed away in the bottle for
many months or many years. Give’em air!
SOMETHING NEW! Wine Club Members and winery visitors enjoy
access to some older or very limited AHLGREN wines, such as those we
feature at Library Wine Sales (never often enough) and occasionally,
when dug out of the dark recesses of the winery at unpredictable times.
So, we have initiated a listing of the White Board Wines
in the winery. Two current gems are the 2000 AHLGREN Nebbiolo, Santa
Cruz Mountains and 375s of the 2000 AHLGREN Cabernet Sauvignon, Bates’
Ranch. Both of these wines have developed a lovely sophistication with a
bit of bottle age, and are tasting remarkably fine.
Dexter,
ruminating over the inventory list, came upon some 30 cases of the
Nebbiolo and brought a case back to the winery from the warehouse for us
to evaluate. We discovered that it had become extraordinary. We have
been pouring some at the regular Saturday tastings, and it is receiving
a warm reception. Since Dan Martin has pulled out the Nebbiolo vines,
this is definitely a rare and historic wine. So, if you are interested
in purchasing some, see our list of Additional Wines Available
below.
ADDITIONAL
WINES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE: We have begun holding back some
wines to have them available for sale at the winery and for Wine Club
members, rather than just selling them out through restaurants and
stores, leaving ourselves the first to run out. So, you will find a nice
selection of slightly older vintages, limited quantities, some
unavailable elsewhere.
2001 AHLGREN Syrah
Ventana
Special price on this lovely Syrah: $15 per bottle, or $180 per
case.
(No additional
discounts on this wine
Other wines available:
(750 ml unless
otherwise noted.)
2004 AHLGREN Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
$35.00
2003 AHLGREN Merlot, Bates
$26.00
2001 AHLGREN Cab. Sauv. Bates’ (6 bottle limit)
$45.00
2001 AHLGREN Cab. Sauv. Bates’, Reserve (3 bottle limit)
$65.00
2000 AHLGREN Cab.
Sauv. Bates’ 375 ml.
$25.00
2000 AHLGREN
Nebbiolo, Santa Cruz Mts.
$40.00
Note:
See enclosed Price List for complete listing of wines currently
available at the winery.
VINTAGE
2007: Winemakers anticipated an
early harvest, but that did not develop. All the grapes came on in just
fine, and then a cold spell and a bit of rain came along. At the end, we
were anxiously waiting for the Bates’ Cabernet to complete ripening,
which it finally did to the relief of the Bates’ family and ours. So,
all the wines are now made and safely in the barrels, aging one day at a
time.
ADVENTURES AT AHLGREN VINEYARD: We are seeing evidence
that a weasel is visiting us. Some years ago, Val discovered that the
cats were playing with what was subsequently identified as an immature
long tailed weasel, a cute little creature, long and lean, brown and
white, with a handsome little black mask. In the far north, these
animals turn white in winter and their name becomes “Ermine.” A very
small carnivore, they are predators of gophers, making them especially
valuable in the garden and the vineyard. We were very surprised to learn
that they are quite common in the Bay Area, since we had never seen one
before or talked to anyone else who had. Lucky us, having one, at least
one, at work for us. We suspect there are more.
Birds
including pigeons and smaller birds too, are enthusiastically gorging on
the Madrone berries. The Toyon berries are still ripening. Band-tailed
pigeons were flocking in the trees yesterday, They winter in this area,
and the berries attract them to Ahlgren Vineyard. For the first time, we
are seeing Ringed Turtle-Doves in flocks. They are very pale in color,
and at first, we thought they were bigger than the Band-Tailed, which
turned out not to be true. This pigeon is said to have descended from
escapees from domesticity, and none of the bird books we have seem to
know where they originated. Robins and Cedar Waxwings will be arriving
in a month or so, just in time for the toyon berries to be at their
peak.
There is a
place on the pressure pump, part of the water system, where a small drop
of water always sits. Lately, flocks of lesser gold finches along with
house sparrows and at least one cold, fluffed up brown towhee have been
gathering there for a sip. There is a lot of flitting and fluttering,
some king-of–the mountain jousting and other antics, making for some
delightful bird watching from the porch. As the various birds come to
spend the winter or to pass through on their way further south, any day
can offer sight of a new visitor.
So far, little
rain. Things are quite dry. No wonder that little drop of water entices
so many avian visitors! Let us keep our collective fingers crossed,
hoping for a bounteous rainy season to start soon.
REGARDING OUT OF STATE SHIPPING: We have made great
headway and now have permits to ship to a growing number of states. The
shipping situation changes almost daily, so if you have friends or
family who would enjoy the delights and benefits of becoming an Ahlgren
Wine Club member, have them give us a call to discuss the possibilities
of shipping to them.
ORDERING AHLGREN WINES:
As a Wine Club
Member, your credit card information is on file here, so you can simply
fax or email us your orders, or just give us a call. No need to worry
about online security. We always enjoy talking with you. Just let us
know what you want shipped. We can run the charge using your credit card
number on file here, and the wine will be on its way.
Or, to fax
an order, you can use the enclosed order form, or download the order
form from the web site, fill it in, and fax it on to us.
Tell a
friend! They can download the order form and/or the Wine Club
Application directly from the web page, or they
can give us a call.
To contact us
directly:
Long
distance: 1-800-338-6071; fax 1-831-338-9111.
Local phone:
831-338-6071; email ahlgren@ahlgrenvineyard.com.
Unless excessively
hot or cold weather indicates otherwise, we generally ship at the
beginning of each week so that wines reach you before the weekend.
AVOID
MISSING YOUR WINE CLUB SHIPMENT.
If you have missed a shipment, it is
because your credit card did not clear. We send the postcards to alert
you to update all info, but sometimes credit card charges will not go
through for all the various reasons such things happen. Please be
certain to call us, email, or fax us, keeping us up to date on all of
your info so we can ship to you without delays.
PICK UP
AT THE WINERY:
Some members, for whom it is convenient, choose to pick up their Wine
Club wines at the winery on a Saturday afternoon during our tasting
hours. This makes for an opportunity to avoid shipping charges, to
taste, talk, and enjoy the always gorgeous views. Due to very limited
storage space here at the winery, if wine is not picked up before the
next shipment is ready, we will ship the previous box on to you. We will
give you a call before doing so, however. But please pick up promptly to
avoid the cost of shipping.
GIFT SHOPPING:
It may seem difficult to think of gifts or ways to say thank
you these days
when so many of us have more than we need of everything, but
Ahlgren wines
never fail to delight and are appropriate for almost any occasion. Don’t
forget how easy and convenient it is to send wine for the holidays or
special celebrations! We are finding a number of folks are selecting
Ahlgren wines as business and wedding gifts.
Also, we
have gift certificates available in any amount. Give us a call for the
most convenient of gift shopping: 800-338-6071or 831-338-6071.
TASTINGS AND SALES: SATURDAYS 12-4 AT THE WINERY:
It is great time
to visit, pick up your Wine Club packages, and taste some current
releases. We look forward to seeing you.
That's all for
now.
SALUD! CHEERS! À VOTRE SANTÈ! PAX!
Dexter and Val
