tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62699839418920736932024-11-08T07:08:57.445-08:00 Crush Chronicles<b>Scribbles & Bits from the Vines to the Wines and Beyond at PEJU</b>Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-34149198009522604072014-02-07T10:31:00.001-08:002014-02-07T10:48:10.661-08:00Rain, rain, please don't go away!
Look at those droplets of goodness!
We've never been so happy to see gray skies. And these clouds definitely have very valuable silver linings.
Our current drought situation, which has recently been declared the worst in California since the winter of 1976-77 is finally being mitigated by a full day of steady rain. And it's predicted to continue through Sunday!
At Peju, we aren't in a Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-80039402442768708262014-01-31T16:21:00.000-08:002014-01-31T16:21:58.126-08:00A Word on the Inaugural Peju Brut Sparkling
Why sparkling? Peju daughters Ariana and Lisa, along with our winemaker Sara Fowler, share a fondness for that special bubbly beverage. Its versatility with food, its ability to make itself at home at Sunday brunches and dressy dinner parties, and that inimitable pop and sparkle that never fails to bring a smile to everyone's face... Sparkling wine is an essential. And after so many years ofPeju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-76970337011118370612014-01-31T14:53:00.000-08:002014-01-31T14:53:30.748-08:00New Partnership with Christopher Hill GalleryMany years have passed since the days of wine tasting in the barn with Tony and HB. The winery has grown from a modest but burgeoning wine growing operation to a thriving and widely respected family business--and throughout that evolution, we have sought to make the experience of visiting the winery as delightful and memorable and complete as possible.
We have shown the work of various artists Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-3452874364423793982014-01-09T13:42:00.001-08:002014-01-09T13:42:29.001-08:00A New and Exciting ReleaseFollowing an earlier than average harvest in 2013, we are very excited about the recent release of our 2013 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has a quick turnaround in cellar. It is fermented in stainless steel tanks, setting it on course to be as fresh, and vibrant, and lively as possible, and as of December it was good to go and ready to be bottled.
This wine is very expressive and true to Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-50348293774080681392013-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:002013-09-06T11:47:11.480-07:00Happy New Year!
Two weeks ago was the official start of Harvest 2013 and the production team has since picked and processed the whole of our Sauvignon Blanc from Peju's Persephone vineyard in Pope Valley. This is an extraordinarily early harvest, and one that is shaping up to be smooth and painless, but at this stage we are keenly aware that the party has truly just begun--meaning there is a whole lot of Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-27710770988326383692013-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:002013-06-27T10:13:44.493-07:00Bottling Season
The downtime between the end of one harvest and the beginning of the next is not exactly that--rather, it's the portion of the year when the cellar is busy caring for wine that was harvested in years past. It is their job to ensure that the wine remains top notch all the way until its release. In other words, the wine does not leave their watchful eye until it is Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-64061756476268976552013-06-26T13:12:00.002-07:002013-06-26T17:03:41.278-07:00Showing the Vineyard Some Love
It's been a month since our last post, and the status of the vineyard has progressed a great deal. What had previously been miniscule flowering buds are now finally resembling berries, albeit with firm green skins to protect their precious interior from the elements. As far as vineyard management, we have just completed round one of suckering. Excess shoots and foliage Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-6005386092137378532013-05-01T18:00:00.000-07:002013-05-02T10:02:07.725-07:00Hype-Worthy Happenings in the Vineyard
The arrival of Spring in the Napa Valley brings with it a quintessential transformation of gray and gloomy to green and full of life. It's the time of year when the atmosphere in the valley is as close to perfection as we ever see--the vines are topped with a lush canopy of leaves and each day rises a few degrees warmer.
Flowering
2012 being my first harvest Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-205302836241868362013-02-27T18:08:00.000-08:002013-03-07T10:36:23.853-08:00Peju Prunes
Pruning Party
Last week was Employee Pruning Day at Peju! No, that is not a euphemism for layoffs, it's a chance for all of our employees to try their hand at pruning the vines and learn a bit about the science behind the process. And we were all blown away with how much we did learn.
Alejandro teaching
And showing us how it's REALLY done
Manuel and Alejandro Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-16750061676360930492013-02-13T14:26:00.000-08:002013-02-13T14:26:26.695-08:00Mustard! And everything that comes with it.
It's mustard season! Time to frolick through the yellow flowers, take hundreds of pictures, and soak in the beautiful sights before it all disappears into the ground. There is really nothing like it, so enjoy.
But pictures of mustard alone does not a blog post make. Beyond the bright and happy feeling these millions of yellow flowers bring to the valley, the Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-2312455000881316792013-01-10T18:15:00.001-08:002013-01-10T18:15:22.717-08:00A Renewed Love for Napa in 2013
“Why are American wines so expensive?”, asks a polite, but skeptical middle-aged couple from Germany. “At home, we never buy wine at such a price”. They both gesture to the twenty-two dollar bottle of Sauvignon Blanc on the counter between us. Immediately I feel my face start to flush. How do I explain, without a shred of pretention, why you, my adorable, inquisitive tourists, should be Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-70373010556190693412012-11-21T11:54:00.000-08:002012-11-21T11:54:14.429-08:00Giving Thanks for Fall at Peju
Early this week, the fog and rain rolled in like a veil to cover the Napa Valley, signaling the end of harvest and the changing of the seasons. Surrounded by a thick mass of clouds, the valley feels insulated from the outside world, as if hibernating in observance of the end of the grapes' journey from vine to winery. Droves of trucks barreling down the highwayPeju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-80006797740849899592012-11-07T11:17:00.001-08:002012-11-07T11:17:26.504-08:00Back In The Cellar
From below
From above
All of the picking for Harvest 2012 is officially finished, but the work does not end there. As the focus moves inside of the cellar, it is clear that while the taste of the vineyard does not hinge on following procedure after complicated procedure, it does require some thoughtful decision making about which are the Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-42667022632518826192012-10-25T13:21:00.003-07:002012-10-25T13:27:09.208-07:00Reserve /rɪˈzɜrv/ [ri-zurv] noun, adjective
From here
To there
We are not quite done with Harvest, as fruit from our Rutherford estate is still being picked. These are the grapes that will eventually become our Estate Reserve wines.
The term “Reserve” in the wine world means many things for many different wineries. And in the US, there are no rules or regulations for what qualifies a wine as a “Reserve”. That being said,Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-84011464519542437802012-10-17T12:48:00.000-07:002012-10-18T12:48:41.969-07:00The Magic of Yeast
The heavenly smell of fermenting red wine now fills the winery, and we have the power of yeast to thank for that. Yeast plays an essential role in winemaking as it converts sugar into alcohol. Without it we would have nothing more than old grape juice.
However, jumpstarting the process is a bit more complicated than dumping some yeast into a tank, so I Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-20663117779271279392012-10-10T11:22:00.000-07:002012-10-12T12:01:56.198-07:00How Far We've Come
There is a certain relief that comes with knowing much of Peju's Cabernet Sauvignon from Persephone has been picked, pressed, and moved into tanks to ferment. Having reached this stage also signals that we are in the heart of harvest, especially as I look over these photos of the berries in their final moments as whole, untouched grapes (before they reach the crusher-destemmer Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-25077527408166797752012-10-10T10:32:00.001-07:002012-10-10T10:32:29.375-07:00Employee Pick!
Last week was our Employee Harvest Day, where all of the Peju staff got a chance to get their hands dirty in the vineyard, and find out what it takes to pick like the pros! Here are photos of some of these very temporary (but hardworking) harvest interns.
Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-25176360295107821972012-09-27T18:07:00.003-07:002012-09-27T18:07:43.644-07:00Celebrating Syrah The vineyard has given us the first red of 2012 today--Syrah! Grown at our Persephone vineyard, the grape is typically picked on the earlier side and this year is no different. We are always excited about crushing Syrah since it gives us two wines--a traditional red Syrah as well as a Rose.
Rose is one process in winemaking that invokes the concept of science vs art. On the one Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-21327678988957364092012-09-20T15:59:00.001-07:002012-09-27T13:30:22.277-07:00About Our Chardonnay
This week we are bringing in Chardonnay. The process is a bit different from Sauvignon Blanc, as it is fermented in oak barrels, rather than stainless steel tanks. That said, I find our Chardonnay to be a great example of wine that is enhanced, but not dominated by oak. Winemaker Sara Fowler typically sticks to a ratio of roughly 70% neutral to 30% Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-2148002705641352462012-09-06T16:47:00.000-07:002012-09-27T13:06:05.736-07:00Update on Sauvignon Blanc There is still plenty of action on the crush pad since harvest first began. Sauvignon Blanc is arriving in hefty chunks from our Persephone vineyard each week and these consistent waves are ideal for timing and pacing. As a result of this good fortune (and diligent work ethic), we are on track to finish SB with enough time to take a deep breath, have a glass of wine,Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-87748748459205593752012-08-30T13:13:00.000-07:002012-08-30T13:13:02.237-07:00Still Waiting For Red
At this point in the season, the grapes out in the vineyard are relatively ripe. But to figure out the absolute optimum time to pick, you have to do some work in the lab. Today, armed with samples of Merlot from each row of the Hermes block, Nick is measuring brix and pH, or the sugar and acid levels. Ultimately, these details allow the winemaking team to turn a ballpark timeline for Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-39561574426538013992012-08-29T14:51:00.000-07:002012-08-29T14:53:11.790-07:00Harvest 2012 Is Here!
The first Sauvignon Blanc from Persephone Ranch arrived last week! And according to winemaker Sara Fowler, "the grape quality is the best we have seen in several years". She also indicated that as in previous harvests, we are picking SB in multiple stages for varying ripeness levels.
The earlier picking brings in fruit with mouth-watering acidity that gives the wine Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-54612312032876199092012-08-15T17:31:00.000-07:002012-08-15T17:33:12.821-07:00It's time for the homestretch
The sacrifices we make in order to create great wine can be heart-wrenching. Take the process of thinning, or dropping fruit. A huge number of clusters were recently cut from our Merlot vines, and I must admit it is sad to see them shriveled up and baking in the dirt. But this is such an important practice because it ups the concentration of flavor in each remaining grape. Timed Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-19852941215335578962012-08-09T15:49:00.001-07:002012-08-09T15:49:19.559-07:00Introducing...Cabernet Sauvignon Persephone
Here in Rutherford, Cab is King—the noble grape is known for making wines that are uniquely complex, earthy and concentrated and it is an integral part of the district’s rich history. So it comes as no surprise that Peju’s flagship wine was the 1982 Cabernet Sauvignon.
This month we are celebrating another Cabernet first with the Wine Club release of our 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Persephone . Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269983941892073693.post-52663043401374212502012-07-11T17:40:00.000-07:002012-07-11T17:43:06.203-07:00Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
Veraison! Here is one of the first clusters on the HB block that has just started to ripen--the first indication that harvest is truly on its way. Funny to think these little babies are half a step closer to becoming wine, and amazing to watch this VERY gradual process as it unfolds a bit more each day. Most of the grapes are still green right now, protected from Peju Province Wineryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04415786134268236521noreply@blogger.com0