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  • Harvest Ends Under Blue Skies

    October 8, 2020 15:21

    OUR STORY  |  VISIT  |  WINE CLUB  |  SHOP

    Devil's Gulch Chardonnay clusters go into the press and drain into the bin below before going to tank and barrel

    Harvest Ends...under blue skies

    We brought in the last of our fruit for 2020 this week, with two of our Devil's Gulch vineyards: our Devil's Gulch Chardonnay came in yesterday, and Mark Pasternak's tiny bit of Gewürztraminer wrapped up the season this morning. This milestone was happily marked under clear blue skies, as firefighters made great progress on the Glass Fire over last weekend. Containment now stands at over 60%. There's a possibility of rain in the forecast this weekend, so we are looking forward to an end to the fire season to go with the end to our harvest season!

    We ended the 2020 harvest with a total of about 118 tons brought in, from 15 vineyards. Sadly, much of our Pinot Noir in Sonoma County was left unharvested due to smoke damage.     Our fingers are crossed for our earliest picks, including Emerald Ridge, Devil’s Gulch (in Marin), and our Mendocino vineyards which are finishing fermentation. The whites seem to be less affected by smoke taint, as does Zinfandel—varietal differences in smoke metabolism are poorly studied, but we are learning. All the wines that are in fermentation are being closely watched and analyzed, and no wine that we don’t love will be put in bottle. 

    A huge source of gratification in this tragic year is the camaraderie amongst our respected and loved neighbors. All have gone to great lengths to share resources, information, ideas, and support at this time. Together we stand!

     


    Last call on bright whites

    Even though Fall is officially here, you can still capture that summer feeling with our bright whites. We are down to the last cases on these wines, so get your supply to last you until our new release next Spring.

    2019 Shop Block Pinot Blanc
    12 cases left
    2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir 
    11 cases left

    2019 Devil's Gulch Vineyard Gewürztraminer 
    8 cases left

     


    This just in from Forbes:
    Dan's two passions: winemaking and cycling

    Forbes just ran this great interview with Dan, talking about his love of winemaking and riding his bike. Here's a snippet, you can read the full article here: 

    Speaking about his major passion (other than making wine), Goldfield told us, “One thing about biking that sets it apart is you feel micro differences in climate and topography more than any other sport. When you’re in these intricate places in the world, biking lets you feel the roles of the earth very well.” The same could also be said about growing grapes and making wine—they make you “feel micro differences in climate and topography” more than any other type of farming. Goldfield’s love of the outdoors extends to his search for vineyard sites that best match his intentions in the winery. 

     


    You Deserve a Treat! Become a member today.

    Especially in these stressful times, don't you deserve to pamper yourself a little, and give yourself a treat? Join our newest club, our Custom Case allocation, and receive all the benefits of membership, in addition, to complete flexibility—stick with the wines we've chosen for the package, or select the wines you'd like instead. You're just in time to get started with our Fall release, which includes the pre-release wines from the media-touted "Goldilocks" 2018 vintage. The even weather this season let us choose the optimal picking date for the perfect balance of acid and ripeness, giving us wines that are both rich and mouthwateringly fresh.

    Custom Case Allocation



    Customize your own case of pre-release wines in the Spring & Fall
    ► 2 packages per year
    ► 10% savings on all wine purchases
    ► $20 flat rate shipping

     

    Happy Fall! The end of the year will be here before you know it. 

    Your friends at DG

     

     

    Tags: harvest, white wine
    Categories: har | wine
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  • Summer in the Winery and Vineyards | Virtual Tastings

    July 14, 2020 15:21

    OUR STORY  |  VISIT  |  WINE CLUB  |  SHOP


    Fruit set at Emerald Ridge Vineyard 
     

    Summer in the Winery and Vineyards

    In the winery, Dan and Jeff are busy finalizing the blends for our 2019 wines. They begin by tasting all the lots of each vineyard, comprised of different clones from the site, and yeasts used to ferment the wine. Once they've chosen their favorites, they get down to tasting every barrel of those lots, selecting the ones that will become the final wine. Here, they're tasting the 2019 Azaya Ranch, Devil's Gulch, and Deviate lots in preparation for those blendings. 

    The 2020 growing season continues a bit ahead of schedule, with all our vineyards now having set their crop for the year. Compared to 2019, we look to be a little lighter, and Steve has even seen veraison (the change from growing to ripening in grapes, with the skins thinning and the color going from green to yellow or red) begun in one of his warmer Pinot sites. In May, Steve shared a bit about shoot thinning at our Mill Station Chardonnay vineyard in the video here:

    Dan also fit in a quick visit to our newer Van der Kamp vineyard on Sonoma Mountain to check on its progress, and talk with Ulysses Van der Kamp. Ulysses has been part of Burning Man since its early days, and since he's not able to go this year, he installed his art project at the vineyard instead.

     

    Virtual Tastings

    Our Virtual Tastings have been a lot of fun, and if you can't come visit us, it's the next best way to connect with DG over a glass of wine. Check out our schedule of upcoming Virtual Tastings:

    DG Desert Island - Friday, July 17 at 4pm PST
    For this Virtual Happy Hour, you show up with the ONE DG wine you want on your desert island. Share with us your favorite wine and the stories that tell us why. Reserve your space.

    95+ Point Road Trip - Friday, August 7 at 4pm PST
    Take a virtual Pinot Road Trip with us as we taste through some of our Pinots that just scored 95+ points: 2017 Azaya Ranch (Petaluma Gap), Devil’s Gulch (Marin County), Freestone Hill (Russian River Valley) and Emerald Ridge (Green Valley).  Reserve your space | Buy package.

    New Kids on the Block - Friday, August 21 at 4pm PST
    Taste our newest additions to the DG portfolio with us: 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast), 2017 Van der Kamp Pinot Noir (Sonoma Mountain), and 2017 Docker Hill Pinot Noir (Mendocino County). Reserve your space | Buy package.

    Cool Runnings with DG Chardonnays - September 18 at 4pm PST
    We think our cool climate Chardonnays are some of the best produced (yes, we are a bit biased). Join us as we taste our three single vineyard Chardonnays: the fifty-one year old Rued Vineyard, our classic Walker Hill, and from Marin County, Devil’s Gulch. We’ll bring the wine you bring the oysters. Reserve your space | Buy package.

    Need to order your favorite? Shop on our website, or contact us and we can make that happen!

    Summer Wines you need now, and at 10% off cases!

    If you're like Dan and Steve, you're opening a lot of Rosé and fresh whites these days. To make it even easier for you to enjoy these wines every day, we're extending 10% off case purchases. Order any of the wines below—either all of one or mix and match— and your price will automatically be adjusted. For our wine club friends, this is on top of your regular club preferred pricing on the wines!

    2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir 
    2019 Shop Block Pinot Blanc
    2019 Devil's Gulch Vineyard Gewürztraminer
    2018 Green Valley Vineyard Gewürztraminer
    2017 Chileno Valley Vineyard Riesling
    2018 Chileno Valley Vineyard Riesling


    To make it easy for you to get your wines right away, we're extending special pricing on UPS Overnight shipping. Read on for more!

     

    Summer Overnight Shipping

    Since it's getting hot across the country, we will ship your wine order via UPS Overnight for 50% off. Just choose Overnight at checkout, no code needed. Here's a sample of the prices you'll see.

    Summer Overnight via UPS
    Zone 1 2 3 4 5
    12 bottles - Reg
    Your Price    		 $37
    $18.50    		 $68
    $34    		 $73
    $36.50    		 $81
    $40.50    		 $82
    $42
    24+ bottles - Reg
    Your Price    		 $0 $46
    $23    		 $56
    $28    		 $72
    $36    		 $74
    $37

     

     

     

    We look forward to tasting with you soon, either in person or virtually!

    Your friends at DG

     

    Tags: harvest
    Categories: har
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