The Winegrower's Log is an online journal by Brian Talley, Winemaker Leslie Mead, and Vineyard Manager Kevin Wilkinson with updates about Talley Vineyards, our Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley vineyards, and the local vineyards where grapes for Bishop's Peak wines are grown.
New Videos: Video clips featuring Talley Vineyards employees demonstrating seasonal vineyard and winery operations are now available on our website. To view these videos, select this link: Winegrower's Log Videos.
August 31, 2010 Today marked our first day of harvest for the 2010 season, our 25th anniversary harvest since Talley Vineyards was founded in 1986. We started in the steep, south facing, high density section of pinot noir in Rosemary’s Vineyard, almost exactly 2 weeks later than we started last year. It was a beautiful morning to harvest grapes with dense fog sitting on the Arroyo Grande Valley floor, with just the tops of the hillsides poking out above the fog. The cool summer and moderate sized crop portend great quality for the 2010 vintage.
This will be my final installment of the “long format” winegrowers log. I established this log back in 2004 to share information about happenings at the winery and in our vineyards. To keep up with what’s going on here, check out the Talley Vineyards Facebook page where the posts will be shorter and more frequent. Thanks for your attention and all of the great comments, questions and feedback I’ve received over the past 6 years!
May 11, 2010
I always forget how busy springtime is! In fact, this is the second busiest time of year, after harvest. As the weather warms up, and the days get longer, everything in the vineyard starts growing like crazy. The recent April rains only amplified the effect. Consequently, Kevin Wilkinson and his crew have been busy shoot thinning, mowing, training young vines, trapping gophers, some experimental early season leaf removal and generally doing all of the things necessary to ensure a healthy crop for 2010. Initial cluster counts look promising for an average sized crop, though everything really depends on how the clusters size up over the summer.
Things are busy in the winery now because it’s bottling season. All of the 2008 single vineyard chardonnays were bottled last week, to be followed by the estate and single vineyard 2008 pinot noirs by the end of the month. In addition, we’re preparing to taste all of last year’s lots to determine the single vineyard selections as well as the blends of the estate wines.
Springtime is also our second busiest sales season (after the fall), which means more travel to spread the message about Talley Vineyards and Bishop’s Peak. During the third week of April, Leslie and David were in Texas, Anna was in Mississippi and I was in Virginia, all at the same time. Meanwhile, traffic in the tasting room is really picking up, keeping Lucy and her team jumping.
Speaking of tasting and sales, I’m pleased to announce a special new opportunity to enjoy single serving tastes of our wines. We’ve partnered with TastingRoom.com in Sonoma who, using state of the art technology, decanted 3 of our chardonnays and 3 of our pinot noirs into single tasting 50ml bottles. Soon, you can purchase a six bottle collection of these wines and enjoy a personalized tasting of our wines from the great 2007 vintage.
It’s not so busy that I can’t take a little time to savor a glass of wine and some good food. To that end, I’m really enjoying our 2008 Estate Chardonnay right now. In the past month or so, it has really started to open up and display the classic lemony mineral notes and refreshing acidity that distinguishes it from so many other California chardonnays. Try it with herb roasted chicken or grilled swordfish and some fresh spring vegetables—especially peas or fava beans. What could be better this spring?
If you’d rather enjoy a glass of the Estate Chardonnay in a restaurant, try Quatorze Bis in New York, the Perry Creek Resort on the Maryland Shore, or Houston’s in Santa Monica—all of these great restaurants are pouring it by the glass!
Brian Talley
April 5, 2010
It’s springtime in Arroyo Grande--the grass is tall and green and the wildflowers are in full bloom. The grounds around the winery are also beautiful right now, which I attribute both to Mother Nature and the hard work of Agustin Cabanero, our lead gardener. Agustin has worked with my family for over 40 years, and his hard work and dedication is on display for everyone who visits.
It’s also a very busy time in our vineyards, where shoot thinning is in full swing. Extra shoots and suckers (shoots with no clusters) are removed from the vine to open up the canopy and allow more air and sunlight onto the developing clusters. Shoot thinning also focuses the vine’s energy into the remaining shoots, allowing for more consistent growth. This labor intensive practice enhances sustainability and wine quality because it prevents rot and disease (reducing our need for sprays) and promotes even ripening of the grapes. Check out our shoot thinning video for a demonstration.
Spring is the season for young lamb and I love both leg of lamb and lamb chops. Boneless leg of lamb is wonderful butterflied, marinated in red wine, olive oil, garlic and herbs, and seasoned with salt and pepper. For my lamb chops, I make a paste of grainy mustard, garlic, rosemary, and olive oil which I spread over the chops. Both are wonderful grilled over our local coastal live oak, grape vine wood, or with a gas grill. Try either with our 2007 Estate Pinot Noir.
Speaking of food, we are blessed to do business with many great restaurants around the country. These are some highlights of places where I’ve dined recently that feature Talley Vineyards wines: Bar Boulud in New York, www.barboulud.com, Frascati in San Francisco, www.frascatisf.com, (I’ll be doing a special Talley Vineyards feature night there on May 25); G Michael’s Bistro in Columbus Ohio, www.gmichaelsbistro.com; and Studio at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, www.studiolagunabeach.com, where they feature our 2008 Estate Chardonnay by the glass. If you have a favorite restaurant where you enjoy our wines, please share it with us.
February 23, 2010
El Niño
We’re in the midst of an El Niño year which has dramatically altered weather patterns throughout the continent, even right here in Arroyo Grande. The most recent storm brought our year-to-date rainfall to 19 inches, just an inch below the annual average of 20 inches for the Arroyo Grande Valley. We’ve still got March and April to go, which have the potential to bring us much more precipitation. What will this wet winter mean in our vineyards? We will certainly irrigate less during this period than in previous years—we might even dry farm some blocks. It’s hard to predict what this will mean for the 2010 crop, but looking back at the most recent El Niño years of 2007, 2003 and 1998, all were marked by smaller than average crops in our vineyards.
Vineyard Operations
Pruning is wrapping up, and bud break is just around the corner. Due to our extremely moderate climate, the Arroyo Grande Valley experiences an extremely early bud break, and consequently one of the longest growing seasons in the world. Buds are swelling now and I expect to see them pushing the first week of March. Due to the extremely wet soil, initial growth will likely be slow with a bit of yellowing of the leaves, but this is perfectly natural, and the vines should grow out of it later in the spring as the soil dries out. Our next major operation will start later in March, when the first shoots reach 2-3 inches in length. During shoot thinning, extra shoots and suckers (shoots with no clusters) are removed from the vine to open up the canopy and concentrate energy to the remaining shoots. Check out the shoot thinning video we shot last spring.
In the Winery
Bottling season is upon us. We just bottled the first of the 2008 pinot noirs, the 2008 Edna Valley. Over the next several weeks, I look forward to bottling the rest of the 2008 pinot noirs as well as the 2008 single vineyard chardonnays. In addition to bottling, we’re also coaxing a few of the 2009 chardonnays through an extended fermentation. These wines are set aside in the old barrel room, which we are heating because yeast is much more active above 60 degrees Fahrenheit than below.
Wines to drink from recent El Niño vintages
The 2007 Estate Pinot Noir is now available at the winery, on restaurant wine lists, and in retail wine shops around the country. Produced entirely from pinot noir grown in our Rincon and Rosemary’s Vineyards, it captures the concentration and density that is the hallmark of the highly regarded 2007 vintage. The 2007 Rincon Vineyard Chardonnay is really starting to drink well now. Its minerality and melon notes make it perfect with roast chicken. The 2003 Rosemary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was a big hit at our annual cioppino dinner. It starts with lifted aromas of sandalwood and black cherry and features ripe and complex flavors, with refreshing acidity. It was a great match with the spicy seafood stew. Finally, for those who cellar our wines for extended aging, check out any of the 1998 pinot noirs—they’re fully mature, complex and perfect with cheese. ~Brian Talley
January 13, 2010
It's the start of a new year, and the start of a new growing season. Just like every January, we're pruning. Last season, we shot a couple of fun and informative videos featuring our vineyard manager, Kevin Wilkinson, and me discussing how we prune our vines. Follow the Videos link in the left side-bat to check them out.
I'm pleased to announce the release of our 2008 Estate Chardonnay, Arroyo Grande Valley. Talley Vineyards' signature bottling continues the tradition of recent vintages as a blend of about 85% Rincon Vineyard and 15% Rosemary's Vineyard Chardonnay. This is our first Estate Chardonnay fermented entirely with wild yeasts and it is especially reflective of the unique character of our Arroyo Grande Vineyards. To order, select the "Purchase Wine" tab, above.
We are hosting some great events this month. I will be in New York at Daniel Boulud's casual restaurant, Bar Boulud on Monday January 18th. We will enjoy a 3 course meal paired with a range of our wines. The cost is $99 per person plus tax and gratuity. Call 212-595-0303 for reservations and more information. Leslie Mead is hosting a wine dinner at a new restaurant called Marche in Menlo Park on Monday, January 25th. This is a sister restaurant to the highly acclaimed Village Pub and Spruce restaurants, and this will be a special evening. The cost is $100 per person. Contact Marche for reservations and more information: 650-324-9092.
Finally, many people ask about how older vintages are faring. The other day, we conducted a tasting of our complete range of 2005 pinot noirs. All are drinking well right now, and while the Rosemary's Vineyard was the consensus favorite, because of its tremendous potential, the Estate and the Stone Corral are more accessible at this time. For those who prefer a bit more maturity, check out the 2001s. The cool growing conditions of that year yielded wines that are beautiful to enjoy now. ~BT
3031 Lopez Drive
Today marked our first day of harvest for the 2010 season, our 25th anniversary harvest since Talley Vineyards was founded in 1986. We started in the steep, south facing, high density section of pinot noir in Rosemary’s Vineyard, almost exactly 2 weeks later than we started last year. It was a beautiful morning to harvest grapes with dense fog sitting on the Arroyo Grande Valley floor, with just the tops of the hillsides poking out above the fog. The cool summer and moderate sized crop portend great quality for the 2010 vintage. 
I always forget how busy springtime is! In fact, this is the second busiest time of year, after harvest. As the weather warms up, and the days get longer, everything in the vineyard starts growing like crazy. The recent April rains only amplified the effect. Consequently, Kevin Wilkinson and his crew have been busy shoot thinning, mowing, training young vines, trapping gophers, some experimental early season leaf removal and generally doing all of the things necessary to ensure a healthy crop for 2010. Initial cluster counts look promising for an average sized crop, though everything really depends on how the clusters size up over the summer.