Chiarello Family Vineyards - Newsletter Holiday 2006

Holiday 2006

It's late-October, and our harvest is still going strong as we wait to pick our last vineyards early next week. This year the Old Vine Zinfandel and Petite Sirah vineyards came off first, and we'll pick the final blocks of Eileen Cabernet and of Bambino Cabernet the first week of November. The cabernet grapes absolutely love the slow, mellow finishing of this growing season. Happily, we officially christened our Bambino Cabernet with a bambino of our own when Aidan Thomas Chiarello joined the team as a strapping 7-pounder last March. His tractor-driving lessons started immediately, and he begun consulting his lunar charts for suggested pick dates. Just my luck we would have a bio-dynamic boy!

Finally, our annual Fall Harvest Case Party - cooked by yours truly - was an apt celebration of the fruitfulness of 2006! One hundred of our biggest wine fans, along a 100-ft. table, among 100 vines, eating 100-lbs of polenta and 100 lamb shanks, telling hundreds of tall tales about our wines. Need I say more? Next up: Spring Budbreak Party in April 2007... see you there!

Release Notes:
Last month, we released our much anticipated, very limited 2004 Felicia Old Vine Zinfandel and 2004 Roux Old Vine Petite Sirah, both of which continue to thrive from our organic program and intensive hand-work. And these vineyards spawned babies of their own this year. In place of a few warn out vines, I re-planted with cuttings from the grandparents. We will dry-farm these vines just like their ancestors were 100 years ago. To the delight of old vine fans, we will soon be adding much desired quantities to these treasures, while preserving the rich history of the vineyards.

The 2004 Felicia Old Vine Zinfandel is the absolute best wine we have ever made from the Felicia vineyard (and prior years were awesome, so just imagine!). The estate grown, 94-year old single vineyard Felicia shows all the concentration of the small berry vintage that '04 turned out to be. It has a striking minerality to the nose followed by kirsch, lavender, white flowers and creosote. At my dinner table this holiday, it will be served with a varying array of holiday fare, from roasts to bolognese sauce. A Magnum on hand for the holidays serves as a gift, or a festive way to pour across larger family gatherings!

The 2004 Roux Old Vine Petite Sirah delivers layers and layers of flavor and loves to accompany long, slow-cooked meats. For our Fall Harvest Case Party, I paired it with Grilled and Braised Lamb Shanks, Roasted Pumpkin Polenta and Wild Mushroom Ragout. Are you hungry yet? 2004 delivers an extremely dark, saturated purple from this warm and small vintage. The nose is of lavender, grilled meats with a touch of menthol. The tannins are up front and present but round and ripe. Plenty of blackberry and black cherry abound. This is my cellar favorite.

Lastly, stealing the show this season (could it be because if its cute namesake?) is the 2004 Bambino Cabernet Sauvignon. As in our 2003 vintage, the nose is dominated by cedar, pine needles and mint. Along with that is an attractive dustiness akin to a Rutherford Cab (3 miles down the road). The palate is richened with earthy lead and an offering of cloves, mint and celery seed. The oak adds a sweet cream/caramel/vanilla, which balances the round ripe tannins. Sweet black fruits finish off this lovely cabernet. At the Fall Harvest Case Party, Bambino Cabernet got front and center stage paired with my braised lamb shanks and pumpkin polenta, a fitting match. Try it at your house!

Holiday Entertaining Tips:
Try serving two smaller turkeys instead of one big one (easier to cook and more drumsticks to go around). Add a splash of cranberry to your turkey gravy. Finally, serve a rose' (look for one from Chiarello Vineyards next Spring) and a Zinfandel for a sure-win with your holiday meals. My go-to wine this year is the 2004 Giana Zinfandel, perfect for turkey, roasts and all the trimmings. The 2004 Giana Zinfandel boasts a deep fruit core, a wonderful sweetness and richness, notes of plums, black cherries, raspberries, cocoa and licorice. And with a gentle kiss of Petite Sirah this year, it "rides higher in the saddle." Enjoy it now!

Having a family winery is my greatest personal passion and a real gift in my life. I hope that you'll appreciate our wines after knowing their stories, and that their creation brings a moment of joy and pleasure to your family over the holidays. Thanks for being part of our family passion; we hope to meet you at one of our events in the future.

Buon Natale,

Michael and Eileen Chiarello