2009 Chardonnay- bottling already?

I can't believe its May already and we have bottling scheduled for the end of the month.

The Chard blend consists of two parts: Oak and Stainless.  The stainless portion is a real home run, great fruit and floral notes and serious acidity.  The oak (used, older oak that is) has a bigger mouthfeel and more creaminess.  I put the correct percentages together in this vial to take to the lab.  Its a really interesting blend, similar to the '08 but with a bit less oak flavor.

I just finished fighting with the TTB (government label approvers), scheduling bottling, ordering corks, glass bottles, capsules, labels and trying to get the wine in the right size tank.  I think I'm ready to get this bottling done.  I'll make sure to take some pics and post them here in all their glory.

Where to go in South Lake Tahoe

Other than the Red Hut's famous biscuits and gravy there are few options when it comes to dining on the South shore of the lake.  I guess the $2 dog and a draft at Bill's Casino could count but I mean fine dining like the special occasion, memorable kind.

Locals probably won't tell you because it only has 7 tables but Cafe Fiore is the best and one of the most popular restaurants in Tahoe.  Nick, the owner, is a super nice guy and the staff all seem like they love working there.  Make a reservation well in advance, order the swordfish special and ask for the PRIME on the wine list.  Its an honor to have our wine in the South Lake Tahoe's #1 restaurant.

(my aerial shot via Boeing 737 mounted iPhone)

2006 District 4 Cab is gone!

The last of the 750ml bottles of critically acclaimed 2006 "D4" Napa Cabernet went out the door last week.  A big thanks to everyone who bought the wine and supported out little winemaking adventure out here in Napa.  In this economy we are extremely thankful to have sold out in only 6 months.

We do still have some 1.5L Magnums as well as small quantities of the 2006 Reserve Cab.  The 2008 Chard is available and tasting great right now too, had a bottle over the warm weekend in Davis and it was excellent.

Look for the release of the 2007 vintage coming up soon.  A great vintage in Napa, its sure to be popular.  Sign up on the mailing list to make sure to get your release notice!

Check out the SF Vintner's Market at Ft. Mason April 10-11 (& get $10 off!)

We will be pouring at the Vintner's Market in San Francisco at Fort Mason on April 10th and 11th.  This is really a first of its kind event. Not only is it a massive wine tasting of over 200 wineries but you can buy any of the wines on the spot.  The "try it , buy it" model makes a lot of sense and I can see this becoming a really popular trend.  This is a great opportunity to taste some small production stuff (like Prime)

Super blogger Alder Yarrow writes about it here or go to the Vintner's Market site here.    Tickets are 25 bucks (but wait, there's more!) use this link to get a $10 discount: http://sfvintnersmarket.eventbrite.com/?discount=10bucksoff

Check it out and come by our table for a taste!

Sights from Coombsville

Today, as you can see from the close up, is what I'm officially calling budbreak at our Midoriya Hills Vineyard. Now visible are the tender pink Cab buds just emerging for the 2010 season. I love the fact that the Cabernet Sauvignon is already taking off, it really shows how unique this site is. This early (normal for this vineyard)budbreak means more days in the growing season before the fruit is ripe. Usually this translates to higher quality, and in this case some great color too!

These are the prunings from 2009's vine growth. Removing last year's growth assures the best conditions for this year's crop. Without pruning you get a bush. A bush will overly shade the fruit and cause the vine to spend too much energy making vegetation. We want all the focus to be on the grapes. Pic of the California state flower just for fun.

PRIME scores a 93 in Wine Enthusiast!

February's issue of the Enthusiast included a great review of our 2006 PRIME "District 4" Cabernet. As per West Coast Editor Steve Heimoff:

A beautiful Cabernet that gives a nod to Bordeaux in its earthy dryness and moderate alcohol. There are plenty of blackberries, cherries and currants, but also notes of violets, mushrooms and herbs that make it complex. Fresh acidity and thick tannins provide structure to this wine, which comes from the cooler districts of Oakville and Coombsville. Now–2014. - S.H. (1/31/2010) - 93

We have already had a great response from across the country, thanks to everyone that has looked us up!

Used Shippers?

Okay, perhaps some of you may have noticed that we have shipped you wine in old, worn, often with Styrofoam and messy looking cardboard wine shippers. Here's the story:

We looked for good alternatives to standard, landfill filling shippers and there are not many out there. The ones we found were so expensive it didn't make sense to buy them. At some point over a glass or two of Chardonnay it came to us to seek out people that have shippers that they don't want anymore.

Lucky for us there are plenty of members of various wine clubs out there that are now saving shippers for us. We even had an offer from the good people at Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine to save all their wine packaging for us. We've started adding stickers explaining whats going on (see pic)

The point is we are re-using these terrible shippers to keep them out of landfills and back in the service of safely getting wine to your door. I hope that this can become a trend in the industry, remember that Styrofoam can't be recycled so lets keep them in service.

If you have shippers to donate email us at: info@primenapa.com