Cause for Paws

We were invited to pour for the Cause for Paws benefiting Napa Humane and hosted by Mark and Anna Pope of The Bounty Hunter. The people who put this event on know what they are doing! There was a great array of food and wine and a giveaway bag for everyone who came (mostly stuff for your four legged friends, but some coupons for the human variety too).

We managed to mostly control ourselves, despite pouring next to Three Twins Ice Cream (three scoops between the two of us is showing self control right?)

We also met Amy from Oakville Ranch who was a pleasure to share a table with.

All in all, I would recommend this event to all who like food, wine, and animals. They had cats and dogs on site available for adoption, which was equally hard for us to resist. Our cat Baylee and our dog Murphy may have had an opinion on new family members but the kids wouldn't have been upset.

   

NEW RELEASE! The 2007 PRIME Cabernet Sauvignon "District 4"

	The sands of Kauai
	2007 PRIME Cabernet Sauvignon "District 4", Napa Valley $39/bottle $421.20/case (10% case discount) ORDER NOW The 2007 vintage of Prime Cabernet has been getting some attention from several wine experts. We have listed the reviews and awards below. Ted is excited about the third vintage of Prime Cabernet because he has found the area of Napa he is really in love with. Coombsville, in the Eastern side of Napa has proven to be just what he is looking for in a growing region. Hillside vineyards and a bit cooler temperature than most parts of Napa, provides him with a harvest of grapes that has a perfect balance of brix and acid. 100% Napa Valley (Coombsville) 304 cases "Best of Class" and Gold Medal - Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition 2010 One Puff - Connoisseurs' Guide April 2010 92 Points - Wine Enthusiast July 2010 Recommended Wine - San Francisco Chronicle May 2010 Ted Henry (Jarvis) turned out an impressive textbook Cabernet for his own label from Coombsville-area fruit. The acidity's a bit forward - in a good way - giving a tension to notes of tobacco, blackberry leaves and coffee bean. The oak is subtle, and taut blackberry fruit is held together by firm tannins. Jon Bonne $39/bottle $421.20/case (10% case discount) ORDER NOW

Where to find us!

Here are the places that have Prime Cellars wine in Southern California. Thank you for your support!

Broadway Deli - Santa Monica

Capo - Santa Monica

Cedar Creek Restaurant - Laguna Niguel

Cucina Urbana - San Diego

Golden Truffle - Costa Mesa

Sorrento Grille - Laguna Beach

SF Chronicle recommends Prime- read all about it!

It was a great surprise to see a picture of our 2007 District 4 Cab in Sunday's Chronicle.  Its a big honor when the nation's best paper (west coast bias here) recommends people go out and try your wine.

Reading on it mentions that they considered 80 or so wines and booted out all but 15 that appear in the article.  Congrats to the winemaker (-Oh wait, that's me), to Carlos who did the most of the vineyard work and to Lisa who makes everything else happen!

In case you missed that link here it is again.  Also, since we are just releasing the '07 you might notice that it does not yet appear at our online store, we're working on that, it will be up soon.

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!