HAPPY
FOURTH OF JULY!
We would like to wish each and
every one of you a safe and festive Independence Day.
Our Cabernets make a wonderful complement to most BBQ
dishes, such as ribs or steak. The summer is an exciting
time at our winery. The vineyards are looking splendid
with vigor and small grape clusters forming and maturing.
While in the cellar, we’re busy bottling our 2004
wines. As you know, this can be a grueling process,
but also rewarding once we’re able to share these
with you. Speaking of that…
First Annual Customer Wine Tasting-Picnic
 On September 16 & 17, we
are having our first ever Customer Appreciation Wine
Tasting-Picnic at our Napa Valley Estate. This
weekend-long event will debut our 2004 vintage wines
for Sympa and Scandale, as well as our children’s
new wine ventures Séduire and Ravenous. (See
section to the right) To complement these wines,
we’re anticipating having 200 lbs of Alaskan
Salmon and Halibut on hand for your enjoyment, along
with some meat variety for carnivores. Every
visitor will also receive a commemorative wine glass
keepsake. We look forward to seeing all of
you this fall!
Time: Saturday & Sunday
from Noon – 4 PM
Cost: $10
per person (This fee will be applied to any wine purchase
during the party.) An
email RSVP would be greatly appreciated. Send your
email RSVP to: peter@sthelenawinery.com
Plan a Winemaker Dinner with Us!
Earlier
this year, we were invited to join one of our customers
and their friends for a fun, intimate dinner at their
home in Beverly Hills. We had such a wonderful
time that we’re starting a new Winemaker Dinner Program.
How it works. We’ll
fly into your city with a case of Sympa and Scandale.
You determine which friends to invite and the location,
such as a restaurant, country club, or your home. Over
dinner, we’ll share these wines with you and discuss
our winemaking influences and passion for wine, Napa
Valley, and much more. We will also bring extra
wine along, in case you and your friends are interested
in purchasing some for later! Please call us toll
free 877-245-6006 for more details on timing and availability.
Francois Bugue Joins Winemaking
Team
Please join us in welcoming Francois Bugue to
our winemaking team as a consulting enologist. Francois
brings over 23 years of winemaking and viticulture experience
to our winery. He brings a unique chemistry and biology
background that is seldom seen in a traditional winemaker.
Usually, one is either a laboratory professional or a
winemaker (left brain vs. right brain), but Francois
is both! This provides him with keen sensory and lab
techniques that have already helped shape and improve
our wines.
Francois began his
vineyard and winery skills on his family estate in Cognac,
France. Soon
after, he held assistant winemaker positions at several
respected wineries, including Pradel Vineyards and Newton
Vineyards. Today he is associate winemaker at Cain Vineyards
and Winery.
Recipes, Recipes, Recipes
 In celebration
of Paulette’s 60th birthday,
I wanted to do something extra spectacular. So,
why not spend a weekend together at a French Chateau
in the Loire Valley coupled with a Cordon Bleu cooking
class? Fortunately for us, the owners of Le Cordon Bleu,
the Cointreau Family (Yes! the same folks who make that
clear French liqueur) are friends of the Lalbray Family,
who are 5th generation owners of Château
des Briottieres. Together, they hosted a trial Cordon
Bleu Regional Cooking Class with 12 very lucky people,
including Paulette and me!
 When we arrived in Angers (2 1/2 hours
west of Paris), we were greeted by the Lalbray family who
whisked us off to their Château for an
over-the-top weekend to remember. During the day, we
prepared wonderful dishes, relaxed in the late afternoon,
and then were served these same dishes for an extravagant
and memorable evening dinner. We have saved a few of
these recipes from dinner to share with you. Click
here to view.
New Chicago Retail Location
You can now find our wines in Chicago at:
Hart Davis Hart
Wine Company
363 West Erie, 5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (312) 482.9996
Peter Story
peter@sthelenawinery.com
www.sthelenawinery.com
1-877-245-6006 (toll free)
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What’s Inside the Bottle?
 Since announcing
our children’s new wine ventures
in the Spring newsletter,
many of you have called to learn more. We thought it appropriate to explain
our winemaking philosophy and details on each of our wines,
to help you distinguish between them. Each of these
wines is produced from separate vineyard blocks on our
15 acre St. Helena Winery Estate Vineyard. They each have
their own personality with different handling techniques
in the vineyard and cellar. Overall, we think there’s
a style representative of most wine lovers’ tastes!
We’ll let you decide for yourself.
Click here to read more on each wine.
Sympa Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon is
extracted from our finest vineyard
block (Block #1) in our Estate. The soil is rocky
with incredible drainage properties, allowing us to manage
the fruit content on the vines from some 50 clusters
of grapes to only 18 clusters. In winemaker speak, this
means we can remove some 65% of the fruit on the vines
so the remaining grape clusters can build upon their
already deep and intense flavors. Once the vines have
done their magic and we’ve completed fermentation,
the wine is aged for 20 months in brand new French Oak
barrels. This wine is 99.5% Cabernet Sauvignon with 0.5%
Petite Verdot for a more balanced wine and to round out
the finish. This is our best wine, worthy of Reserve
status.
Scandale Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is
extracted from our river side vineyard
block (Block #2). The soil in this block is clay
based with some rocks, which provide excellent drainage. Similar
to our vineyard practices in Block #1 of reducing the
number of fruit on our vines, we reduce some 60 clusters
of grapes to only 24-to-28 clusters. Removing 55% of
the fruit from this vineyard block enables the remaining
grape clusters to be deep with flavors. This wine is
aged for 20 months with 85% brand new French Oak barrels
and 15% once used French Oak barrels. This wine is 98%
Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 1% Petite Syrah and
1% Petite Verdot for added balance to the wine and a
better finish. This is one of the best Estate wines
you will find for the price!
Now on to Kristian’s
and Kimberly’s wines:
Kristian's
Séduire Cabernet Sauvignon is
extracted from our vineyard block of grapes (Block #4)
that is located behind our winery and cottage. The soil
here is clay-based with some sand, which also provides
excellent drainage. We use the same farming and pruning
practices in this block as we do in Block #1 and #2,
by reducing the 50-to-60 clusters of grapes to only 24-to-28
clusters. Again, this 55% removal of fruit enables the
remaining grape clusters to be deeper with flavors. But
the differences in this wine versus Sympa and Scandale
are shaped in the winery. Séduire is aged for 20 months in 65% brand new French
Oak barrels and 35% once used French Oak barrels. This wine is a Cabernet-based
blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 2% Petite Syrah, 1% Petite Verdot. This
blend will remind all of our customers of the 'Insignia-esque'
taste profile that their 2003 debut vintage generated.
Kimberly's Ravenous Cabernet Sauvignon is
extracted from Block #3, which is located between the north
creek and our pond. The soil in this area is quiet
sandy in composition, providing excellent drainage. Again,
we remove 55% of the fruit, from some 50-to-60 clusters
of grapes to only 24-to-28 clusters, enabling the fruit
to get deeper in flavors. This wine is aged for 20 months
in 65% brand new French Oak barrels and 35% once used French
Oak barrels. Ravenous is comprised of 87% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 12% Petite Sarah with 1% Petite Verdot. This
blend is right on the edge, since Cabernet and Petite Sarah
blends are not easy to find. Kimberly (and her husband
Kevin) really likes this edgy wine, even if it goes against
the traditional and typical Bordeaux blends. Thus, this
winemaking style well suits the name for this wine - Ravenous!
25% Discount on Futures
As
you know, our wines sell out fast. In fact, the
last vintages have sold out before their release to the public. Because
these are in such high demand and we want to ensure you’re
able to get access to these wines, we’re now offering
a 25% discount through October 15 on future releases. Click
here to place your order.
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