These grapes are frozen - in suspended animation - from previous harvest seasons. Brix, TA, and pH are known for all varietals with full juice panels available for many. You know what you are getting with frozen grapes. Make the wine you want, anytime you want!
These grapes are from the 2009 Vintage and have not yet been harvested. They are still on the vine when you purchase. Grapes purchased from the 2009 Harvest can be picked up fresh (at our processing sites in California and Washington) or can be frozen and shipped to you.
As the harvest season progresses, we will sample each varietal during the ripening and post the results here. Listed are: Degrees Brix, Total Acidity (TA) and pH. Final results for each varietal will be posted after harvest.
Coming Soon: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and More Videos
It has been a busy few weeks as we have harvested Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah in California as well as our Champenoise juice in the Pacific North West.
In California, a very hot few days have beaten down the acids in many of our grapes. The heat has burned off the malic acid. We will let the cool air that has been forcasted for the next few days rebalance the grapes and schedule the harvest for next week.
Coming Soon: Nun's Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon and the Carneros Merlot.
Videos, Videos, Videos
Peter Brehm has been taking short videos of the vineyards and the grapes we offer. He has taken so many that we haven't had a chance to process them all! Below are more of these little videos. All the videos are hosted by You Tube. We hope you like them, and there are more to come!
Peter Brehm and Olin Shultz (MoreFlavor!) visit the Nun's Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon vineyardon the Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County CA.
Peter visits the Carneros Chardonnay at the Sangiacomo Family Vineyards "Home Ranch" in Sonoma County CA.
Peter visits the Nun's Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon on the Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County, CA
Peter examines the volcanic soil at our Nun's Canyon Peak Caberent vineyard on Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County CA.
Peter continues his visit of the Nun's Canyon Peak Caberent vineyard on Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County CA
Peter continues his visit of the Nun's Canyon Peak Caberent vineyard on Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County CA
Peter continues his visit of the Nun's Canyon Peak Caberent vineyard on Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County CA
Peter Brehm visits the Edon Knoll Vineyard in Talmage (Mendocino County) CA
Peter Brehm continues his visit of the Edon Knoll Vineyard in Talmage (Mendocino County) CA
Peter Brehm continues his visit of the Edon Knoll Vineyard in Talmage (Mendocino County) CA
Peter Brehm continues his visit of the Edon Knoll Vineyard in Talmage (Mendocino County) CA
Peter interviews Fred and Dora at Edon Knoll Vineyard in Mendocino County CA.
Peter Brehm visits the State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard in Napa County (Yountville, CA)
Peter Brehm presents White Salmon Vineyard in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge in Underwood WA.
Peter Brehm contintues his presentation of White Salmon Vineyard in Underwood WA.
Peter Brehm contintues his presentation of White Salmon Vineyard in Underwood WA.
Peter Brehm contintues his presentation of White Salmon Vineyard in Underwood WA.
Peter Brehm contintues his presentation of White Salmon Vineyard in Underwood WA.
Grape Processing at Stage Gulch Vineyard in Petaluma CA
Winemaker Joel Teller picking up his destemmed grapes.
Picking up frozen grapes at Driesbach Enterprises in Richmond CA.
Picking up frozen grapes at Driesbach Enterprises in Richmond CA.
Harvest News : September 1st
Videos of the Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc Processing and Inspecting the Carneros Pinot Noir with Francis Mahoney.
Peter has been taking short videos of his vineyard visits to show everyone what goes on before you actually receive your grapes order juice. Over the past weekend, Peter documented the receipt and processing of our 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. For the videos, please see below.
Peter also toured Francis Mahoney's Las Brisas Pinot Noir vineyard in the Carneros (Sonoma County.) Please see the videos below along with an extended interview with Francis.
First Grape of the Harvest: Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Peter will be harvesting the Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc tomorrow, Saturday August 29th. The juice will be whole berry pressed and cold settled. Fresh juice is available for pick up on Tuesday. Please call to place your order.
Below is a short video Peter Brehm took a few days ago showing the Sauvignon Blanc vines. If you cannot see the video in the box below, Please Click Here.
Harvest News : August 21st
It's Beginning to Look Like - Cosecha - Vendemia - Harvest - Récolte - Ernte - Raccolto
The Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Carneros Pinot Noir are heading for the crush pad on schedule. An initial taste and look reveals a light crop for these varietals, ripening on a 'normal' schedule.
The Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc has a vibrant acidity with distinct, rich flavors. Small berries, small bunches and perfectly balanced canopy should produce outstanding juice and wine. This is an elegant Sauvignon Blanc, a bit more refined than the New Zealand ones, while retaining an enchanting blend of flavors and aromatics.
Our Carneros Pinot Noir has a very light crop this year. The bunches and berries are extremely small. All this bodes well for the wine, but does signal a very short crop for Francis Mahoney's Las Brisas Vineyards. Our White Salmon Vineyard Pinot Noir, while not as dramatically reduced as Las Brisas, will sustain at least a 20% reduction in yield from last year. Expectations of a very large harvest for 2009 are rapidly receding to a more traditional reality.
Photo right: Mahoney Estates Las Brisas Pinot Noir Vineyard, looking west towards the Petaluma Gab.
Véraison is under way through out Brehm's grape world. The harvests in North Coast California and the cooler portions of the Pacific Northwest are surprisingly normal, and running on time. One potential indication of an early winter is the early maturity of nuts from the oak trees.
Kristie Tacey has joined Brehm Vineyards to compliment Paul Rago and Peter in harvest and communications with you. Kristie worked at Lost Canyon Winery in Oakland, CA. She brings a serious lab back ground, and years of crushing, racking, and massaging Pinot Noir and Syrah to 90+ points on the Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator reviews. Lost Canyon was founded by home winemakers who obtained grapes from Brehm Vineyards for years. Among their award winning wines were Las Brisas Pinot Noir and Stage Gulch Syrah. We welcome Kristie to our enterprise.
Are your fermentors ready?
Peter Brehm
Harvest News : August 17th
Nun's Canyon Peak Cabernet Sauvignon available in 2009
Peter has added the organically grown Cabernet Sauvignon from the Charlie Smith vineyards 1700 feet up the western slope of the Mayacamas Mountain in Sonoma County, just above Nun's Canyon. These grapes are tended and cared for by famed viticulturalist Phil Coturri. (http://www.coturriwinery.com/meet.html)
This is true mountain top fruit and is the first mountain fruit we have offered since the days of our Sonoma Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, also managed by Phil Coturri.
The price of our Nun's Canyon Peak Cabernet Sauvignon is the same price as our Old Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvingon. This price is dramatically lower than it would be in a more 'normal' economic climate.
We have available as part of our Virtual Vineyard frozen pails of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the same vineyard. Make your Nun's Canyon Bordeaux Blend this year!
Our Nun's Canyon Caberent Sauvignon 1700 feet up Mayacamas Mountain in the Napa Valley.
Please note that we are not offering the Old Hill Cabernet Sauvignon for 2009. We do, however, have frozen pails of past vintage Old Hill Caberent available from last year's harvest.
Harvest News : August 5th
Stage Gulch Syrah available in 2009
Since 1996 we have been offering Syrah from Jenns Kullberg's hill top Stage Gulch vineyard.
Jenns Kullberg and his vineyard manager Jose Chavez in the Syrah rows.
These vines were planted in 1991 in heavy adobe soil and are drip irrigated. The vines are vertical trellised and spur prune. This style of trellis and pruning takes advantage of the cool air flow through the Petaluma Gap that heads right through Stage Gulch Vineyard. A cool Syrah vineyard allows for a later harvest that develop unique flavors of bacon and smokiness at about 24 brix.
Lost Canyon Winery received a score if 91 from Wine Enthusiast Magazine for for its 2007 Stage Gulch Syrah. What will your wine score?
Harvest News : July 25th - 26th
Dear Winemaker,
This past weekend, July 25th and 26th, I visited the Carneros in Sonoma County and Pinot Noir bunches are already starting to change color. The onset of veraison usually predicts a harvest 30 to 40 days later.
Start of Veraison in Carneros Pinot Noir
These photos show the Pinot Noir bunches with green berries and many berries well on their way to fully turning purple.
It is not long now until the harvest will begin in Northern California with the picking of the pinot noir and chardonnay for making sparkling wines.
Start of Veraison in Carneros Pinot Noir
Could the early ripening Pinot Noir be a sign of this year's harvest?
Wishing you a great grape season,
Peter Brehm
July 1st 2009
Harvest News : Early Grape Views
The past winter was kind to the grape vines in California and the Pacific Northwest. The buds of our future vintage survived in good condition. They broke through their fuzzy cover on time in California and about 10 days late in the Pacific Northwest. The new shoots arrival was greeted with nourishing moisture. California is suffering from a multiple year shortage of water. This spring there appeared just enough rain to fill most of the irrigation ponds and allow survival for the unirrigated vines. This survival level of water was complimented by further moisture as the grape shoots emerged. The rain was quite timely. It allowed needed nutrients to be made available to the vines' roots. This in turn stimulated every bud and sucker to grow.
Carneros Chardonnay on June 13th 2009 - The Birth of Vintage 2009
The Pacific Northwest experienced a surplus of moisture this winter and early spring. From Washington State through California the vines exploded. In a year where growers are attempting to curtail expenditures, the vines are requiring an extraordinary amount of hand labor. Usually vines will have about 5 shoots per foot of cane. This year there were more than 30 shoots vying to fill the trellis.
White Salmon Pinot Noir before suckering.
White Salmon Pinot Noir after suckering.
In Napa, Sonoma and parts of Mendocino County the grape flowers are blooming into baby grapes. The average size of the flowers is a little on the large size, bidding for a heavier bunch weight. Most vines I have inspected have two solid clusters (flowers or bunches) per shoot. This is average. The stage is set in California for a good year with yields probably better than last year.
One flower cluster per shoot on White Salmon Pinot Noir bids for a light crop with intensity.
Around the Columbia River, in Oregon, and Washington the vines are a little stingy with their flowers - most have yet to bloom/set grapes. The White Salmon Pinot Noir, after serious suckering, has little more than 1.5 potential bunches per shoot. With good flowering this will bring a smaller, more intense crop than last year. The White Salmon Chardonnay and other varietals appear to be more normal with two flower sets per shoot.
Brehm's Virtual Vineyard: Spotlight on Suscol Ranch Merlot
One of the finest merlots I have ever worked with came from the Chardonnay Golf Course along Jamieson Canyon west of Napa's Carneros region. It's last hurrah from 2008 is now part of our Virtual Vineyard. Extremely low yields often caused by shatter (fruiting flowers not turning into grapes) has prompted the pulling of the vineyards and their replacement with Chardonnay. Another super quality grape, the Garvey Family Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon combined with the Suscol Ranch Merlot would make an extremely outstanding Napa Valley Wine.
In previous years we have offered Suscol Ranch Merlot from the Laird Family Estates from this location at the Chardonnay Golf Course in Napa. After the 2008 harvest, the vines were all budded over to Chardonnay.
Our Carneros Pinot Noir has a very light crop this year. The bunches and berries are extremely small. All this bodes well for the wine, but does signal a very short crop for Francis Mahoney's Las Brisas Vineyards. Our White Salmon Vineyard Pinot Noir, while not as dramatically reduced as Las Brisas, will sustain at least a 20% reduction in yield from last year. Expectations of a very large harvest for 2009 are rapidly receding to a more traditional reality.
