Jeff’s Letter from May 2024

Last night Margie and I enjoyed a terrific meal centered around grilled swordfish steaks with an exquisite marinade that featured soy sauce, olive oil, red wine vinegar, coriander, cumin, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. But the swordfish wasn’t the best part. We washed it all down with the 2023 Verdelho. Wow! I thought we hit the nail on the head with the Verdelho in 2023, but until last night I didn’t know just how solid the strike was. The wine is phenomenal. It has a luscious mix of fresh herb, melon, and stone fruit. It is bright, refreshing, clean and crisp. I plan on eating a lot more fish this spring.

If the red wines we are releasing in May are half as good as the Verdelho we are in for a great month.

Along with the Verdelho we are releasing five red wines in May. On the softer side are the Primitivo and the Grenache from Paso Robles: either one would be delightful with lighter styled barbeque or better yet pizza off the stone on the grill.

Last Friday we had our Pizza Party on the patio and Charbono took the title of “Pizza Wine 2024” dethroning the Barbera from the Cooper Vineyard in the process. I had three guests comment to me that they were never too excited about Charbono until they tried it alongside the spicy calabrese pizza. I think the next time I smoke ribs I am going to add a dash of hot paprika in the rub and invite my friend Charbono to join us.

The dry farmed Zinfandel from the Esola Vineyard is also on the roster as is the perennial favorite Petite Sirah. The 2022 vintage has provided us with the most elegant Petite Sirah I have ever produced; smooth and rich with a soft creamy finish. All adjectives I never thought I would use to describe Petite Sirah.

Summer is looking pretty tasty so far.

Come on up and put out the solar panels on the back patio and enjoy a glass of spring.

– Jeff