2009 Reds are in Bottle!
Wednesday | 25 August 2010
Shhhh…. can you hear the sigh of relief? The 2009 Syrah and Grenache were bottled this week. No question, farming is a 52 week per year job. In the winery, the job begins at crush. To make wine at Cowhorn requires patience and vigilance from September to bottling the following August. For Bill, who leads us in the process, he is constantly on watch. He is alert for potential problems, and he is always planning ahead for the next task, whether it is fermentation chores, racking, filtering or ultimately bottling. Yes, it is a sigh of relief. One that will last 3 weeks until we begin the process all over again!
– Barbara Steele
– Barbara Steele
Uncorked!
Monday | 23 November 2009
Many thanks to all who came out for Uncorked! Most told me that yesterday’s Uncorked was exceptional. First, it was a perfect fall day in Oregon: warm and sunny in the morning, the threat of rain in the afternoon felt like fall, and then at twilight the wind felt like WINTER!What’s not to love about the weather in Southern Oregon? Second, many folks told me they were visiting the many new and different wineries who participated yesterday. Of course, most have their favorites whom they visit with each outing, but this year there was something for every taste.
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Post Crush Blues and the Vertical Horizontal
Tuesday | 27 October 2009
Today we finished pressing and barreling our 2009 reds, the Block 5 syrah and the Grenache. I am so happy that the grapes are through primary fermentation and are safely into barrels! No more daily punch downs, daily floor washing, no more purple hands. But once again I find myself feeling that today was bittersweet. I am already waxing poetic about the season which is now over. Are we already done with harvest and crush? Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were lamenting the spring frost? That we were analyzing budbreak, weather, and irrigation data? Perhaps it was the rainy fall skies that made me pause today.Tonight we are hosting a vertical, horizontal tasting. With Bill’s brother Mark, we will be sampling the 2006 Syrah and the 2007 Syrah – vertical. As well, we will be comparing our 2009 acorn squash to the 2009 delicata - horizontal. Food or wine, it’s all about the mouthfeel, taste, finish… Yes, fall is my favorite time of year - a rich season in many ways.
– Barbara Steele
Soiree´du Vin
Sunday | 11 October 2009
Okay, this was wild! After harvesting all day on Saturday, I jumped in the car on Sunday to drive to Silicon Valley for a school fundraiser. It’s a pretty swanky event, lots of very nice wines being poured all for a great cause. As usual, I suffered the intimidations of the event (read previous events to refresh yourself with my cases of nerves) this time due to the caliber of wines on the neighboring tables, being poured with dinner, and being offered for auction. Thankfully it was fleeting, the event was great fun and Cowhorn’s contribution was appreciated by all.
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2008 Syrah just bottled
Tuesday | 20 October 2009
The 2008 Syrah was just bottled a month or so ago. Ahhh…before it went into the bottle, it was full and deep and clearly a more mature vintage than any we have produced so far. Now it is awkward and disconnected – it’s our own personal experience of the movie Bottle Shock! Last, the 2009 Syrah is just an expectation at this point. The berries are in tank and they smell like grape juice, but the beginnings of fermentation are in the air! Being around them is a dream waiting to unfold.
– Barbara Steele
– Barbara Steele
2006 Syrah drinking beautifully
Tuesday | 20 October 2009
The 2006 Syrah is drinking beautifully now. Our first vintage, it now has 18 months in the bottle. This wine has youthful fruitiness, nuances of earthy Syrah-like tones, and the soft, lush richness that only time can produce. The 2007 Syrah has now been in bottle for 6 months and was just recently released in our tasting room. It has structure and firmness, bright cherry and dark earth. It is evolving weekly as the effects of bottle age become evident; it is becoming graceful and powerful, while still structured and soft. Each week, we anticipate experiencing a different, more beautiful wine.
– Barbara Steele
38 Central hosts Cowhorn dinner
Tuesday | 25 August 2009
38 Central is hosting the second in its series of dinners featuring food and wine from Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden. This time, David Graham will serve a flight of three Cowhorn wines—Viognier, Spiral 36 and Syrah—along with a 4-course meal.
Here’s the menu...
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Here’s the menu...
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