Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

We have an exciting announcement - after several months of construction and waiting, our brand new solar panels are now live!

Our new solar panels in the snow we had last week. Picture taken by Russ Rosner, winemaker.

Here's what Susan Sokol Blosser has to say in her recent 2006 Sustainability Report:
"We have wanted solar panels for electricity generation for years but they have always cost more than we felt able to spend. Finally, this year, with the threat of the good tax incentives expiring, we decided to just do it. It took some time to figure out the best place to put 150 feet of giant solar panels so they would have the maximum sun yet not be in the way of vineyard equipment or visitors' view of the valley. We had always thought the winery roof would be ideal but it turned out our big trees provide too much shade for the roof to work. We finally installed a 25kW system below what used to be our concert amphitheater, at the top end of a vineyard block. We hope to generate enough energy to cover one third of our needs."

We are excited to have our new system up and running! Feel free to take a drive up to the Winery to check out our new solar panels and visit our Tasting Room, open 11am-5pm daily.

Click here to read the entire 2006 Sustainability Report.

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Communications Manager at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 1.5 liter bottle isn’t merely the equivalent of two 750 milliliter bottles. Wine tends to age differently in larger bottles; because the mass is greater the wine tends to be more buffered from outside forces (like variations in temperature, vibration, and light). The chemical reactions that are responsible for the changes in the wine – what we recognize as aging – are slower and more consistent. Consequently, wines in larger bottles usually evolve more slowly and gracefully. A 1.5 liter bottle of 2004 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, if stored under good conditions, could outlast a 750 ml bottle by five or ten years, meaning that this bottle could be drinking beautifully in twenty years or more.

Posted by Russ Rosner, Winemaker at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Top Elevation: 575 feet – Watershed Block – 9 acres Pinot Noir
Base Elevation: 200 feet – Betty Block – 2.42 acres – Muller-Thurgau
Snow in Last 24 Hours: 4” (deepest base we have had in 3 years!)
How often do we get 4” in the vineyard?: We do not see snow in the Valley often or at all. Usually a dusting to an inch. We only see 4" every 3 years or so!
Temp at Top: 33 degrees
Wind at Top: 0 to 3 MPH
Number of Runs Open: 1 – Old Block (500 ft) to 12 Row Block (300 ft)
Lifts in Operation: 1 – Scott’s Subaru Outback Wagon
Surface Conditions: Powder over chipped grapevine mulch and ground cover. Green farmers as always.
First Descent: Scott Nagle – Brand Ambassador, Wednesday January 17, 2007. Sweet ride through the grapevines!
When are the Sokol Blosser Slopes scheduled to reopen?: Another 3 years or so. Until then, sit back and enjoy what we do best - making elegant, age-worthy and food friendly wines from our fabulous 75 acres in the heart of Dundee Hills. Oh yeah, and we provide an occasional ski hill.

Posted by Scott Nagle, National Brand Manager at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently we received some questions from a Sokol Blosser fan about what to do if their wine froze in the cold weather we've been having across the country recently. Here's what Russ Rosner, our winemaker, suggests:

"If the wine was truly completely frozen (hard to do because the alcohol significantly lowers the freezing point) it should have either pushed the cork out or broken the bottle. Most likely, wine would be partially frozen (only the water in the wine will actually freeze), making a slushy. Freezing (or partially freezing) would potentially impact the structure of a red wine more than a white. A delicate red, like a Pinot Noir, would more likely be affected than a sturdy red like a Syrah.

Thaw out and drink the whites (assuming the bottle isn't broken, of course). Even if the cork is pushed up, they are probably okay."

Thanks for the advice, Russ! And to everyone out there - be safe, stay warm, and be sure to have plenty of Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir on hand in case you get snowbound!

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Communications Manager at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was one fun filled event after another! Upon arriving at Sokol Blosser's vineyards this morning, we were greeted with blankets of fluffy snow, a welcome change after the rain and drizzle we've had since the Holidays. Here's a few pictures of our Winter Wonderland:

Andre says, What's more fun than playing ball in the vines?

Our underground barrel cellar stayed a consistant natural temperature throughout the freezing weather. Our wine is safe!

This snowy birdhouse waits for spring and the return of the birds!

In the afternoon, the whole Sokol Blosser staff was treated to a trip to a local sakery named Saké One. Located in Forest Grove, Saké One is the only saké producer in Oregon and the only American owned saké brewery in the world, and prides itself on innovative techniques, local and fresh ingredients, and impeccable quality. After taking a tour of the sakery with sakémaster Greg Lorenz, we got to sample several different types and styles of saké, including their flavor infused varieties. Dewey Weddington, Steve Boone and Jennifer Brownstein were knowledgable, gracious and generous hosts, and all in all, we were treated to a wonderful time by the Saké One staff and many of us brought home more than a few bottles of our favorites. As Alex Sokol Blosser says, "Saké it to me!"

Dewey knew all the right food pairings for saké - including delicious chocolate caramel brownies with some of the sweeter varieties!

Scott Nagle and Lee Medina breathe in the delicate aromas of saké.

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Communications Manager at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Better late than never. Isn't that how the saying goes?

I've been meaning to write about Susan and my trip to Seattle which took place in early December. We spent a short week in Seattle promoting her book, sharing wine with customers, eating at great restaurants, and, of course, doing a bit of last-minute Christmas shopping. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it and we pulled the long end of the stick...

We started off with a fabulous dinner prepared by Ethan Stowell at Union. Union is Seattle's hot new restaurant, and we were thrilled to do a wine dinner there. The restaurant closed down and 75 people joined us for an amazing four course meal as part of the Cooks and Books Visiting Chef Series. My mom is no professional chef, but she did write a book and we had good wine to share that night. Ethan is coming down to Portland in a couple months for the Classic Wines Auction. If you're at the CWA, you'll get the opportunity to taste his fabulous creations. And, if you're at the restaurant in Seattle, be sure to try the Frisee, Baby Beet and Crème Fraiche Salad. It was an extraordinarily flavorful and creative salad.

The next night we ate at Maria Hine's new restaurant, Tilth. It's an amazing concept, and one my mother and I especially loved. Everything on the menu is wild or organic. How cool is that? Even though the restaurant was brand-new, it was packed that night, which is a true testament to Maria's culinary genius and the concept. I can't even remember how many small courses we had; I stopped counting for fear of overdoing it. I do, however, remember the amazing cheese course at the end. (Note - Susan will be back in Seattle to do a dinner with Maria at Tilth on February 5th. RSVP by calling Tilth at 206-633-0801 before it fills up!)

The last night, we had a small wine dinner at Ten Mercer, a restaurant I frequently when I lived in Seattle in 2002-2004. It was a small and intimate way to finish a great trip up North. The highlight of the five-course meal was the fresh oysters served with Evolution and red chile ice. I love oysters and usually eat them straight with a bit of lemon. But, the chef's Evolution and red chile ice was a great compliment to both the oysters and the Evolution we drank with that course. I hope they consider making that a permanent addition to their menu!

So, that was our trip to Seattle. Great food, great wine, book readings, shopping, and a bit of mother-daughter bonding during the holidays. What more could you ask for?

Posted by Alison Sokol Blosser at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's official - our 2004 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir is the Washington Times Wine of the Week!

""...Sokol Blosser's 2004 from Oregon's Dundee Hills leads the way... It impresses with finesse, not muscle, and while tasting of ripe red berry fruit, it never seems overly sweet. Although you can feel tannins in its finish, the wine is soft and supple, so it is a pleasure to sip. Still quite young, it should age gracefully for five to 10 years more. Despite all the hype about the category, this is that still-rare American pinot noir -- a wine to buy, not beware."

Read the rest of this great article by Paul Lukacs on our 2004 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir here!

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Communications Manager at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)