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Phew! Harvest 2008 officially began today. The crew was up early in our North Concert Block of Pinot Noir, and brought in about 10 tons of grapes. The grapes coming in look fabulous, and weather the rest of the week also looks great, with the possibility of rain this coming weekend. Go team!
Winemaker Russ Rosner, President Alex Sokol Blosser and Assistant Winemaker Doug Vuylsteke met this morning to make the final call - when do we bring in the grapes?
With our long, cool growing season our 2008 vintage Pinot Noir has had a long time on the vine to develop complex and sophisticated flavors, and this recent heat wave have pushed sugar levels to where they need to be in order to harvest.
Check out those smiles... looks like the A-Team is pretty optimistic about that Pinot Noir!
In preparation for my coronation October 4th as Forward Stride's "Cowgirl of the Year", I visited their facility in Beaverton. They showed me around and gave me a "hippotherapy ride". I've ridden horses before, both English and Western, but this was a whole new experience.
The idea of the hippotherapy is to really feel the five-way motion of the horse as he walks so there is no saddle, no stirrups, no reins. One person led the horse and there was a trainer on each side of me. They had me sit forward, backward, and sideways. I was surprised at how difficult it was--your core muscles are critical for keeping you centered and after struggling to balance on the horse, I'm going to double my pilates routine. The ride is a form of physical therapy and benefits are neurological. This therapy has shown great results with kids with autism, cerebral palsy, for example, as it helps them get in tune with their bodies.
I came away tremendously impressed with this non-profit, it's program and the women who run it. Check it out at www.forwardstride.org.
Special thanks to Robin Cook, Cellar Club member and President of the Forward Stride board (in the pink sweater). Cheers!
Another great wine dinner in Japan - as you can tell, we all enjoyed ourselves! Cheers!
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Japan - a winemaker dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Japan, tono 4122! Cheers!
Me with tono 4122 owners Satoshi and Junko.
Look at all those empty bottles of Sokol Blosser wine!
1. Taste grapes for ideal flavors.
2. Wait.
Attention, Seattle area Cellar Club members!
Celebrate Happy Hour with Sokol Blosser!
Wednesday, September 24 - 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Palisade Restaurant
Cellar Club members and Guests Only
Join the Sokol Blosser crew for a fun and free Club Only Happy Hour at Palisade Restaurant in Seattle (Elliott Bay Marina, 2601 West Marina Place)! We'll be serving appetizers, pouring samples of Sokol Blosser wine favorites and featuring live jazz music for all of our members and their guests. This will be a great time that you won't want to miss!
Let us thank you in person for being a Seattle-area Cellar Club member. We'll look forward to seeing you there!
Reservations Recommended: Please contact Jeff Knapp, Cellar Club Manager, at cellarclub@sokolblosser.com.
There's been another Sokol Blosser Evolution, Meditrina and Pinot Noir sighting... this time in downtown Portland at the beautful Tiffany Center at the Culbertson-McGuire wedding reception (see your author - she's the one front and center in the white dress).
Plenty of Evolution, Pinot Noir and Meditrina were enjoyed on that happy evening! Thanks to all who were there.
From Meditrina lover Juan Mijares:
"We recently had a family trip to the sea of Cortes (Baja California, Mexico) for the weekend. The Sea Of Cortes is a little piece of heaven.
At more than one seating, we enjoyed bottles of Meditrina and Evolution. When I was asked to take care of the wines, there was only one request made by my dad: 'Don´t forget to bring along some Evolution and Meditrina.' We enjoyed both wines with grilled shrimp and fresh clams. While snorkeling, we got to watch the clams we ate being extracted from the sea floor."
Thanks, Juan, for these great pictures!
That's right... we're open! Drop in any time from 10am-4pm on Labor Day (Monday, September 1) to taste all of our current releases, sample gourmet food products or just have a great time with friends. Bring a picnic to pair with our wines on our scenic deck... the weather is supposed to be lovely.
We've just released our 2006 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, so hurry in to our Tasting Room to be the first on your block to have tried this anticipated new release!