Since harvest is at least three weeks late this year, I have a bit of time to enjoy the hints of Fall and wonder about other aspects of our business…

What has surprised me, is the lower than expected interest in our Cabernet for Care Program.  We have offered our 2005 Estate Cab, a Parker 94pt wine, for half price with the other half going to the non-profit of your choice!  In other words, the customer gets the wine and the write off.  I thought this would be a brilliant way to raise charitable funds while also giving our customers an amazing deal.

With the needs so great, we allocated 200 cases to this program.  Its not like our wine isn’t selling.  The 2007 sold out in 3 months and the 2008 is perched to break that record. I really don’t get it.  Do you?

Alternatively, recession driven on-line “deals” continue.  It is always frustrating when the deal is unknowingly on our wine.  Oh well, people are doing what they can to attract business and make a little on each sale. But, if deals are what you are after, how about pairing one with a donation? I promise, both will make you feel good!

In preparation for our new Bordeaux blend; Eternity, we decided to chip bud one acre of Cabernet over to Petit Verdot and one acre to Cab Franc. The Petit Verdot is in full production. We budded the Cab Franc this last spring. A typical vineyard planting requires 5 years before the vineyard is in full production. Chip budding gives us an incredible jump on that number.   

The “budders” are true artisans.  First they cut the vine from the trunk leaving about 2 feet of trunk in the ground.  Then a ”chip” is taken from a vine of the desired variety.  The “chip” is the size of the tip of your thumb nail.   Next a tiny wedge is cut into the remaining trunk and the chip is fit in.  Then the trunk with its new chip is wrapped at the budded juncture in a white plastic tape.  From there a whole new vine will grow using the established root system of the previous vine.  It is truely amazing!

Our newly chip budded Cabernet Franc is reaching for the sky.  We will have a bit of fruit this year which will be dropped.  If Mother Nature is kind, by 2012 we expect to have a decent crop.

Our CC Wine Club is growing!  Members are not only receiving a guaranteed allocation, but also special pricing on all wine orders, unique invitations and little perks along the way. 

I love to share special places in the Napa Valley.  Consequently, each club member recently received a gift from the Napa Soap Company, one of my favorite shops in St. Helena.  Using just the right combimation of essential oils and natural ingrediants, owner Sheila Rockwood’s most important ingrediant is cold pressed grape seed oil.  Her products are luxurious and very limited!  For example, only 50 hand made bars of soap are produced each day.  Not surprising, Cabernet is my favorite!

You can plan to stop by Napa Soap Company the next time you are in St. Helena or visit them at; www.napasoap.com.

This recipe by Chef Stephen Barber; Fish Story, Lark Creek Group in Napa, defies the general belief that only white wine or light reds should be paired with fish.  In fact, Chef Barber created this recipe specifically to pair with our Estate Cabernet.  I expected him to come up with a meat dish, but not only does this work, it is spectacular! 

I have summarized the recipe below.  The detailed recipe can be found in, Decanting Napa Valley; the Cookbook.

Clark-Claudon Cabernet
Grilled Crispy Skin Wild Salmon with Creamed Corn, Baby Bok Choy & Beurre Rouge Sauce

Ingredients:                                          Beurre Rouge:
Salmon fillets; wild, skin on                1/2 C Clark-Claudon Estate Cab
4 heads baby bok choy                       1/4 C minced Shallots
4 ears sweet corn                                1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
3/4 C cream                                         8T unsalted butter
lemon
olive oil                                                 Garnish:
salt & pepper                                        Pea shoots on top, with a squeeze of lemon & drizzle of olive oil

To Make Beurre Rouge:
Bring wine, shallots, & vinegar to boil
Reduce heat & simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 T
Add 8 T of butter; one at a time wisking continually until thick.
Season with salt & butter.  Hold in warm kitchen spot

Creamed Corn:
Shuck corn & grate on largest side of box grater
Milk cobs by running the back of a knife down them
Bring corn & “milk” to simmer
Add cream, cook for 10 minutes & season with salt & pepper

Bok Choy:
Cut each head in half length wise
Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze of lemon, salt & pepper

To Assemble:
Prepare Grill
Generously sprinke each side of Salmon with salt & pepper
Grill skin side down until skin shrinks and separates from flesh 
Flip and grill until opaque throughout and translucent at very center
Transfere to platter
Grill Bok Choy
Spoon Cream Corn on plate, place Bok Choy on top
Place Salmon, skin side up, on top
Drizzle sauce around. Serves 4

Anyone who knows us knows that we like to support charitable causes.  My background includes teaching high school students who could not suceed and working with children and teens as a psychotherapist.  Given that, helping our young get the best tools for life is high on my priority list.  That is where Cabermet for Care comes in.

The program was started as a tool to support our customers’ efforts to raise funds for their causes.  Over time we have also supported causes that are meaningful to our family. Yet, the best use of Cabernet for Care has been grass root efforts to raise funds for schools and small community projects.

The program is very simple, 50% of the retail sale price goes to the selected charity in our customers name.  This can be one of our selected charities or one of yours.  That is a $4680 donation for every 10 cases.  The current Cabernet for Care wine is our exceptional 94 pt. 2005 Estate Cabernet. 

Cabernet for Care can be used by a group of friends,  a public or private school, a non-profit or the charitable giving department of your company.  Large or small, together we can make a difference.

 Next week we will offer three new ways for you to enjoy Clark-Claudon.    I can’t wait to share the news with you.  For now, I am watching  a continuous down pour outside my window. 

I have been asked, What does this do to the vineyard?  We were below the needed rain level about a month ago.  Now, we are well over.  The rain has been battering us for days.  The soil is completely saturated and the reservoirs are spilling. 

This can be a set up for terrace slippage and major erosion.  In addition, with bud break coming, heavy rain can knock off the tender buds. Plus, muddy vineyards and tractors do not get along very well.  Consequently, the cultivation that is usually happening at this time is at a standstill.

Thankfully, the erosion control system at our vineyard is serving it well.  To date, we have not lost any terraces and the cover crop & drainage system are preserving the top soil.  We are all hoping the rain will stop by next week.  If it does, all will be well.  As I have said before, growing grapes and making wine is not for the faint of heart!

Premiere Napa Valley is a wonderful event where vintners auction off unique 5-20 case lots to national and international trade.  This year it raised a record breaking $2.4 million!  It is a relaxed day of seeing old friends, visiting with vintners and enjoying a wonderful lunch prepared by the CIA.

This year I left from PNV for a trip to Antigua, Guatemala to see my daughter Briana and her family.  Briana was there for a photo shoot documenting the work of Constru Casa and Transitions.  Contra Casa works with local Guatemalans to build homes.  Transitions helps rehabilitate men who have lost the use of their legs; victims of drug wars, political conflict or birth defects.

In many ways the contrast from Premiere Napa Valley to this work being done in Guatemala was extreme.  Yet, the vintners  of Napa Valley are some of the most generous people I know.  Through their association, Napa Valley Vintners, they too do much to give back.  Consequently, from Premiere Napa Valley to Antigue Guatemala, my soul is full.

I love the smell in the winery right now; baby wine all fruity and lively as it goes to barrel.  I pull out the bung allowing all the wonderful aromas to leap out and then I stick in the “thief” to steal a taste.   Following the wines evolution is such a tough job, but someone has to do it!

In the vinyard, the air is crisp and moist.  The fog swirls around me.  The vines are bare and stark with short canes sticking out at strange uniform angles.

These vines do not have some kind of blight, rather they have been pre-pruned.  All the leaves now gone; the wild canes, once controlled by trellis wires, have been cut to about 2 ft.  This early “haircut” supports the health of the vine while  preparing it for the focused decisions made during the final pruning…The 2011 season has begun.

2010 has been like a good suspense novel; luring you in slowly and then waking you up with surprise, intrigue and a great cast of characters.  Of course Mother Nature always has the lead roll, but when you learn to dance with her the results  are amazing!

It is that dance that sets Clark-Claudon apart.  Rather than try to control or manipulate what the terrior and season give us it is the balance & joy of the dance that shows in our wines from vintage to vintage.  This is the true art of winemaking.

Our 2010′s from the Wild Iris Sauvignon Blanc to the Estate Cab are already showing tremendous promise.  As I taste through the lots I know 2010 will not just be good, but rather a great vintage for Clark-Claudon.

Given the cool season, this year could turn out to be the best or worst of times. I am betting on the best.  Given the micro climates that make up the Napa Valley, the out come will depend on vineyard location & what Mother Nature hands us over the next weeks.

Right now, the Clark-Claudon Vineyards look better than ever.   The cooler temps are allowing the fuit to mature gradually.  Each day they are a little closer to perfection.  Also, due to location, we were 10 degrees cooler than many other sites during the 2 day heat spike.  And lastly, our retro-fited trellis system accomplished what we had hoped in providing perfect “sun hats.” 

I am absolutely betting on an exceptional vintage!