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.

Clark-Claudon in Asia
Clark-Claudon Vineyards is an inaugural winery partner of Altruistic Wines, www.altruisticwines.com.  The new company rolled out in April with a Boutique Wines Festival in Hong Kong featuring 30 small artisan wine producers and the culinary creations of:
- Ken Frank of La Toque
- Josiah Citrin of Melisse
- Hosea Rosenberg –the season 5 winner of Top Chef
It was an amazing 6 day whirlwind of dinners, tastings, cultural experiences & great people topped by a $2500 (HK)/person gala. I would travel with that group of vintners & chefs any time any where!

Floods in Tennessee, Heat in Texas & Rain at Home
I returned from Hong Kong and then left for Tennessee two days later to participate in our friend and customer Tim Brinkmann’s Wine and Spirits charity event. Sadly, we were derailed by the floods…

Two weeks later I was off to Texas for a short hot market visit and wine dinner. The dinner at Boo Rays in Fort Worth was a night to remember; like no wine makers dinner I have ever experienced. I felt like I was in the bayou for sure. By the end of the evening I had 70 new Clark-Claudon wine loving friends!

Back in the Napa Valley…
In Tennessee there was record breaking rain and floods and in Texas, no one could remember when it had been so hot so early. Of course at home, we were having more rain than I could remember!

Thankfully, Napa Valley is now having perfectly beautiful warm days and cool nights. Just right for our 2010 vintage! It is good to be home…

Well, I don’t know if the stars are in line, but the moon was bright orange and beautifully full when I walked to my office this morning.  Don’t be impressed; it is only 20 yards from my house, but it was cold and crisp outside.  Add that orange moon peeking through the trees…absolutely awsome.  

So, what better day to be releasing our 2006 Three Stones.  It too is awsome & perfect for drinking by the fire or with a hearty meal.  At $48 a bottle it won’t break the bank either…of course your bank might already be broken…all the more reason for a $48 Napa Cab…as good or better than many Napa Cabs twice the price.

What could be better; a wonderful wine, at a bargain price while supporting the future of small production wines.

Another beautiful WARM day in January!  The daffodils are beginning to pop & the air is balmy…hopefully we will be back to cold temps soon.  I probably should be worried, this doesn’t bode well for the vines, but I happily admit, I am caught up in the optimism that is surrounding the country.  Red, Blue or otherwise.  It feels good to be an American today!

Sun peeking over the horizon, walking up the steep hill, sky amazingly blue, air crisp and cool, sorting beautiful purple fruit, sweet sticky fingers…ahhh, harvest has begun…

Sorry for the lack of entries over the last few weeks…Whew! Sometimes life just gets in the way…

I always expect summer to be that lazy break between the craziness of Spring & Fall…silly girl…that just isn’t true!  Three great winemaker dinners in Houston, Texas, marketing the yummy 2004 Estate, ’07 Wild Iris & ’05 Three Stones, final blending of the 2006 Estate & the 2006 Three Stones, preparing the 2005 release…even more yummy?…, sadly assessing 2008 frost damage production loss, label changes for the 2006 Three Stones, preparing for the ’08 harvest….& joyfully kicking off our Cabernet to Care Outreach project!!!  Throw in health issues due to all the smoke, our daughter’s scary medical emergency & an economy that has us all worried…Have I worn you out yet? 

Definately not a lazy summer, but one that puts things into perspective.  Everyone is healthy again, the sky is clear & all that really matters is alive and well…more to come…

We are so excited about this new focus!

  From the vineyard…

to the bottle…

,

to medical and educational outreach… the circle feels complete. 

Since our Peace Corp experience, hands-on-philanthropy has played an important role in Tom’s & my life.  We learned as young adults that the perceived giver is often the receiver. From Colombia to Nicaragua to Nepal to our own community, we have been touched by amazing people. Hence, besides making great wine, outreach will always be prominent in Clark-Claudon’s mission. 

 To that end, we have allocated 400 cases of Estate Cabernet to our new 50% Outreach program. 

The details: 50% of the proceeds will be donated annually to our family’s chosen charities.  The program will begin with our current 2004 Vintage. Want to join the movement?…order here & now!

The V Foundation and its tremendous support for cancer research stands out as one of the most impressive foundations dedicated to cancer research.   Hence, it will be the first recipient of our new outreach focus.  Funds raised will go directly to the V Foundation’s 2008 Pediatric Grant.  This new program will be kicked off at the V Foundation’s 2008 V Foundation Celebration weekend beginning August 1, 2008.  

It has been like living in a mushroom cloud around here.  As we all tried to adjust to the dark choking gloom I appreciated our firefighters on a whole new level.  Thankfully most, if not all, of the fires are now contained or under control.  The blue sky has not returned, but at least the air is more tolerable, there is a breeze and clearer skys are on the way.  A week like this puts just plain breathing into perspective.   Thank you Fire Fighters!!!