Pinot Briefs

Harvest 2017 at North Coast The 2017 growing season was a rollercoaster ride with heavy winter
September 21, 2017, noted winemaker David Ramey has obtained approval from the Board of Zoning
Adjustments to create a 60,000-case winery cave and tasting room on Westside Road. However, he is
expected to get opposition by local residents who fear traffic and traffic, and the Board of
Supervisors may have the final word. David and his partner Carla, bought the former Westside Farms
property five decades ago. There are already 29 permitted wineries or tasting rooms at the Westside Road area,
long considered the “Rodeo Drive” of Pinot Noir. Two other Westside Road suggestions were rejected earlier this
year and another small room has been proposed near Ramey’s property. Ramey founded
Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996 and grew the winery in 260 instances to 40,000 cases.

California Wine Strong Support the Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino fires relief in CA Wine Strong:
Was marked by high temperatures and very little rain. The first week of August brought record breaking high
temperatures with only a slight drizzle. The heat waves were early in the growing season
so the quality wasn’t affected. Winegrowers had to remove clusters was required to conserve the
standard of the crop. Weather in September and October allowed the grapes to reach full maturity.
Jason Lets of The Eyrie Vineyards told The Newberg Graphic, “An absolute classic, superb, healthy, spritely,
truly Oregon vintage.” Ernie Pink, winemaker at Amalie Robert Estate in the Willamette Valley, remarked about
the solar eclipse that occurred during the subsequent stages of the growing season, “The vines seemed quite
oblivious to the whole event.”

David Ramey’s Westside Road Winery Approved According to The Press Democrat,
2018 World of Pinot Noir taking place March 2-3, 2018. The event will comprise 250 wineries from all over the
world. The annual celebration of Pinot Noir is held at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, CA. Weekend Pass
is $975 (not including accommodation). The Friday Grand Tasting is $100 (VIP) or $75. I find that the Friday Grand Tasting much less crowded. For more information and tickets,
see www.worldofpinotnoir.com.

Roads of the Santa Cruz Mountains where a GPS is of no value searching for wineries will appreciate this
change. The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers (SCMWA) announced recently the acceptance of a new wine
trail signage in the City of Saratoga. These signs are the first phase of a planned Santa Cruz Mountains
Regional Wine Trail network to help visitors locate wineries throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains
AVA. For information, visit the SCMWA site at www.scmwa.com.

2017 Pinot Days Pinot Days San Francisco will be held November 11, 2017, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (trade)

Rains, record triple-digit Labor Day temperatures (112º in Healdsburg), muggy weather during harvest, and a
fiery end. Their fruit had been chosen by wineries before the flames in Sonoma and Mendocino County had
begun. The persistent heat led vintners to speed up harvest because of the ripening. When grapevines are subjected to intense heat, the stomates in photosynthesis, respiration and the leaves near to prevent water loss through the leaves shut down, and maturation is slowed. If the heat continues, the vine can
abort the fruit in an effort to remain alive.Despite the hard weather, the early expectations from sampling
the wines in tank and barrel is allegedly optimistic.

Published at Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:09:07 +0000
Oregon acreage and 57% of production. The Willamette Valley leads the country with 73% of total tons
crushed in terms of wineries. Total wineries rose from 702 to 725 in 2016 with 554 currently in the
Willamette Valley. Pinot Noir’s harvested acreage rose to 17,744 in 2016, a 14.4 percent increase. Case sales
increased 10% to almost 3.4 million helped by a 14% increase in national sales.

Oregon 2017 Harvest Winter gave up 50 inches of rain throughout the 6 month dormant period. Summer
2016 Oregon Vineyard & Winery Census Report Pinot Noir accounts for 64 percent of implanted
Vineyards & Winery, Eldorado Resorts Inc., and McDonald, Carano & Wilson LLC law firm. He passed away on
October 3, 2017, at his home in Reno, Nevada, at the age of 85. Carano was a second-generation Italian-
American who fell in love with Sonoma County on visits to source California wines for their restaurants in
Nevada. After taking courses in winemaking and crafting small lots of his wines from his home ranch in
Alexander Valley, he set Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery in 1981. This winery owns 24
sustainably-farmed estate ranches comprising over 1,900 vineyard acres in six appellations of Northern
California. In 2000, the Caranos acquired the Vintners Inn and John Ash & Co. restaurant. In 2008, they
acquired Lazy Creek Vineyards in Anderson Valley. A movie showing the Caranos telling their story: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPm0xs0fQSA.

https://www.youcaring.com/mendocinonapasonomacountyfirerelief-977973.

Donald Louis Carano Recently Passed Donald Louis Carano was the founder of Ferrari-Carano
2:00-5:00 p.m. (consumer), at Bespoke in Westfield in San Francisco. Consumer tickets are $75. Participating
wineries include August West, Banshee, Bernardus, Big Basin Vineyards, Brooks, Bucher, Calstar Cellars, Clos
Pepe Estate, Davis Bynum, Donum, Duckhorn, Dutton Goldfield, Expression, Foursight Wines, Furthermore
Wines, J Wines, Jigar Wines, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Kanzler, Martinelli, Pali Wine Co.. Sojourn Cellars,
Square Peg, Stoller Family Estate, Three Sticks, and Trombetta. For tickets, see www.pinotdays.com.

Source: Wine