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MONTEREY/CENTRAL COAST | WINE COUNTRY THIS WEEKThe Crush is On! Grapes Come Marching In…Although this summer w<strong>as</strong> relatively cool overall, there were somedefinite heat spikes to promote sugar development, but none of sufficientlength to necessitate watering where irrigation is not typicallydone. As we move from August into September, the clock really startsticking. Many local wineries are bottling right at the very l<strong>as</strong>t minute,emptying their barrels and getting ready for the new juice. L<strong>as</strong>tAugust, a l<strong>as</strong>t minute heat wave, accompanied by the light crop loaddue to the early spring frosts and May heat wave and fires, causedmany to scramble to bring in rapidly ripening fruit. The fewer theclusters per vine, the more quickly and evenly they will ripen. Hence,the opposite is true. So this year, because so many vines in the SantaCruz Mountains bore much less fruit than normal l<strong>as</strong>t year, they aremore vigorous and loaded this year. <strong>This</strong> can lead to uneven veraison,and may force another p<strong>as</strong>s through the vineyards to drop clusters andremove leaves to create more light penetration <strong>as</strong> the angle of the sungets lower.Loma Prieta’s estate vineyards look to have more fruit than ever,with hopefully some really nice Pinot on the horizon. They barely gotenough estate Cabernet to fill a barrel l<strong>as</strong>t year: will they end up withmore this harvest? The end of September should tell.Will Burrell School make up for the shortfall on Merlot andCabernet Sauvignon they experienced l<strong>as</strong>t year? Even the 2008Chardonnay, which w<strong>as</strong> just bottled, w<strong>as</strong> way down. <strong>This</strong> year’s croplooks robust, and Anne and Dave are very excited about the firstharvest of Petite Verdot. Almost <strong>as</strong> excited <strong>as</strong> they are about thepending arrival of twin grandsons! Early in 2008, the A block ofChardonnay w<strong>as</strong> budded over to Petite Verdot, a spicy, darklypigmented blender that adds depth to Bordeaux blends.From winemaker Katy Lovell’s Livermore vineyards, Poetic Cellarswill be getting higher quality fruit and less of it in 2009. Livermorew<strong>as</strong> one of the few are<strong>as</strong> not adversely affected by the 2008 dis<strong>as</strong>ters,and consequently bore a large crop load. The vines are taking a littlebreak this year, which is a good thing. Since Poetic obtains Merlotfrom Livermore and the cooler Regan vineyard here in the Santa CruzMountains, look for a spectacular rele<strong>as</strong>e of the marriage of these twoflavor profiles in the coming years.<strong>Wine</strong> Happenings in the Santa Cruz MountainsFRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 – Poetic Cellars Pours at Vino Locale <strong>Wine</strong> Bar in Palo AltoMeet the winemaker, Katy Lovell, 431 Kipling St, Palo Alto, 6-9pm, www.vinolocale.com, 650-328-0450SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 & 13 – Capitola Art & <strong>Wine</strong> Festival<strong>This</strong> co<strong>as</strong>tal end of summer fling features 14 local wineries, including Burrell School, which h<strong>as</strong> been voted the mostpopular winery for the l<strong>as</strong>t four years! Food, wine, live music and loads of fun.SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 – Saratoga Art & <strong>Wine</strong> Festival – Noon to 8pm, downtown SaratogaFood, arts & crafts, ice cream, live music and fine wines. Poetic Cellars pouring. 408-867-5213.SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 AND 13 – Fall Open House and Rele<strong>as</strong>e Party –Big B<strong>as</strong>in Vineyards in Boulder Creek, barrel samples and new rele<strong>as</strong>esb Chef Steven King (www.stevenaltonking.com)presents savory t<strong>as</strong>te treats to accompany the wines, live music, 40pp, includes logo’s crystal gl<strong>as</strong>s, no charge for Friendsof the Vineyard, www.bigb<strong>as</strong>invineyards.comSUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 – Vintage Santa Clara – 1pm til 4pm, Santa Clara University, Loma Prieta andPoetic Cellars will be pouring at this annual gathering of SCU alums involved in winemaking.SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 – Healthy Kids Benefit – 1 to 4pm, Thom<strong>as</strong> Fogarty <strong>Wine</strong>ry on Skyline Blvd,Woodside – Elegant wine t<strong>as</strong>ting and auction featuring Big B<strong>as</strong>in Vineyards, Burrell School, Generosa, King’s Mountain andPoetic Cellars, food by La Papillon, tickets $150, 408-874-1912, www.healthykidsfund.org.SATURDAY, September 19 – Gourmet Grazing on the Green, noon to 5pm, Aptos Village Green. Santa Cruz CancerBenefit Group. <strong>Wine</strong>ries: Hunter Hill, Burrell School, Poetic Cellars and Vine Hill. Tickets $50, 831-246-2665; www.sccbg.orgSATURDAY, September 26 – “Harvest Haikus” at Poetic Cellars, noon to 5pm, $10 pp, four delectable food and winepairings plus recipes; new rele<strong>as</strong>es. No charge for club members. Live music, art and haiku contest. 5000 N. Rodeo Gulch,Scotts Valley, 831-462-347872 www.<strong>Wine</strong><strong>Country</strong><strong>This</strong><strong>Week</strong>.com
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