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The Latest
 “Cool July leads to hot August”
And we are hoping for just that. Veraison or the onset of ripening in the clusters typically occurs by mid July but we are behind this year by two or three weeks and I am just now detecting a small amount of berries in the clusters turning a few shades of purple in our Mother Clone vineyard. The cool weather has persisted throughout July and the forecast doesn’t look any different the first week of August. The equipment is getting a once over by the crew as harvest looms. If we see grapes before the first of September, we will have had a hot August indeed. Other than that, we are all waiting on Mother Nature to do her thing
3184 miles; 74 hours; 14 days. The number of miles Ed and I drove from California to Montana, the number of hours we spent in the car (and are still together), and the number of days for our National Park vacation to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Wow—you should see some of the sights on our facebook page—it was so beautiful. And we made one ‘work’ stop at my favorite spot in Moose WY: Dornan’s. Talked to Bob Dornan and he recalled visiting the winery in the 1970s with his dad to scope out wines for their shop—they have carried our wine for 40 years!
Our national sales meeting is slated in August and the Market Travel crystal ball is getting clearer as Jim, Richard and I plan our trips to points all around the US and Canada—I’ll try to work in some meet and greets along the way and you’ll hear about them on our website or via Facebook and Twitter.
Released!
Mid Summer’s Release
Just in time for those great BBQ cookouts, we have released two tasty red wines this month.
 2008 Three Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
The main show is a rich blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. You’ll find this is a wine that will complement your favorite steak with mouth-watering fruit and full-bodied flavor. I’ll let you in on a little secret: this vintage features a bit of Malbec from our vineyard.
 2007 Petite Sirah
Warning: if you like wishy-washy wines, go no further. I always preface a taste of our Petite Sirah with “There is nothing petite about it” and you’ll agree when you see the deep purple color and rich taste—I like mine with ribs, how about you?
See our recipes for ideas of what to fix with award winning wines.
Revealed!
‘tis the season for Gold medals and more for our wines. Gold medals for our Mother Clone Zinfandel, Three Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah (two actually). Our 2005 Port was Highly Recommended as well as winning Best of Class Sonoma Appellation at the CA State Fair.
Check out all our awards here:
Events with Pedroncelli
Club Ped Members: be sure to enter the promo code that was emailed to you!
Events are starting to gear up after the summertime lull. We’ll be pouring all around northern California and don’t miss one of my favorites, the Taste of Sonoma the first Saturday of September in Healdsburg.
The Family
Introducing another member of the ‘fourth’ generation—my first cousin, once removed, Denise MacNeil. By now, you are familiar with our Bushnell Vineyard Zinfandel (and if you aren’t, hop to it and taste this elegant wine) and the story behind it all—owned by my grandfather, sold to his son-in-law Al Pedroni, now tended by his daughter Carol and her husband Jim Bushnell. Denise is the middle child from the Bushnell family and is now working part-time in our tasting room. I sent her some questions and she did such a good job of recapping who she is I’ll let her tell it in her own words:
I was raised in Knights Valley (outside of Calistoga) until we moved to Healdsburg, when I was in high school. I graduated from Chico State with a degree in graphic design and from there moved to Seattle with my husband, Ryan. I worked as a graphic designer in Seattle for four years. (While I enjoy graphic design, I really have to say that working at Pedroncelli is the most excited I've ever been about a job; I feel extremely fortunate and very proud to be able to work in a place steeped with such a rich history and tradition--and to have familial ties to this amazing place is truly a blessing.) Family is very important to my husband and me, so after having Reese, we moved from the Northwest back to Healdsburg to be closer to our families.
My favorite wine is the Bushnell Vineyards Zin--OF COURSE! My favorite recipe of all-time is my Mom's spaghetti sauce--it tastes like home to me. Besides chasing Reese around, I really enjoy cooking--I love how good food and good wine can always bring good people together. I also like playing the guitar, but mostly do that in the privacy of my own home so as not to offend the REAL musicians of the world.
The Menu
How about a delicious (and award winning) dessert for summertime fruits? I submitted this recipe to our local online newspaper columnist and won a flat of blackberries from Sebastopol Berry Farm—I have never before seen such large, beautiful, flavorful berries! This recipe is a great way to use up fruit and a great partner with our Port, just slightly chilled for the summer. And here are another couple of secrets: I bake this all year around and use frozen unsweetened berries when they are out of season; alternately you can use any combination of berries and stone fruit like peaches or apricots or skip the berries completely and you will still have a great crisp.
6 cups blackberries
½ cup to ¾ cup sugar, depending on how ripe the berries are
2 T unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the berries with the sugar (½ cup to ¾ cup) and 2 tablespoons of flour and pour into an eight inch square baking pan. In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the beaten egg and sprinkle immediately over the fruit in an even layer. Pour melted butter over the top and place in preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, until the berries are bubbling and the crisp is browned. Pair with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a glass of Pedroncelli Port.
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