cartographwines's posterous

Today we just happened to wander into the vineyard at Floodgate scouting locations for an upcoming dinner party and saw the very first signs of Veraison. The process is signaled by the grapes turning red and the vine begins to shift from growing the berry size to producing sugar and viable seeds. It's a bit difficult to appreciate at this magnified level but these berries are very small. so this bodes well for concentration and color this year. There were only a couple clusters turning in a hilltop section of Pinot Noir clone 667. The picture below is of the Pinot 777 clone vines. The clusters have slightly larger berries and tighter clusters than the 667 block. It'll be another week or so before the 777 vines hit veraison.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Happy Birthday America!

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:09:46 -0700

From Cartograph.

IMG_1346.MOV Watch on Posterous

Sent from my iPhone

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Warm weather in the Russian River Valley has the Pinot catching up fast

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:05:00 -0700

I found myself out in the Russian River Valley today so I swung into Floodgate Vineyard to check on the Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer blocks. After a slow start to the growing season with late rains and cool temps through May and into June, we are now catching up with mid eighties in the daytime. The overnight temps have also been quite warm compared to normal so we're gaining some ground back towards normal. These top two pictures are from our block of 777 Pinot Noir.

One thing that the abundant rainfall has given us is a lot of canopy growth. The vines are already well above the top trellis wire in many rows. The clusters look to be medium sized and fairly uniform. The slight berry size variations should even out as the season progresses.

Fruit set looks good in the Pinot Noir and maybe slightly lighter than normal in the Gewürztraminer due to rains that fell during bloom. This lighter set might be a good thing since loose clusters are much less likely to have mildew problems.
Leaf pulling is mostly complete in the Gewürztraminer block.

Below is the Pinot 777 block which goes into the C. Donatiello Floodgate Vineyard designate Pinot.

This is such a beautiful vineyard. I'm glad I have reason to visit more frequently now that there are decisions to be made.

Alan

Permalink | Leave a comment »

A lovely write up on Third Coast Wine of our '09 Gewürz & Pinot!

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:16:00 -0700

Michael Rasmussen wrote a lovely review on his blog Third Coast Wine of our 2009 Gewürztraminer and the barrel tasting of both the 2009 Floodgate Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2009 Perli Vineyard Pinot Noir (both Pinots will be bottled this coming August). If you are headed to Chicago and want to know where to eat and drink, check out his blog.

-Serena

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Cartograph's release in T-minus 9 days ....

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:39:00 -0700

a professional bottle shots done

a tech sheets done

a web content done

a wine is labelled and tastes awesome (am biased)

.... only about 50 more things to do in the next nine days! Can't wait to share these wines with everyone!!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Awesome shrinkydink Cartograph wine charms by @winebratsf

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:42:36 -0700

Sent from my iPhone

Permalink | Leave a comment »

The trifecta has arrived! Now must plan the release

Thu, 20 May 2010 16:08:58 -0700

The first three wines created by Cartograph! Can't wait to share them with folks.

2008 Two Pisces Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

2009 Floodgate Vineyard Gewurztraminer, Russian River Valley

2008 Split Rock Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Happy #winewednesday to all!

Wed, 12 May 2010 17:25:00 -0700

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Mike Thompson's response to H.R. 5034 opposition letter

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:13:10 -0700

April 28, 2010

Dear Alan:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness (CARE) Act of 2010 (H.R. 5034). I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me on this issue.

As you are aware, this bill would significantly harm the California wine community, especially small wineries. H.R. 5034 was proposed by the National Beer Wholesalers of America as an attempt to increase their control over which products are sold by beer, wine and spirits wholesalers. It's completely wrong-headed, which is why I'm working extremely hard to make sure it goes nowhere.

Before I give you the background on the bill, let me assure you - this bill is widely opposed in Congress, and I've been told by Speaker Pelosi that it's very unlikely to succeed. However, the effects of this bill could be devastating to California wine and the beer wholesaler guys are working overtime for its passage, so I am going to stay vigilant in my opposition. And I hope you will join me in that effort.

What's in this wrong-headed bill?

Simply put, this bill is an attempt to upend our country's current alcohol distribution system. For decades, our courts have struck a balance between the 21stAmendment, which allows states to regulate the transportation or importation of alcohol, and other constitutional rights such as the Commerce Clause, which ensures the federal government's right to protect fair and non-discriminatory commerce across state lines.

H.R. 5034 would make the dormant Commerce Clause inapplicable to any state laws dealing with alcohol unless "unjustified" and "facially discriminatory." It would shift the burden of proof away from the states to defend laws they pass and make state laws supersede any federal law that is inconsistent with state law's provisions. Laws like the recently struck-down direct shipment law in Massachusetts would be immune from Constitutional scrutiny.

Bottom line: this legislation allows Congress to pick the winners and losers in the wine business. It means wholesalers could have complete control over which wines consumers can access. And wineries and wine retailers would have no recourse if discriminated against.

What can you do about it?

I've heard from many people in our Congressional District who oppose this legislation and I am very grateful for your support. If you have colleagues or friends in any other Congressional Districts - in California or any other state - I encourage you to have them contact their Member of Congress and ask them to not co-sponsor H.R. 5034.

You can read more about this harmful legislation in Wine Spectator: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/42526

And you can also join a Facebook group against H.R. 5034: http://www.facebook.com/STOPHR5034

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please continue to contact me on all issues of importance to you and to our district.

Sincerely,

MIKE THOMPSON
Member of Congress
http://www.mikethompson.house.gov

=============================

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Let the Pinot Flow!~ Cartograph labels arrived today. Woot!

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:30:20 -0700

I actually proof read the picture of the labels with a knot in my stomach fearing we missed something:-)
Alan

Permalink | Leave a comment »