What's Going on at Donati? Glad you asked!

Alright, I am committing to this blog- so look for it every Friday- and chastise me greatly if I don't follow through!
This week at Donati Family Vineyard in the cellar things are busy- this was bottling week and the DFV wine making team was hard at work for long hours bottling our 2007 Reds: Syrah, Merlot, Claret, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (woohoo!) and a brand new addition to our Donati Family - the 2008 Late Harvest Pinot Blanc. mhm, you read right! A sweet white.You asked & we delivered!

To allow these wines to overcome the trauma that is bottle shock* we will be holding onto them in our cellar for a while- but don't worry, we've still got some 2006's to pour for you in our Tasting Room. Come visit us- we're open every day from 10am-5pm.

*What is bottle shock(besides a sub-par movie that focused way too much on romance and not enough on wine)?
To get the answer I pestered our in house Enologist, Ian Hudson for a short description. If you know Ian, you know a short description is hard to come by, so- you're welcome. ugh- a kink in my plans! After various attempts to track down our Factotum, it appears he is elbow deep in wine- so you're stuck with me.

For many months (up to 24 on some wines) the wine has been chilling in barrel (or steel- for some whites) quite comfortably with it's Bordeaux friends. Then come bottling time the wines are moved to tank- these 5,000 gallon stainless steel beasts, where they get to hang for a day before being piped down a hose into the bottling truck, put into a 750ml bottle, corked, foiled, labeled, put into a case box, and stacked on a pallet- all in one day! Talk about stress. In the ensuing weeks the wine is taking its time to adjust to life in a bottle. During this process it can give off aromas, or just plain taste weird. Which is why we are just now starting to pour 2006 in the Tasting Room. These wines have had the time to make nice with their bottle home, and have started to open up beautifully. Like any young thing, they will only get better with age. If you haven't tried any of our new releases- you're missing out. You don't want to miss out, do you?