Thanksgiving dinner wine list

I am always interested in see what bottle of wine people chose to drink on that special occasion or holiday. As a family that lives, breathes and drinks a lot of wine we tend to pull out some really great and occasionally disappointing wine selections. Last night for Thanksgiving all sorts of wine was open to celebrate….here is a re-cap:

For starters as a tradition we always start with a champagne toast and appetizers. In my opinion there is no better producer of sparkling wines in California then Schramsberg! Two bottles of their Reserve Sparkling wine and Thanksgiving was off to a great start.

Next was the salad and Artichoke Crustini course. For this course we break out a family favorite, the 2005 Rudd Bacigalupi Chardonnay. This Chardonnay comes from the original Paris tasting block that was the main component in the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 Paris Tasting in France. Only about 2 acres remain of the original vineyard and for the past 5 years we sell the fruit to Rudd in Oakville. This Chardonnay is unlike any other I have ever had, it is creamy, oaky and buttery, not your average Chardonnay by any means and for me it is always a treat when we open a bottle.

On to the main course which of course included Milton, our 25 lb turkey, a stuffing recipe by my Great Great Grandmother Olie, yams, mashed potatoes, two types of cranberry sauce, rolls and roasted vegetables. Pinot Noir was the wine of the night as we opened a 2000 William Selyem Pinot Noir and a 2001 John Tyler Pinot Noir. This 2001 was the first unofficial bottling by John Tyler Wines. As an “experiment” my Dad and Tyler crushed one barrel of second crop Dijon clone Pinot Noir in 2001. They hand pressed and bottled and corked about 20 cases. The wine is showing beautifully 7 years later. We also opened an Everett Ridge 2005 Pinot Noir from our 115 Dijon clone vineyard and a Seghesio 2006 Pinot Noir.

My Grandmother Helen is arguably the best pie maker in Sonoma County. She made 3 pies all from scratch. Pumpkin pie, Minced Meat pie (my Dad’s favorite) and an Apple Pie. For our dessert drink we opened a Mauritson Rockpile Port called Independence which is made entirely from Portugal varieties. Very tasty!

So overall quite a line up for Thanksgiving dinner… who knows what will be on the Christmas menu???

Thanksgiving yams

What is Thanksgiving without your traditional yam recipe? In the Bacigalupi household we use Grandma Helen’s recipe that is a loved favorite by all the family members.
Directions:
Cook until done 3 and 1/2 lb yams, peel and mash. Then add:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 lb butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sherry wine
1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
Place in large Pyrex baking dish and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Bake 300-350 degrees until hot. Serves 8-10 generously.

Such an easy and tasty recipe! Pair with turkey and a nice glass of John Tyler Pinot Noir.
Check out more of our recipes

Sharing a glass of John Tyler with Thomas Arivd

San Diego Auction Event, originally uploaded by johntylerwines.

For those who don’t know, Thomas Arvidis a still life artist out of Georgia who specializes in paintings of high end wineries and their wines. He is most known for being exceptional with his paintings and the reflections of glass and wine bottles. He is quite well known in the wine world and his paintings can be found all over from galleries in Sonoma County to Hawaii.
At the San Diego Wine and Food Festival I got the chance to hang out with him and his VP of Marketing Rob. Let me tell you Rob and he and some of coolest guys you will meet. Besides playing the ukulele (which I think is awesome) Thomas’s talent is self taught. As the host of the San Diego AIWF Auction Luncheon Thomas gave a speech that paralleled the similarities between art and wine. Thomas went on to describe his thoughts: his paintings to some people would be considered fabulous, priceless pieces of art. In the same way a fantastic bottle of wine can also be considered a work of art. While those of us that are in the production side of winemaking might think that to be a little far fetched to those on the consuming end of the spectrum it makes sense.
In all I had a great time getting to know Thomas and Rob, I am looking forward to a trip to Georgia to see his gallery!

San Diego food and wine auction event

We have been attending the San Diego Food and Wine Festival for the past 4 years. Every year we met great people and have a wonderful time, but I have to say this year topped them all. We started the weekend hosting a table of 11 guests at the San Diego Marriott and Marina. The Auction raises money for the American Insitute of Food and Wine, Thomas Arvid was the host for the afternoon. Also there hosting tables were high end wineries like Joseph Phelps, Silver Oak, Quintessa, Silverado and Stags Leap, and John Tyler of course!
Thomas’s Vice President of marketing Rob Preiditsch sat with mom and I at our table. Both gentleman are the nicest people in the world. Also at our table James Thorn and his wife Ruth Ann of the Exclusive Collection. I also had the pleasure of meeting Julia and Giselle Prejs, a mother and daughter who had come out from New Jersey just to sit with us and drink John Tyler !
As if great wine was not enough the food at this event was out of this world. The menu which was created by celebrity chefs all over San Diego consisted of: “estate crafted” Lardo -Wrapped Prawns, Sea Scallop and Lobster Ravioli, Brandt Farms Beef Duo (AMAZING!!!) and ended with desert of Griottes Cherries Chao Pot De Creme, Bitter Sweet Kona Almond Tart and a Gianduja Chocolate Crunch. The Auction was a great success raising more than $30,000 dollars in scholarship money. Our auction item of a tour and wine and cheese pairing went for $750! Thanks to James and Ruth Ann!
Later that night we poured at the Reserve tasting on top of the Hornblower Cruise ship. The ship over looks the harbor and it a fantastic setting. The reserve tasting is an elegant and formal event that brings San Diego’s biggest wine fans.
I had an interesting encounter with a quite intoxicated man, who supposedly was “in the media”. Luckily I was saved by Trey, the rep for Jospeh Phelps Winery. He was stationed next to us for the tasting and could tell I was in need of some assitance and came to my rescue, having the drunk “media man” kicked out of the tasting. I think that telling dirty jokes to someone should get you kicked out of a formal tasting…don’t you?
Seriously some people should not be allowed at these things! Besides that situation, the tasting went great, we met alot of people who were already fans of our wine and new followers as well.

We wrapped the festivites up Sunday at Seaport Village with the Grand tasting. We saw more than 4,000 people and poured out of wine in 21/2 hours! One of our biggest events yet. The 2004 wines were a hit, and although we ran out of Pinot Noir first, the Zinfandel was a big hit. Again the food at this even was killer. All the top restuarants in San Diego come out to play and we get to eat!
This event is always great, but I have to say this year was particulary wonderful with the addition of Thomas Arvid and his talented paintings. Thomas had a booth there with a few of his new works on display. We ended the afternoon with a beer on top of the Hyatt right in Seaport Village with a view of the festival from above and the sun setting right over the horizon.
I was definitely exhausted after all our events but it makes it worth it when you meet people that love your product. That is what gives me motivation to continue to travel and share our wine with as many people as possible!

Fall into Color

When you are surronded by the beauty of vineyards, fall is the absolute best time of year. The explosion of colors throught the vines is a sight to see. I always have wondered, what is going on underneath all that color change? Well warm, sunny days and cool, crisp but not freezing nights seems to bring about the most spectacular color displays. The color change is a sign that the vine is shutting down, storing all it’s energy and preparing to go dormant for the winter. This rest period is essential to the growth cycle of the grapevine. Once spring arrives this stored energy will be used to grow new shoots during bud break, and ths the cycle starts all over again!

Petite Sirah man

Trade & Media

John Tyler Wines are sold directly from the winery and in select states through our network of distributor partners in conjunction with fine restaurants and retailers.  The point-of-sale and marketing collateral are printable . If you cannot find the information that you are looking for, please contact our office at (707) 473-0123.

Tasting Notes

Here are printable tasting notes in PDF format.  If you cannot find the information that you are looking for, please contact our office at (707) 473-0123.

2002 Pinot Noir
2003 Pinot Noir
2004 Pinot Noir
2005 Pinot Noir
2006 Pinot Noir
2003 Zinfandel
2004 Zinfandel
2005 Zinfandel
2002-2006 Pinot Noir Vertical
2003-2005 Zinfandel Vertical

Collateral

Here is some printable collateral. If you cannot find the information that you are looking for, please contact our office at (707) 473-0123.

• Tradition and Heritage
• Bacigalupi Vineyards
• John Tyler
• 1976 Paris Tasting
• The Vineyard Sites
• Sustainability Practices
• The 3rd Generation

Distributors

Distributors

California- Northern
Vigneron Imports
FH Wines
415-823-2042

California- Southern
Vin 17
P.O. Box 3442
Dana Point, CA 92629
(714)715-2808
john.fontes2@earthlink.net

Florida
Thirty A Sommelier
P.O. Box 611250
Rosemary Beach, FL 32461
850-543-3700
shane@thirtyasommelier.com
http://www.thirtyasommelier.com/

Illinois
Vino Veritas
3520 Horseshoe Bend Ct
Brookfield, WI 53045
Phone: 262-227-8164
wi.rr.com

Massachusetts
Select Wine Imports LLC
27 Dale Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-921-1027
Contact- Alex Ostrovsky
selwine.com

Nevada
Imperial Wine Wholesalers
5440 Cameron Street #104
Las Vegas, NV 89118
702-367-2900

New York
BDL Wines, Inc
1250 Scottsville Road, Suite 120
Rochester, NY 14624
Phone: 585-764-7677
www.bdlwines.com

Ohio
Buckeye Distributing Wine Division
3717 Paragon Drive
Columbus, OH 43228
Contact- Angie Bigham
614-774-3632
buckeyedist.com

Tennessee
Horizon Wine and Spirits
3794 Tag Road
Chattanooga, TN 37422
423-899-3962
www.horizonwineandspirits.com

Texas
Imperial Beverage Group LLC
1306 Motor Circle
Dallas, Texas 75207
214-688-9463
winefw@yahoo.com
www.ibevgroup.com

Virginia/Washington D.C.
Vinum Ventures
12214 Jonathon’s Glen Way
Herndon, VA 20170
(703)406-4923
mpenland@vinumventures.com

Wisconsin
Vino Veritas
3520 Horseshoe Bend Ct
Brookfield, WI 53045
Phone: 262-227-8164
wi.rr.com

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