Road trip

VERY early Monday morning my mom; Pam and I took a little road trip to our state’s capital to attend the Family Winemakers of California’s annual meeting. For those not familiar with the organization FWM was founded in 1991 to give a voice and presence to small family wineries in the public policy arena.  At this particular meeting many important items were discussed that affect wineries and growers including new and current wine regulations and labor laws. Representatives from both the ABC and the TTB spoke and let me tell you… after their presentations it is no longer a mystery as to why most wineries employ a full time staff member to keep abreast of all the new laws as it is truly a daunting task.

Country tales

Sometimes living in the “boonies” is very inconvenient. Just going to the store has to be planned in advance with a list because if you forget anything you have to take that 5 mile drive back into town or forgo the thyme in your dinner dish. But more times then not I really enjoy living out in the country. We always have the beautiful scenery of the vineyards or an interesting visitor that just decided to drop in, like the blue heron that landed in the vineyards yesterday. My mom grabbed the camera and got a few shots of him walking around until our German Sheppard caught site of him and he flew away. And just the other day as we were hand labeling in the cellar I look over to see a large skunk scurry out of a hole and run across the pasture. But lately the largest nuisance has been the coyotes. They keep taunting our dog; Roxanne in the middle of the night, howling and whaling, encouraging her to answer back. Three nights in a row I have been woken up at all hours to their “communicating”.

Growing up in the country my sister and I had some unusual pets. Occasionally my dad would find a baby jack rabbit while walking through the vineyards and he would bring it home. Our first baby jack rabbit was named Buster and my mom bought a harness so that we could walk him around outside. One day while taking Buster for a walk my sister and I were arguing over who was going to hold the rope. Sure enough I dropped the rope and away Buster flew into the vineyard, harness and all, never to be seen again.  We also had out share of other pets including lizards, tag poles, mice, baby birds, turtles and a baby deer. Of course living in California we did encounter the occasional snake, usually the harmless Gardner snake which my mom decided should be better left outside. All in all some of our pets might have been a bit odd but that is how we do it out here in the California countryside.

My grandfather at Korbel

This March my grandfather, Paul Heck would have turned 91 years old. Even though I never met him there are things about his life and the way that he did business in the wine industry that I try in emulate in my own actions as I learn “the ropes.”

Left to right: Pierre Jalbert, Ben Heck, Paul Heck

Life at Korbel was never dull, in fact Combat! (a popular TV series from the 1960s ) filmed a sequence at the winery. My grandfather and  brothers, were happy to host the cast and crew. The cast of Combat!enjoyed their trips to Korbel, especially since my grandpa  provided them with wine and started their mornings with Mimosas, which explains many of the expressions in these photos.

One benefit that Korbel received from hosting the episodes on their property was free demolition. There were a lot of old redwood stumps that my grandfather wanted removed to plant vineyard. So during filming that is exactly what you see. So, when next you view an episode filmed at Korbel and see one of the spectacular explosions, you’ll know that those flying splinters are not European Oak, but California Redwood.

Label, label, label

As a small winery, 100% family owned we usually end up doing a lot of the activities and household wine chores ourselves. Today, the task was labeling. We are getting ready to release our 2005 vintages of both Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Labeling and bottling can be one of the biggest expenses wineries occur (besides the grapes themselves).  High tech bottling lines tend to cost anywhere from $200,000 to several million dollars. Instead we rent a labeler for about $85 a day.  We also purchased a capsule machine for $1,200 and this way our costs a decreased but we have to do everything by hand which is both very time consuming and exhausting! I can honestly say that I have personally touched every bottle of our 2005 vintage, now who else do you know that can say that…?

The logistics is the most challenging part of this operation because the flow has to be easy or else someone gets behind and then it slows you down. One thing I have become more conscious of from this experience is now I often wonder if people really check to see if the label of a wine bottle is on straight. We easily spent 1 solid hour and several cases of wine making sure that the labeler was putting the labels on straight. After some time looking at bottle after bottle it was getting more and more difficult to tell the crocked labels from the straight ones. Eventually we got it all figured out.

I would have to say that today is proof that you can do anything with hard work. Our passion and commitment to this family label and the industry is what it is all about for us and we enjoy every minute of it.

Working wine sisters

Katey and Nicci Bacigalupi at the age of two

In launching a new (and improved) website I have been combing the house looking through old pictures, trying to find photos that really represent our family and who we are. I came across this one of Nicci and me. It was taken in October 1985 so we were about 2 years old. Growing up on a ranch we were destined to be cowgirls. Climbing trees, scraping knees and chasing lizards; as you can see we got introduced to all that at very young age. I can remember the one day I got stuck in the tree outside our house. I climbed up this very large walnut tree we have in our yard. I was so focused on getting to the middle of the branch that after I had got there I realized I had no way to get down. I couldn’t turn around to climb back down and it was too high to jump. I was so scared, but I waited until my dad got home and he could get a ladder and help me down.

Family businesses aren’t easy, in fact I would definitely take bets that they are way harder to work in then just hiring a bunch of people that you don’t know. But can they can be very successful; look at the Gallo’s, the Foppiano’s and the Seghesio’s, all family run wineries that have been around for nearly a decade. It is true that sisterly love is very strong, and probably the strongest of them all are twins. Over the 25 years of our existence we have learned how we are very different and how we are frighteningly the same. Working for the family business has been both of our dreams for a very long time. We realize the opportunity put before us and are anxious to learn the inevitable up’s and down’s of the business. But finding this picture helps to bring back the simple thoughts of life. When you were two years old and the highlight of the day was getting a ride on the tractor.

Spending some time with the owls

Owl Box

It is hard to believe that it is January with all the beautiful weather we have been having recently. This weekend my dad and I set out to accomplish the very messy but important job of cleaning out the owl boxes. In keep with our sustainable farming practices, a few years ago my dad hand crafted 6 owl boxes and put them at the Frost Ranch vineyard. Using owls as a natural predator to help manage pest populations in the vineyard is not a new idea but with the increasing popularity and importance of sustainable and organic farming the use of this technique has increased. Hawks, bats and owls are beneficial predators that hunt unwanted rodents in the vineyard, reducing the need to use pesticides.

Annual cleaning of owl boxes is a small time frame, usually between Nov- Jan. Using gloves is a must and if you run into an owl while cleaning try to disturb them as little as possible. Today we did not run into any owls but there was evidence that they had been used, which is exiting! As you may imagine a strong stomach is good to have when doing this activity as owls tend to regurgitate a lot of what they eat. Nevertheless it’s all part of the job. This winter my dad has plans to build up to 5 more boxes to increase the presence of possible owl habitation in the vineyard. I look forward to next years cleaning!

2005 John Tyler Pinot Noir wins bronze medal

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Our 2005 Pinot Noir was awarded a Bronze Medal in the 2009 SF Chronicle Wine Competition. This is considered the largest competition of American wines. Held over a period of four days at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in January, this exclusive event has once again broken world records with 4,235 wines entered into the 2008 competition, all of which were evaluated by an elite panel of more than 60 professional wine judges from across the country

2005 John Tyler Zinfandel

Awarded 89 points from the Wine Enthusiast.
“The vineyard is virtually in Dry Creek Valley, so it’s not surprising to find the briary, brambly intensity of that warm Sonoma appellation. It’s a good, lush, likeable Zin, brimming with wild berry, leather, tobacco and pepper spice flavors swimming in firm, dry tannins.”

Tasting Notes
Moderate temperatures through harvest allowed the development of deep, rich flavors and color, the ideal growing season. This wine exhibits notes of juicy boysenberry and black raspberry with slight earthy overtones. Vibrant fruit characteristics mingled with some spice. Full and concentrated in the mouth, the finish is thick, lush with building tannins and the promise of great age ability.

Vineyard Location- Bacigalupi Vineyards– Russian River Valley Appellation
Climate: cool mornings and warm afternoons
Soil: Rocky volcanic and sandy loam

Harvest Information   
Date: Sunrise; September 19, 2005                                     
Yield: 7-8 tons
Duprat clone (24.2 Brix)
The 2005 harvest was one of the largest in recent history. A cooler and longer growing season with moderate weather created ideal ripening conditions allowing the fruit to mature slowly and evenly.

Production notes
Barrels: 23
Cases produced: 590

Download these notes
$36.00
Click to buy online

It’s 2009!

It is always so surreal to realize that the year has come to an end and another year is just beginning. 2009 is going to be a very exciting year for John Tyler. We have several big plans in the working for the next year…

1. Probably the most exciting of the year will be the opening of our Russian River Valley tasting room in the fall of 2009. This project has been in the works for the past 2 years and the Grand Opening promises to be like no other!

2. 2008 saw our first public event here at the vineyards at Grape to Glass as a part of the Russian River Valley Grape Growers. 12 visitors indulged in a gourmet lunch cooked by famed Sassafras chef Jack Mitchell as well as a gondola tour of our vineyards and a flight tasting of all our library wines. 2009 will bring more events with fun themes, great food and of course fantastic wines.

3. The launch of our new, interactive 2.0 website. This winter we will be launching our new, totally redesigned website with new photos, videos and the ability for you to post your thoughts about our wine right on the site.

4. The release of our 2005 vintage. Here at John Tyler we know that producing a great wine takes time and patience. 2005 was one of the larger harvests in recent years. With an additional two years of ageing both the 2005 Pinot Noir and 2005 Zinfandel are ready to go!

5. We are all looking towards the 2009 harvest with anticipation and the apprehension of the unknown. it is still to early to tell what the 2009 growing season will bring but we are planning to harvest our first vintage of Chardonnay this year. Also in the working will hopefully be a late harvest Zinfandel port.

So lots new and exciting things are in store for 2009 with John Tyler. Stay tuned for updates on all these plans for 2009 and more!

Questions? Comments? Let us know!

2004 John Tyler Zinfandel

Tasting Notes
Our 2004 Zinfandel exemplifies the finest quality fruit this valley has to offer. Providing the fruit with plenty of hang time on the vine ensures even ripening. Our program also includes extended bottling aging for up to 2 years. This wine features concentrated flavors of cherry and raspberry mingled with soft hints of barrel spice and black pepper. With extraordinary richness this wine unfolds on your palate with a wonderful balance of acidity and tannins.

Vineyard Location -Bacigalupi Vineyards– Russian River Valley Appellation

Harvest Information- Date: Sunrise; September 19, 2004
Yield: 7-8 tons
Duprat clone (24.2 Brix)

Production Notes Barrels: 35
Bottling date: November 30, 2005
Cases produced: 490

Download these notes
$40.00
Click to buy online

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