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Newsletter 2012 Vintage Rocks The epic harvest of 2012 brought smiles all around. Grape growers were pleased with the healthy crop, but I am most excited about the quality. Our first 2012 wine to bottle, Chenin Blanc has been released to much acclaim and deemed a Best Buy in Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It’s so delicious I hope we have enough to last the whole year. The long, mild growing season nurtured grapes with intense flavors and consistent quality. The healthy 2012 Gewurztraminer crop provided the ideal grapes for our estate Gewurztraminer, T-Bud Dry Cuvée Gewurztraminer and a little extra for our non-alcoholic juice. The Gewurztraminer fermentations were quite aromatic this year creating a buzz at the winery. Ideally I would have loved to keep all our Pinot Noir for the Pinot program, but I know how much everyone loves the Vin Gris. This dry rosé keeps our tasting room staff happy! I have been enjoying the vibrant 2012 Muscat Canelli paired with cambozola. This triple cream gorgonzola cheese enhances the stone fruit flavors of the Muscat and complements the sweetness of the wine. Not much of a dessert person myself, this is my dessert of choice. In the winery we are still working on the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Our Priority Release Program members will be the first to sample the new 2012 Sauvignon Blanc in their Spring shipment. I am loving the high toned citrus, lemongrass, and guava aromas and flavors in this vintage. The Petite Sirah and Zinfandel produced from the heritage vines at our Garzini Ranch show deep berry flavors and are shaping into robust wines. These gnarly head-pruned vines are producing some amazing fruit! Life sure sounds rosy around here, but rest assured we have our challenges. The labeler on the bottling line went haywire so we were stuck hand-labeling a few too many pallets. Our crew smashed toes and fingers when working on a cement project for the crush pad. Just typical stuff to remind us that life is never easy! I hope you enjoy the new wines from 2012 as much as my team enjoyed crafting them. With each sip cherish the aromas and flavors of a beautiful harvest. Winemaker Brad Holstine is celebrating his 10th year with Husch. Winter in the Vineyard: As the Vines Sleep the Wildlife Comes out to Play Winter is a quiet time in the vineyard. The vines are dormant. Some have been pruned back, awaiting new spring growth. Other vines are left long late into the season, to try to outwit Mother Nature and the frost that comes on cold April nights. If we do experience a frost night, the vines will be damaged at the ends; these can later be pruned back after the danger of frost has passed. The vineyard may not have much human activity, but it proves a busy place for the wildlife. Birds’ nests are often found once the leaves have fallen. The vines make a safe haven for hatching eggs. At our Garzini Ranch, the new Husch acquisition, the pond makes a nice resting place for Canada Geese on their annual journey. They are the ‘early birds’ on their spring migration, likely heading somewhere north for the summer. The pond is busy with their calls and those of the other birds enjoying the location. We have spotted a fox in the Garzini vineyard a few times, but he has eluded the camera. We hope the geese can evade his wily ways! They don’t qualify as wildlife, but we do like the sheep to complete their annual mowing of the vineyard right next to our tasting room. They enjoy our fresh grass, and they don’t bother the vines. Soon the annual cycle will begin again, as the leaves unfurl and tiny grape clusters develop. "" "" "" Husch Vineyards Winery & Tasting Room: 4400 Highway 128, Philo, CA 95466 1-800-55-HUSCH (1-800-554-8724)Hours: we are open 7 days each week 10am - 5pm. Mailing Address: PO Box 189 Talmage, CA 95481 Privacy Policy – Trade – Wholesale – Contact Us
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