Dear Friends:

With all of the concern about that cold snap that frosted many vineyards in April, we'll let you all know we’re singing: "There ain't no frost on me, there ain't no frost on me... we had no frost, no vines were lost... there ain't no frost on me!" We're very blessed with our vineyard location, and Mother Nature's breezes throughout the hillsides, that keep the freezes away. The vines are growing nicely and although Jim doesn't count his clusters before they bloom, the crop looks good at this stage. Most of the activity in the vineyards right now involves the crew thinning and suckering the vines. Juan is out mowing the canes into mulch and cultivating between the vine rows. The sudden turn in the weather to a heat spell in the early part of May pushed the vines into full bloom.

Our real harbingers of spring are back!! The Bluebirds and Tree Swallows that inhabit the many bird boxes (approximately 46) that are scattered throughout the vineyard have returned in larger numbers than last year. Ashley and Papa (Jim) did the annual bird nest/baby count. Looks like the Bluebirds came in a little earlier than usual and raised babies in 15 boxes with an average of 4 fledglings per nest. It is a stunning site to see that brilliant flash of blue as one flies by. There are 17 Tree Swallow pairs just starting to nest. Some had their complement of 6 eggs while others were just getting started. They are quite active, diving and darting in the vineyard to catch and eat the bad guys (insects). No insecticides needed here!! It's just good responsible and sustainable wine grape growing at work.

[Vines & Wine of the Month] Brown Barn Petite Sirah

This block of vines is located on a hillside just below our brown barn where the winery and cellar are located. The brown barn, also known at the Marley Barn, was named after our good friend Ron Marley who did such a wonderful job building it in 1997. The Brown Barn block is a mix of petite sirah clones taken from several old vine vineyards by Jim and grafted by Juan over the years to produce a wonderful mix of grapes that balance each other nicely. The soils are dense clay that prevents the petite sirah from getting to weedy and thus enhancing the blueberry, blackberry, and cedar box flavors that are typical of a good petite sirah without the drying tannins.

It is also an essential ingredient for our recipe of the month, Braised Short Ribs, and pairs exceptionally well with the dish as a result.

[Brown Barn Petite Sirah] & our Braised Short Ribs
(This will serve 6 generously.)

Preheat oven to 300°. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Spread flour on a baking sheet and dredge the ribs in the flour, coating well. In a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Brown the ribs on all sides, in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large plate. Add more oil if needed in the pot, and add the onions, carrots and garlic. Cook over medium heat until just soft, about 10 minutes, and remove to another plate and cover with foil.

Add the Petite Sirah to the Dutch oven and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves and combine well. Increase heat to medium-high and allow to reduce by half and thicken, 10 to 12 minutes. Add just the ribs back into the Dutch oven and add enough stock to come up halfway up the sides of the ribs. Stir well, cover and place in oven for 2 and 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables to the Dutch oven and stir gently. Continue cooking another 1 and 1/2 hour or so. It’s done when the meat is very tender; remove excess fat and the sprigs and leaves. Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes.

[WineMaker Notes] Alex Holman-Winemaker

Greetings, I am so happy and honored to be talking with you as the new winemaker for J. Rickards Winery. For those of you who don't know me I have spent the last four years as Enologist/Asst. Winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyard, which is where I met Jim, who is one of their very best growers. I graduated from Fresno State College in 1993 with a B.S. in Chemistry, then went back and finished their Enology program in 2000. My first month has been very busy coming up with the best combination of crush equipment and getting it ordered in time for harvest. The new tank pad looks great and the next step is some elevation work for the concrete slab behind. Jim and I have also tasted each barrel of the 2006 vintage and we agree that it stands to be another stellar offering. With all the new equipment each vintage will continue to build on the wonderful foundation that Jim has nurtured so nicely. The bottling is scheduled for the first week in July and will be set for release as soon as you wonderful people help us drink the 2005 vintage. On a winemakers note to that point, you might be wondering about bottle aging and what that might mean to you the consumer.

Lets be very clear, how long one cellars their wine in the bottle is a very subjective issue for the wine consumer and there is no set formula. In a nutshell, here is my opinion. If a wine is either tart, has drying tannins, or is hot in the finish, bottle aging will benefit the wine. Bottle aging will always help in mellowing a wine. The other side of the coin is that a wine can lose some fruitfulness and freshness over time. But remember, even time will not make a silk purse out of a sows ear. However, if a wine tastes good now then buy several bottles. In that way you can be assured that the wine will be ready to drink now and into the future. Then drink them over time in order to see how they evolve. Because our wine is unfiltered it will have more complexity and flavor earlier while still having the potential to age. One of the hardest parts of buying wine is deciding how long to age the wine, if at all, prior to drinking it. You must remember an aged wine can be very different by the time you open it from when you purchased it. If you enjoy a big, bold, fruity wine then excessive aging might not be to your preference. However, a wine that is aged, at least a little while, is generally a better food wine providing it has the flavors that you want to complement the meal.