What an exciting yea
r thus far here at Heller Estate Organic Vineyards! We did not float away with all the rainstorms that California endured and are very happy to say that all the wells as well as the reservoir are now completely recharged. The vineyards are looking beautiful with all the new grape clusters just starting to take shape. The milder temperatures this spring has put us on track for a later harvest season, which is more in line with the pre-drought years as far as timing goes for harvest seasons. This gives the grapes a more relaxed growing season with a longer time to reach full maturity with wonderfully intense aromas, flavors and structure.
We are now releasing several new vintages of outstanding Heller Estate Organic Vineyards wines – the 2013 Malbec, the 2014 Dancers Meritage, the 2014 Merlot, the 2014 Pinot Noir as well as the 2014 Petit Verdot.
The new vintage of Dancers Meritage is a wonderful Bordeaux style blend that is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Each varietal plays synergistically with each other lending to an exceptionally smooth and delicious wine. Even though this wine is comprised of the big Bordeaux varietals, it pairs with all sorts of foods. On a hot summer evening it can be chilled ever so slightly and will pair nicely with a lighter meal like a tasty Cobb salad or a delicious BLT sandwich with vine ripened heirloom tomatoes.
The 2014 Pinot Noir is this quarter’s featured wine. This wine was bottled in May of 2016 which means it has had the benefit of a year of bottle aging. This is very important with Pinot Noir because it is a very delicate grape and wine. It has had plenty of time to relax after the stress of bottling. Most other grape varietals are not as finicky and don’t need the extra time in the bottle to bounce back after the bottling process. The Pinot Noir can also benefit from being slightly chilled on a hot summer evening and would be a lovely pair with a grilled salmon Caesar salad.
We hope you really enjoy all the newly released wines in this shipment!
Salud,
Margot Federkiel, Winemaker