Romililly

Pruning (what are they doing out there?)

jesse — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:47:13 +0000

A spur prune (just as the bud is "breaking")

Here comes the rain again… finally.

As we start to see our friends out in the vineyards clipping away, we often get asked when the best time to prune is. Basically, that is up to the grower – as long as the vine is dormant (in most instances). Some folks prune late to help ensure the vine isn’t stimulated into budding before the threat of imminent frost is gone. Other vineyards need a little kick in the rear so vineyard managers will prune earlier. Some only do a partial prune, and do this for several reasons, including making the actual precision pruning easier later on in the season. I have even seen people wait until they bud before pruning, but that is rare and is either a philosophy they have adopted or because the site demands that timeline. Drier weather helps curb any additional risk of infection by fungus, etc, on the fresh cuts. Also, if the ground is still a big pile of mud, you better knock on wood before setting out on a pruning mission… some have gone out and never returned.

A Note on the 2011 Vintage

aaron — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:58:30 +0000

With only Cabernet still on the vine, the 2011 harvest is coming to a close, at least for us. As the anxieties, buzz and sleep deprivation begin to integrate into our memory banks, what happens next? Well, there is one thing that happens for sure…media assessments of how this vintage stacks up.

2011 will not go down as vintage of the decade; there were many challenges and hard decisions that had to be made. However, speaking only for our wines, the quality is actually really nice. We are looking forward to tasting how these wines develop over the coming winter. I encourage people, when the time comes, to be educated about buying wines from the 2011vintage, but give them a chance.

Last night I drank a 2006 Romililly Russian River Pinot Noir and was surprised at how it had come into maturity. 2006 was a very tough vintage for us and many others, yet the wine elevated my pizza to a special place.

Cheers for now!

Aaron

Join us at Pinot on the River!

aaron — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:09:45 +0000

Hard to believe a year has pasted by since the last Pinot on the River festival. Yet, here we are and looking forward to the “Grand Tasting” being held in downtown Healdsburg. It promises to be a day filled with great Pino Noir and fun! Don’t forget to get a discount on tickets using the coupon “pinotenvy2011″ at http://www.pinotfestival.com/.

See you there!

Bar Adagio Winemaker Dinner Rescheduled

aaron — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:35:53 +0000

First Love, Second Label Winemaker Dinner.

We are teaming up with Zacherle Wines and the hip Bar Adagio for a three course dinner on Tuesday, September 13th to showcase our personal wine labels.

To the excitement of the foodie community of San Francisco, Romililly Wines, Zacherle Wines and Bar Adagio are thrilled to offer a unique and unforgettable dining event. Guests are invited to savor a three-course dinner and social experience, presented by the popular Bar Adagio.

Aaron and Jesse Inman (formerly of August Briggs) and Nile Zacherle (David Arthur Vineyards and Montagna) will be in attendance to pour and discuss the wines crafted under their own labels. Both producers have created a buzz in the Northern California wine community for their artfully produced wines, and they are joining forces to present a delightful dinner with creative wine pairings throughout.

The price for the meal with wine is $65 per person (including tax and tip), which will include a three course dinner with wine pairing.

To RSVP please contact Brian Reccow at Bar Adagio (415)-354-2610 or email baradagio@jdvhotels.com .

Rain on Bloom

aaron — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:31:50 +0000

Morelli Lane vinyard during bloom

Aaron and I have previously posted blogs on rain… basically no big deal, but when it comes to bloom it is a different story; what a pain in the bloom (pun intended). Hail, rain, frost, or any other weather phenomenon outside of sunny days, is a pain in our grapes. Each berry has its own little flower. While these flowers are not very impressive-looking, they are very important. If they are rained on we can have mold and uneven set, which means uneven ripening. So as we proceed into bloom, let us all hope for nice and warm sunny days. Not only will I enjoy it, but so will you when you are drinking the wines from the 2011 vintage.

Food of the Gods – Fruit of the Vine

aaron — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:09:01 +0000

Come join Romililly at the Marin Greek Festival’s 40th Anniversary! There will be delectable, authentic Greek delicacies prepared from recipes passed down from generation to generation and enjoyed in the old world ambiance of a Greek village on the hill.

Special A La Carte Food and Wine Pairing Menu
Dancing to the music of Kefi Greek Band

Wine Tasting – 5:30 – 8:30
Featured Wines: Keller Estate, Bouchaine, Fog Crest Vineyard, Suacci Carciere, Mahoney Vineyards, Romililly and Fontinos Vineyard

Date: Friday, May 27th.
Time: 5:00 – 10:00 pm
Location: Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church
1110 Highland Drive, Novato, CA 94949

Directions: From Highway 101, take Ignacio Blvd. exit heading west.
Follow signs to free parking at Indian Valley Collage or San Jose Middle School,
where a shuttle will take you to the Festival.

Price: $20 tasting fee to sample the wines*
*Purchase advance wine tasting tickets at greekfestwinetasting.eventbriete.com
Free admission to the grounds

For more information, call: 415-883-19-98

Romililly and Il Cane Rosso Winemaker Dinner

aaron — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:34:06 +0000

The Bay Area is such an exciting place to live because of the amazing food and wine culture we enjoy. At Romililly we aren’t only working in the industry, we support it. Winemaker dinners are a great way to explore all that food and wine pairing can be, while having the opportunity to get acquainted with the faces behind the product.

With all that said, Romililly is hooking up with Il Cane Rosso restaurant to provide a fun-filled food and wine outing. Chef/Owner Lauren Kiino, along with Sous Chefs Ryan Pollnow and Emily Martin, is crafting dishes that have the Ferry Building buzzing. It is going to be a real treat to have this talented kitchen construct a four course dinner around four awesome wines: August Briggs Rose of Syrah, August Briggs Russian River Chardonnay, and Romililly’s 08 and 09 Russian River Pinot Noirs.

The dinner will be held on Friday, May 6, 2011 with two seatings. The first will be at 5:45pm and the second will begin at 8:15pm. The dinner is priced at a reasonable $55 a person; this includes a four course dinner and wine pairing. If interested in reservations, please contact the restaurant at (415)-391-7500 or email info@canerossosf.com. Seating will be limited, so I do advise you to clear your calendar early!

We here at Romililly (really just Jesse and Aaron) our very excited about this event and hope to see you there!

Vines Under Water

jesse — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:55:36 +0000

Vines underwater is a cool sight to see (have a look at the picture), and it sure makes people wonder what the heck flooding does to a vine. Well, not too much because the vine is dormant. The vines basically shut off and pull back much of the nutrition from the more sensitive parts of the vine. The cold soil temperature will help delay any budding. Problems can arise from extended amounts of time under water, but we are not typically faced with those problems around here as our climate does not usually keep us underwater that long. So, relax and have a glass of wine (or a shot of Bourbon). Grapevines are like a weed in many ways; they keep coming back. Although like a weed, grapevines are not some stupid, small plant I have to bend over and pull up. It is getting these rough and tumble vines to produce great and complex fruit, in a farmable way that is the real worry (and hard work).

Clone Wars: Episode 1 Pinot Noir

aaron — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:29:51 +0000

Dijon Clone 114

Pommard, Dijon and Swan; what do these names have in common?

They are all clones of Pinot Noir. “Clonal Selection” is a hot topic these days among Pinot-philes. Just as it sounds, clonal selection is the process of choosing clones for a given vineyard site; a selection that is critical in determining the ultimate character and quality of the wine.

There are many opinions swirling among blogs, websites, and articles on the subject of which clones produce the finest Pinot, but I think you’ll find that the answer to which clone is best really depends on where the grapes are grown and what style of wine is desired. In the next few paragraphs I will attempt to provide a little info on Pinot Noir clones, so the next time you are in a tasting room you can ask, “Which clones do you use?”

I should start with an explanation of what a clone is and how it contributes to the character and quality of a wine. Each varietal has numerous sub varieties called clones – in the case of Pinot Noir there are more than 200 – which offer different characteristics from disease resistance to aroma and flavor profiles. When you take a cutting from a host vine and graft that cutting to the rootstock of another vine you have transferred the genetic characteristics.

The changes that manifest due to genetic diversity over generations produce variations on the same grape. It can take decades to notice the difference between adjacent vines in a vineyard. Once a candidate for a new clone has been selected it can take many years to get that clone to the nursery. It has only been within the past twenty years that vineyard owners have had a large selection of clones to choose from. Dijon Clones burst on to the scene in the mid 1980’s, becoming very popular in California and Oregon, and were part of a new focus on selecting site and style specific clones in order to enhance wine quality.

Multiple factors must be considered when selecting a clone for a vineyard. “Terroir,” as the French call it, refers to a given site’s mix of climate, soil, drainage, exposure and viticulture – and all come into play when choosing the appropriate clone. For example, a warm weather clone that does beautifully in California, may be a disaster in Oregon. Likewise, a clone that delivers high-yields would not be a good choice for highly-fertile regions like Santa Lucia Highlands.

The wine’s style is affected as well. For example, some clones deliver fruit forward characteristics while others may encourage earthiness. Knowing the relationship between clone and site as well as clone and wine style enables the winemaker to make proper choices both in what to pick and when to pick it.

The varying characteristics produced from different clones are a like a spice rack. Depending on the varietal, site and preferred style, a winemaker can choose a single clone or multiples for a particular wine. Ultimately the goal is to make the best wine one can and clones are a tool that winemakers can use to create great wines. Our Russian River is a great example of a combination of Pommard, Dijon Clones, and a touch of Beringer. Using these tools we strive to create wonderful sense of place Pinot Noir that showcase the character of the grape and growing area. We believe that’s the ultimate goal for producing high-end pinots. Stay tuned for Episode 2 and an explanation of why we chose these specific clones for Romililly.

February Newsletter-Love and Wine

jesse — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:50:03 +0000

Tuesday 8, February 2011

Romililly on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I can’t wait to see all the men scurrying around Safeway, buying chocolates and teddy bears. I was one of those men for many years, however, I realized that wine is the real way to a women’s heart! Not any wine, but Romililly of course! Now my V-Day is spent devouring a delicious homemade meal (We cook) and a bottle of her favorite wine.
Some years we will head out on the town for a well-prepared Sonoma County meal at one of our local favorite restaurants, such as Zazu or Willi’s Wine Bar. Not having to clean up the dishes is always an added touch to a special night. Yet, I have found that with a supply of good wine and a cookbook, Valentine’s Day dinner at the casa can be hard to beat. The night can even be more romantic; actually focusing on the person and the relationship you are celebrating, rather than people watching or getting irritated with a fixed course menu. It will have to be Jesse that is the Romililly Valentine’s Day dining out representative this time.
This might be the year we cook duck at home, daunting I know. We will be having Pinot Noir, no doubt, and duck breast with raspberry chutney is a perfect match. Regardless of how the duck comes out, I will have a fine Russian River Valley Pinot to cleanse my palate of the charred flavors and my lovely new wife to share it with.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you no matter how you are celebrating – keep it classy San Diego.
If anyone needs a rush order of Romililly for their Valentine’s dinner please get a hold of us, we don’t want it to be a bust!

Romililly-2010 Vinetage

For the 2010 vintage we picked up, in addition to our usual Morelli Vineyard, fruit from Lynmar Estate Vineyards. At Morelli we still take the Pommard Clone (a personal favorite), but now take Swan, 828, and Beba clones from Lynmar’s estate vineyard. The 828 and Beba were co-fermented and barrel aged, the Swan, and Pommard were independently fermented and aged. This allows us more pieces to play with when creating the blend we want for the 2010 bottling.

The Beba and 828 are deep,rich and powerful fruit with hints of earth and leather
The Swan is slightly lighter with great fruit and acidity.
The Pommard is lighter still, but rich and complex in fruit and nuances.

We hope you like the finished product as much as we do.

What’s on Tap for 2011

The weather here in Sonoma Country has been very spring like this past week, making everyone anxious for the real thing. Along with spring comes the thawing of the wine buyers in many markets across the US. If accordance with the unwritten rule: don’t waste your time trying to sell wine after the 1st of the year, Romililly, showing our true rebellious nature, is making its way out to Maryland to work with our distributor on the East Coast, Mondo Vino USA, in March. It will be the first time we have made the trip to this part of the country to sell a portion of our whooping 350 cases. It will be awesome to expose our little brand to a new crowd.
No need to worry, California will get a dose of Romililly as well. We are following up our participation in Pinot Days Southern California by attending Pinot Days San Francisco in June. These events are well run, well attended and have a great line up of wines. As the festival gets closer we will fill you in on how to get discounted tickets.
After blowing our marketing budget (saved pocket change) on providing folks the opportunity to try our wine we figured let’s team up with a restaurant and charge these people. Just kidding, however, we are working on teaming up with one of our favorite Bay Area restaurants for a winemaker dinner-details to follow.
That is all for now. Happy and safe consumption to you all!