Hello and Happy New Year!
We are rolling right on past Christmas and it is already the new year. The grapes are all pressed and barreled; we have even gotten through the first racking. We bought a bigger tank this year for our Riesling since we ran out of the 2009 vintage in August and are squeaking by with a few cases left from 2007. Wine is such a personal thing for most of us, just when we think we know what we like or don’t like, we find something can come along and challenge us. Apparently this is what the Cloud Nine does for many people. They will tell you they don’t drink whites, especially Rieslings, and then someone else will tell them, "you gotta try this” - next thing they know they are buying 3 cabs, 4 Eclipse and 2 Riesling. There are no absolutes.

We are all on a wine journey, our own odyssey if you will, to find our perfect wine. This really never ends since you continue to grow along this trail. George and I love to try new things but like to come back to our own tried and true loves. With this in mind, we are sharing with you some of our newest creations and some of our tried and true loves. Our newest vintage of 2008 has been wonderful and they are all terrific, but for me the Merlot is just a standout. I don’t know if it is because this is the first year we have done a standalone Merlot or if it is just far more exquisite.

Next we are sharing what is left of the Golden Pearl, Viognier. This will be the end of the 2009 vintage but we will have the 2010 completed hopefully by mid-March. Our tried and true for this shipment will be the Cab from 2007 which is still my all-time favorite. This wine just gets smoother and smoother……………..

For all of you red fans we have the Petite Sirah as this one is my second favorite. We did not make a Petite Sirah in 2008 and I don’t remember why. Maybe because we wanted to try doing the Merlot instead. As you all know we sometimes have a hard time saying no to grapes which is why we have so many varietals. We love to experiment with all that is offered in Washington.

For all of you who have asked for more of the Petit Verdot, we are, sadly, out of this but will have more next year. This was dedicated to you, our devoted Palate Club members and supporters who make this all possible, so thank you!

So here's wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and wine-filled 2011!

Linda