Westbrook Wine Farm

News and Views

Winter 2013

We have many new vintages for you to try:

Fait Accompli 2009 "Tenth Anniversary", Museum 2009 Second Edition, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Peterson Family Vineyard

and , a real surprise, Malmsey Dearest.  Below is a reminder  about a couple of fine old friends which have integrated nicely in the bottle just as their inventories are on the wane. We look forward to having you visit and taste with us soon.  Please give us a call and we'll set a date.  Ray and Tammy  559-868-3499

westbrookwine@netptc.net www.westbrookwinefarm.com

Do you SAVVY ?

Sabe´r, a Spanish verb meaning to know conjugated to Sabe (you know) and its American slang, Savvy it is used to describe those in the know.

Starting with a clean canvas about four years ago we hatched a plot with Madera winegrowers, Laurie and Loren Freeman to produce a rich white Bordeaux style wine.

Of the four white grapes approved for a white Bordeaux or "Meritage" style wine we recommended planting Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musque and Semillon at the Freeman's ranch in Madera.

Our collective goal from the preparation of the earth to the finishing of this wine was to emulate the rich complexity of an old world dry Graves rather than the verdant gooseberry and feline excretions of so many new world Sauvignon Blancs today.   

We named it Savvy, for those in the know.

This 2011 vintage field blend is a marriage of 54% Sauvignon Blanc (newly mown grass and green olives), 33% Sauvignon Musque (melons and grapefruit) and 13% Semillon (dried figs and a gravelly minerality).

Savvy was picked on September ninth, 2011 with all three varieties being destemmed and immediately pressed together into a marriage tank to settle and start a native fermentation before transferring to new European Oak barrels for sur lie fermentation.

Savvy remained in barrel with frequent batonnage (stirring) of the yeast lees until it fell bright

and was bottled on March 21^st, 2012.  

Savvy 2011 Laurie's Vineyard Madera County $17 the bottle.

The Last Sirah (Petite)

It was the 1965 vintage Mirassou Santa Clara Petite Sirah which started my love affair with this Rhone hybrid. Developed by a fellow named Duriff who mated the juicy Syrah grape with the dark and tannic Peloursin, he did not name it after himself as many contend.  My most memorable PS encounter was with a 1968 vintage 16% fruit monster from the good Doctor Bruce.

When, in 2004, our friend and Viognier grower, John Simpson let it slip that he had two rows of the stuff, my taste memory from those 60s encounters loomed large (did they really happen?) and we produced our six vintages of Petite Sirah through 2009. Recently, John found it necessary to remove the vines and we have not found a suitable replacement. 

We, therefore, offer you our last Petite Sirah John Simpson Vines 2009 at $25 the bottle while supplies last.

You may order by phone or email and we will invoice you electronically.

*Prices include sales tax and full cases are shipped or personally delivered at no charge to a non-residential

address in California only.  Adult signature required.