tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:13:56 +0000http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/Blog_2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adonkey)Blogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-4014763156726535477Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:14:00 +00002008-08-14T15:37:20.803-07:00 Yesterday evening, the first full set of pre-harvest numbers were run. Wylie , AKA Rome, Vineyard is currently our only vineyard north of the American river in the foothills. We will have another one coming online in a few years. The site is incredible - at the top of the hill with a great view. On clear days, one can see both Mount Diablo and the snowcapped Sierras. The fruit tastes great.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/08/wylie-numbers-and-two-peaks-of-ripeness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-5542474843060087579Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +00002008-08-12T01:00:02.871-07:00With the recent posts about our wine making style, several people have decided to give our wine a try. First up, a positive review from a consumer who wants to hate us. We are very glad he liked the wine despite his thoughts on the name/label. 2006 A Donkey & A Goat Syrah - The Recluse I want to hate this winery because of their annoying name and hideous labels. I don't think I've tasted http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/08/two-recent-reviews-by-consumers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-8890185453070114416Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:24:00 +00002008-08-11T14:51:30.152-07:00verjusOur wine making practices have recently drawn quite a response for some wine makers who post frequently on Parker's board. While the reaction seemed based on a few words (none of those who were quick to criticize took the time to understand what we were doing and why), it did lead us to another very interesting verjus recipe from Paul Bocuse "Escalope de foie gras de canard poêlée au verjus". http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/08/dish-with-verjus-i-would-like-to-try.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-4232010229177771039Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:10:00 +00002008-08-06T01:10:19.248-07:00With our fall release this year, we will introduce a new label design and a new wine - our 2005 Reserve Syrah. This wine was aged for 32 months in an 2 year old (now 5 year old) François Frères barrel. We racked it three times, once at a year old, then again at the two year mark and finally into tank for bottling a few months ago. We struggled with naming this wine since Reserve is, well, http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/08/pricing-our-reserve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-5298949101715035127Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:19:00 +00002008-07-29T11:44:49.204-07:00 On Saturday, we completed our Ver Jus harvest. The harvest is straight forward - get up at 5, pick up the truck at the winery, drive to the Brosseau Vineyard (on the map, it is listed as the "Inn at the Pinnacles"), help pick the fruit, load the truck, drive back to winery, destem, crush, press, filter, keg, clean up and try and get to bed before 10 PM. Last year, we had a crew from In Wine http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/making-ver-jus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3003849807311512752Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:50:00 +00002008-07-28T07:56:31.330-07:00Drank two delicious bottles of wine over the past week and drank 'em the way I like to -- that is over three days. Especially with wines made from natural yeasts it takes them longer to open and reveal themselves. Lyle Fass on his blog Rockss and Fruit which is worth reading especially if you enjoy German wines. We often find our wines open up over the course of an evening or two. I have http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/really-interesting-comment-on-native.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6730363337662933376Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:20:00 +00002008-07-21T21:25:49.213-07:00 We spent Saturday afternoon and evening with Ron Mansfield, Steve Lightner and Steve's wife Candice. The Lightner's made us a wonderful dinner complete with peaches in the salad (from Goldbud Farms of course), grilled lamb, multi-color potatoes and a tasty nectarine tart for desert. One of the interesting components of this spectacular vineyard is the Counoise. There are only 18 vines of http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/grape-with-view.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-7069906106525209624Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:24:00 +00002008-07-16T23:59:21.762-07:00Tracey does the majority of the work on creating our wine tasting notes. I know, it doesn't sound like work but it is. Each wine has to be tasted, contemplated, re-tasted, described, over-analyzed and then written about. Last spring, she started having friends come over and taste the wine - ones with great palates who can articulate what they are tasting. Being able to describe it is often http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/writing-wine-notes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6345550961107392602Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:04:00 +00002008-07-17T00:03:13.582-07:00Six months ago I stumbled across a nice piece of praise for our blog on the New York Times blog - the Pour. Our mention is at the very bottom and was written by another blogger whom I greatly enjoy reading - http://winecase.wordpress.com/. The most recent post links to another good blog about purchasing a winery in Portugal which is also worth a read on Decanter - http://www.decanter.com/http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/some-wine-blogs-random-reading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3748591917012488083Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +00002008-07-09T22:18:08.438-07:00Anderson ValleySyrahLast week, we also visited our Perli Vineyard. We have called our two sections by various names over the last two years - Hog Pen, Hog Pen Upper, Potato Patch and sometimes Steve Alden's place. Hog Pen (the lower vineyard) pictured here and below was grafted over last year from Merlot to Syrah for us. We think this will be a great vineyard. The grafts generally took well and, as you can http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/perli-vineyard-new-syrah-coming-online.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-2409842917455888976Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:14:00 +00002008-07-08T10:16:45.210-07:00 We spent time in the Broken Leg vineyard last week - inspecting the Syrah portion for frost damage. It is not as bad as we expected but it isn't good either. Cluster count is way down and the ones that survived aren't in great shape. Many berries didn't set. The potential upside is that the fruit that does pull through should ripen (always an issue at Broken Leg) and could be very http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/broken-leg-vineyard-now-and-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6726974859703061524Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:05:00 +00002008-07-07T22:09:01.848-07:00The East Bay Business Journal ran a few articles about wineries in the East Bay this past July 4th Holiday with a nice bit about us. They chose vineyards in places such as Monterey and Mendocino counties and the Sierra foothills, all appellations that would meet the needs of the Rhone varietals and chardonnay wine they were making. The Brandts have established such good relationships with some http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/07/east-bay-business-journal-coverage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-964876392574065421Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:53:00 +00002008-06-25T11:03:48.100-07:00 Novus Vinum, Gayot's sister publication focused on wine, has named our Brosseau Chardonnay Wine of the Week! You can read more about it on www.novusvinum.com.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/06/brosseau-chardonnay-is-wine-of-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3826061134117756371Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:57:00 +00002008-06-24T17:05:09.647-07:00 The Monday Room (210 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York) is one of our favorite places in New York. Elizabeth Street also is the home of the Tasting Room - another great place. Anyway, Ruben has our Recluse. Seeing it on the list made us both happy. You can see his whole list on their website - www.themondayroom.comhttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/06/sometimes-small-things-are-great.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3699585482785214481Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:41:00 +00002008-06-22T09:02:55.091-07:00Wine making is agricultural business. Following Pliny's advice, our vineyards are typically on the edge of where that particular varietal will ripen with lots of exceptions. In our case, this means many of our vineyards are located literally in the woods. This years fire season is already rough and we got our first fire call yesterday. There are several fires burning near our Broken Leg http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/06/falling-asleep-thinking-about-fires-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-8616632856246149002Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:44:00 +00002008-06-18T16:02:49.651-07:00We went last night to hear Alice Feiring read from her new book The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization. (Parker isn't a fan - Forbes recently published his views.) It was very interesting to see the polarization of the people in the audience. Alice stated that she thought there was more to wine than a simple number - some jumped on the band wagon and http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/06/meeting-alice-feiring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-4670233282073277422Sat, 31 May 2008 23:44:00 +00002008-05-31T16:59:39.318-07:00There have been many reports over the last year about collapsing bee populations. In our backyard, we don't seem to get nearly as many. In fact, in the past, I have had to keep Isabel, our daughter, away from our sage when it is in bloom. The bees were often swarming around it. This year, we haven't gotten any. I am not sure if the local colony has collapsed like numerous others have in http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/05/bees.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3955607703987343117Thu, 29 May 2008 15:44:00 +00002008-05-29T09:10:00.623-07:00 I just returned from Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. We had a great time on the beach and at our winemaker's dinner at the Port Land Grille. Instead of the light, typical summer reading, I brought Gods, Men and Wine by William Younger. I am sure I am going to write more about this book but for now:'Rabbi Ishmael son of Rabbi Jose visited the home of Rabbi Simeon... They offer him a http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/05/summer-beach-reading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3907656642034952851Thu, 15 May 2008 22:29:00 +00002008-05-15T15:40:28.622-07:00Thomas Wolfe may have said, "You can't go home again" but Jared and I plan to do exactly that next week. Crazy scheduling challenges even has us each at a wine maker dinner in our home state on the very same night. With Isabel, I'm off to North Carolina on Saturday where I'll spend the first week in and around the Triangle. While there I'll get out in the market with our fabulous sales reps athttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/05/we-are-going-home-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6962439395119406141Thu, 08 May 2008 15:59:00 +00002008-05-08T10:22:07.923-07:00 Last night I went to bed thinking about Joe Dressner and Jean-Paul Brun. Joe Dressner imports a great selection of wines from France and is a wonderful story teller. (Just spend some time reading about Buster and the airport.) Joe introduced us to Eric Texier and to many numerous great wines. He is a defender and champion of natural wines which reflect their terroir. He also imports one of http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/05/natural-wine-making-circa-1907.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-8054424486162202455Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:31:00 +00002008-04-27T14:57:55.775-07:00GamayLightnerSyrahWild YeastPlasticWe have already gotten busy with the 2008 season and, believe it or not, with wrapping up 2006. We have been busy blending our final 2006 wines (and even a reserve 2005 bottling of Syrah.) Tim Patterson's article in Wine and Vines on wild yeast features us and it a worthwhile read. Using wild yeast is "not safe winemaking," says Greg La Follette, who does it at Tandem Winery. Chris Loxton, http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/some-brief-notes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-1218249890078631596Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:07:00 +00002008-04-20T14:09:33.869-07:00TablehopperMonday RoomNYCLESI realize it must seem like we did nothing but drink wine and eat...well that is partially true. Thankfully lugging a stroller with a 3 year old or wine bag up & down the streets and subways does burn a few calories!Before we left I did a little research on where to eat. With so many options and so much potential I wanted to make sure we took advantage of every meal to either try something new,http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/more-on-nyc-eating.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-7241121055230119831Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:30:00 +00002008-04-16T15:33:32.831-07:00Viña Bosconia Gran ReservaBLT MarketLópez de HerediaOn Friday evening Isabel and I had our last NYC dinner at BLT Market. This account is one of our favorites, located in the Ritz Carlton at Central Park and one of the rising stars in the Laurent Tourondel portfolio. Earlier in the week I had met Jeremy and Jim (Sommeliers) who are both contagiously passionate about all things grape. When playing mommy as opposed to winemaker I found myself at 5thhttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/more-from-nyc-1947-rioja.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-2133772922787471625Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:23:00 +00002008-04-14T21:32:37.571-07:00TexierAqua GrillOur first of several sales trips happened last week: New York City. I can still recall the first time I went to the big apple to sell our wines. I felt giddy, like I imagine young wanna be actors must feel when they arrive. Because my friends if you can make it here you can make it anywhere! Well four year later we have made a considerable amount of success for ourselves in Manhattan and http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/donkey-and-goat-in-big-apple.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6805105931956910266Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:19:00 +00002008-04-04T17:13:31.949-07:00 We had the pleasure of meeting Greg Neville, owner and Chef at Lugano's in Salt Lake, a few weeks ago. He is hosting our Utah debut on May 20th. I have heard he is a great chef from many people including my mom. That has been confirmed with his recent award from Salt Lake Magazine as the Best Chef in Salt Lake.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/best-chef-in-utah-hosting-our-debut.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)