Hello March... Hello 2008 Merlot

A Great Day for a Great Merlot!

We are ready to bottle our 2008 Merlot, only nine months to go and then ... the unveiling :)

Today we were fortunate to be greeted with sunshine and not rain, a slight breeze will definitly keep the crew cool but with all their hard work they should stay toasty warm.

We have our pallets all lined up and ready to go. On a good day we can bottle up to 1,800 cases! But thats when everything is running perfectly, it happens-  but not as often as one hopes!

It all begins here, in this fermenation tank. The vintage has already been blended and is awaiting the bottles.

Here is a preview of our new bottle for our new labels :) They are slightly less tapered allowing them to stack better.

Lets begin!! This pallet of bottles will be set on a table with a conveyer belt taking it through the machine in the truck to get its wonderful nectar, 08 Merlot, a label, and its capsul.

Once the bottles are finished they get a last inspection and placed in our six pack and rolled down to a pallet to be stacked and then stored; awaiting a loving cellar to call home someday!

Happy Friday

Tim is learning the new blog system with Dana.

Thanks To Pepper Bridge

For the last two years I have had the unique opportunity to work in the wine industry. I have been lucky to get to work for what I consider to be one of the very best wineries in the state of Washington. I have been fortunate enough to get to work with and for a talented and fun group of people. From the wine making team to the vineyard crew to the tasting room staff and the partners, I love everyone in the Pepper Bridge family. I have learned so much about wine in the last two years. Norm has taught me about the vineyards and grapes. Arturo has let me follow him around the vineyard, pestering him with questions and taking pictures. Tim and Horacio have both been willing to explain anything and everything that happens in the winery throughout the year. They have answered all my questions, even the stupid ones. Jean-François has taught me so much about the wine making process, about the vines, about tasting wines. I've also learned the other side of the wine industry, the selling side, having fun with Lisa, Dana, and Sharon. I also have to thank all the great guests and club members that I have had the chance to meet and become friends with. I have learned much about wine from all the great people that have visited Pepper Bridge over the last two years. It has been such a fun and rewarding experience. I am grateful that I was given the chance to be a part of such a great team. I will miss everyone.

Bottling Amavi

All of the glass has arrived, we have corks and labels, this means it is time for bottling the wines of 2008! This week we will be bottling the 2008 vintage of Amavi Cellars, our sister winery. In preparation for bottling, our Assistant Winemaker, Tim Kerrigan is busy getting all of the wines into tanks. He pulls the wine out of barrel using a wand with a sight glass, being careful not to disturb the lees that have accumulated in the bottom of the barrel. The wine is then pumped into one of our large stainless steel, temperature controlled tanks. Next the wine will get filtered. We have a gentle pad filter that pulls out any remaining sediment so that the wine will be clear and polished. The wine will then rest in the tanks till our mobile bottling truck arrives. For Amavi Cellars, we have a Semillon that is blended with a little Sauvignon Blanc, and we have a Cab Franc Rose, always a staff favorite for the hot Walla Walla summers. Both of these wines are from the 2009 vintage of course, since these wines aren't aged in barrel as long as the reds, which typically spend 15 months in barrel. For the reds we have a Cabernet Sauvignon, and of course the flag ship is the Syrah. We do also have two special wines that Jean-François makes for Amavi Coin Club members only. Both of these wines are sourced from the Les Collines Vineyard, our youngest vineyard situated in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Each year Jean-François bottles a small amount of 100% Les Collines Syrah and this year we will be offering a brand new wine to our club members called Ceres, a blend of 50% Cab and 50% Syrah from the Les Collines Vineyard. This new wine is a way to showcase the distinctive terrior of the Les Collines Vineyard. All in all the 2008 vintage is solid, with good fruit and acidity. After bottling, the 08 wines will rest for the next few months while they go through bottle shock. We will begin releasing these wines over Spring Release Weekend in May!