(note:this sale item is not an auction lot for the Napa Valley Wine Auction and not part of the Napa Valley Wine Auction or programs with the Napa Valley Vintners)

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The Guitar Legends multi signed “electric” guitar

Tom Petty

Lenny Kravitz

Jimmy Page

Slash

Billy Gibbons

Sting

Carlos Santana

Joe Perry

Keith Richards

The Edge

Dave Matthews

Bono

John Mayer

Steve Vai

Bruce Springsteen

John Bon Jovi

Angus Young

Brian Johnson

Kirk Hammett

Neil Schon

Paul Stanley

The post The “LEGENDS OF ROCK” signed Guitar appeared first on The Black Bottle.

It never ceases to amaze me how differently we all interpret and experience wine. I possess a pretty good palate and when reading a winemaker’s notes and sipping that wine I’ll not hit on a a single essence, aroma or taste described.

Here’s a great article which suggests with over a million variations via our 400 human smell receptors, why wine–like art–is in the eye (and nose) of the beholder.

http://www.wineindustryinsight.com/ex_nf.php?url=http://today.duke.edu/2013/12/hiroodor

The post Why We All Smell Wine Differently appeared first on The Black Bottle.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303932504579254372108156080file

The post What being in love with wine really means appeared first on The Black Bottle.

Last week marked the 100^th birthday of Robert Mondavi, a man who envisioned what the California wine industry could become.

Mondavi was born exactly 100 years ago but his legend – and the wine business and brands he created – still fascinate. In fact the Mondavi story is replete with bigger than life elements, one about a feuding family which formed the basis for a real-life TV soap opera (Falcon Crest) and  the other an impressive tale of a man who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the Napa valley.

Though I spent many hours talking with him I have to say he was always somewhat of a mystery to me. He seemed alternately bold but very sensible at the same time. This man not only created the biggest fine wine business in California, but had enormous impact on the social and cultural aspects of how we view and drink wine in America.  In fact Mondavi was famous for promoting wine as part of the good life and elevating wine from a special occasion beverage to an everyday libation with good food.   He and Julia Child started the American Institute of Wine and Food with the goal of introducing Americans to the pleasures of the table.  From what I know Mondavi was a very generous man as well as being an innovator. I’ve heard he helped many winemakers in the Valley and even loaning them equipment when needed.

UC Davis, which greatly benefited from Robert Mondavi’s vision and generosity is celebrating his centennial milestone with a new university library exhibition.

The show, Robert G. Mondavi: Celebrating the Good Life, marks the unveiling of the Mondavi Papers collection.  The exhibit is open to December 2013 and free to the public during library hours.

In the end all one can say is Robert Mondavi was a truly remarkable man, foibles and all.  He was a signal and iconic figure capable of elevating the wine business from producing cheap table wines into one of America’s most luxurious and sought after products.

The post Reflections on Robert Mondavi’s 100th Birthday appeared first on The Black Bottle.

I’m fascinated by the details of a Napa Valley winery aging their red wines 60 feet down on the seafloor.  Mira Winery and winemaker Gustavo Gonzalez were inspired by European counterparts which have been experimenting with aging wine in the salt water and light deprived environment of the ocean. Mira Winery made US wine history when divers placed four cases of their 2009 Cabernet in specially designed cages and sunk them in Charleston Harbor.

The goal was to test the affect of ocean aging the wine compared to aging the wine in warehouses on land.  The major elements that affect wine include temperature, humidity, pressure, iight and motion.

“Winemaking is an art and a complicated science” says Gonzalez.  “With several factors impacting wine production, aging is traditionally done in a very controlled environment to ensure an optimum outcome. With this experiment we’re testing the impact of unpredictable tides, waves and temperature on the wine’s taste.”

When pulled up from depth experts tasted the wine to gage the aging process.  They compared with underwater wine to wine aged on land and declared “it was like magic.” it’s a whole other element for adding diversity to the flavors that already exist in wine,“ says Gustavo. “The wine tasted drastically different from the onshore version which was a big surprise for me because it had not been in the water for that long, but it tastes noticeably different and not just to a trained palate, but to an average palate.”

This is amazing science and represents the kind of progressive winemaking we love at The Black Bottle.   You can check out the details in this You Tube link:

The post 6/15 Wine and Waves appeared first on The Black Bottle.

I’ve been driving around the Napa valley and checking the vines to get an idea of how the harvest is shaping up.  We’ve had some excellent weather so far and pretty much a lack of rainfall (according to Western Farm Press this is one of the driest winters in 40 years). The vines are looking good and seem to be ahead of their normal growth and vigor. Western Farm reports our total rainfall is not off the mark from the last year’s harvest, it’s just that most of it fell in November and December. So the ground aquifer has recharged but there hasn’t been a lot of moisture for spring and some growers decided to irrigate even before bud break.

In the mountain vineyard we’re using for our 2013 cabernet the field crews have been busy thinning the fast growing vines of unwanted shoots. These shoots can really take over, so they’re removing leaves and laterals to provide light to the clusters. With a dry spring we don’t get as much lateral growth and the vines don’t bush out as much.  However, the warm weather and growth spurts have caused an increase in powdery mildew on the valley floor and growers have been applying fungicide sprays. Fortunately we have less of a problem with this at mountain altitudes.

This year’s crop yield seems to be coming in a little heavier but of course we won’t really know for sure until the clusters go through verasion and gain bulk. According to Jon Ruel, COO at Trefethen and president of Napa Valley Grapegrowers, the quick bloom we’ve had could lead to an early harvest which would mitigate the damage from harvest-season rains. According to Ruel his early varietals like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir began blooming in mid April, about 7 to 10 days earlier than average. He expects the bloom for later varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot will be finished early this month.

In 2012 it seemed there were less clusters on the vine, but we actually turned out a larger crop. Most growers will get an idea of the crop size in mid June ahead of thinning the clusters.  According to Ruel very dry springs like this one usually don’t equate to huge berries. “But with smaller grapes the favors are much more concentrated, and you can get some great wines,” he says.

The post 6/1 Vineyard Update appeared first on The Black Bottle.

Our 2010 Diamond Mountain cabernet was presented as the red wine for the entre, a decadent roasted rack of lamb prepared by celebrity chef Paul Bartolatta of Ristorante di Mare, Wynn Resort Las Vegas. This recipe, a purely Ligurian style dish, was served with an amazing anchovy sauce which is traditionally was made with a mortar and pestle by creating a paste with all the dry ingredients first, and then adding extra virgin olive oil to obtain a creamy consistency.

Thanks to Chef Bartolatta we’ve recreated his Salsa d’Acciughe for you here:

Carrè d’Agnello con Salsa d’Acciughe

Salsa D’Acciughe 
Anchovy dressing

 ingredients

• 3 oz Anchovy fillets
• 
4 Tsp Red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbs Oregano
• 
2 Garlic cloves
• 
1 Tbs Thyme
• 1/2 cup Parsley
• 
2 Tbs Chives
• 
2 cups Extra virgin olive oil (preferably Sicilian)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation


Drain anchovies and rinse. Finely chop anchovies, garlic, oregano, thyme, parsley, and chives. In a large bowl, or mortar and pestle, mix extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, combine remaining ingredients and stir. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

The post Bartolatta Recipe appeared first on The Black Bottle.

Water use is another conservation concept we think about. Some of our vineyard sites use deficit irrigation systems, which are sophisticated moisture controls allowing constant measurement of the soil for water content. And plant stress monitors—really cool technology developed in Silicon Valley—can dictate the precise amount of water needed to produce the best fruit. Not least is another idea and a reason why Napa vineyards produce such amazing fruit, the planting of nutritious cover crops in between the rows. This allows organic matter to accumulate, it helps suppress the weeds and improves the underlying soil structure. Ultimately it reduces nutrient loss so less fertilizer is needed. Another positive note, when our growers improve water quality on hillside vineyards the upside is found in local rivers and streams supporting healthy wildlife and fish habitats. We’re even looking into ways to reclaim our used corks from opened bottles so they can be recycled into flooring, shoes, playground equipment and a lot of other things. Eventually all these practices blend into a single product,
but it all starts in the vineyard with sensible farming and a goal to live lightly on the land.

I hope you enjoy this website and our wines and that they give you the pleasure and good health that all good wine should.

Kind Regards,
Mark Russo
Founder and CEO

The post 5/29 appeared first on The Black Bottle.