Latest News
Have we got a treat for you! We have just finished bottling our '05 Syrah with grapes sourced from Nelson Vineyards. This is truly a classic Syrah that provides a fabulous "WOW" factor on the palette, with a smooth velvetly structure and a hint of pepper to spice things up! We are very proud of our latest release.
On a sunny Sunday morning, winter is starting to lose it's grip on the vineyard. As buds begin to swell on the vines, work now is to insure that everything is ready for the arrival of this year's growth.
Working in the vineyards is now a matter of insuring all the trellising and irrigation ssytems are in proper shape and working correctly. Pruning has taken place, and due to the steep hillside planting, insuring the cover crop is cut low so as to allow for easy access is very important. Making sure you take advantage of every dry weather day is very important right now. "Make hay while the sun shines" really applies to this time of year!
2008 came in with a beautiful clear sky and wonderful weather.. ok.. so that didn't really last for long! The past couple of weeks we've been hammered pretty well by winter storms, and this was only the second time in 15 years that I actually was thinking we were going to have problems in the vineyard.
Fortunately, there has been so little rain that the ground water table is very low and is sucking up all the moisture. Very good for the vines later this year. If we get too many of these storms or if we get them in succession the problem becomes the ground simply not being able to hold on to the moisute.. That's when we have problems..
Plans to get up into the vineyard and begin trellis and irrigation maintainance were put on hold. Oh well. it will get done eventually.
The good news is that the pruning was done mid December. The earlier you prune the earlier you get budbreak, so you can risk damage from a last season frost, but the advantages of increased hangtime on the vine combined with the stepp hillside slope of the vineyard on which cold air "slides" off the hillside made this a prudent choice.
Racking is going well, the wines are shaping up nicely. It's a good time of year for catching up on various mundane tasks.
Other good news includes the safe return of all the Nicholson Ranch wine crew that took off to see The Dandy Warhols play in Portland right before Christmas. Awesome show, and no arrests! :) Thank goodness that bribing the hotel staff with money and wine prevented an "early exit" from the hotel courtesy of the security staff, and Kevin did manage to earn the "Golden Boot" award at one establishment... We'll keep these stories on a "need to know basis"...
Work in the vineyard will be focused on trellis and irrigation repair & maintainance.The weather is cooperating nicely with clear skies, and the vineyard has dried out enough to work in. Look like this weekend is a great one for watching football & working in the vineyard.
Crush has slowly started to wind down. The 12-16 hr days are tapering off, the last of this year's fruit has come in and the wines are being barrelled down. 2007 is looking to be an outstanding year! I can say that the early samplings are awesome. 2007 was a very dry year,which is bad for farmers but great for winemakers. This concentrates the tannins and flavors, making for great fruit. All good winemaking starts in the vineyard... To learn more about crush or for more information you can visit our blog at http://www.myspace.com/jdoranvineyards
We just introduced 2 new offerings... our Bellezina Scura (dark beauty) Merlot & our Pocca Gemma (little gem) Sauvignon Blanc. Both were a hit at our October event and are now available to you.
With the holidays just around the corner, we will be offering you a number of ways to both enjoy our wines and help you with your holiday shopping. We will be introducing wine gift baskets for any occasion plus a gift giving option for friends, family and business. you can purchase gift certificates or have us ship your gift directly.
Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate friends and family. This is a great opportunity to pair J Doran Wines with your Thanksgiving meal. Look for our upcoming emailing offering you a special chance to pick up some great wines to go with your Thanksgiving meal.
You can now find photos, info, blogs, events and more regarding J Doran Vineyards by going to visit us at facebook.com Join our discussions about wine, food, anything you think you'd like to share. We have also linked up with wineweb to provide you with tons of information about wine from around the world.
J Doran Vineyards is now featured on following winery sites...
You can now find all our events and upcoming tastings by going to www.localwineevents.com, the most comprehensive wine event listings on the web!
You can now share stories, photos, blogs, music, emails and more with us at J Doran Vineyards via Myspace.com! Check to read our blog on everythind going on at the winery, new wines, and more. Share J Doran VIneyards info with your other myspace friends. Have yet one more way to learn and enjoy wine!
Look for us at www.myspace.com/jdoranvineyards
Just in time for summer! Our 2006 Chardonnay is now available!! a clean, crisp Chardonnay rich in flavor, smooth yet not over oaked. A perfect wine with summer just around the corner.