JUNE NEWSLETTER 2018 |
IN THIS NEWSLETTER... VIP Pickup Party... at the ADC |
VIP PICKUP PARTY…
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Creative Mankind Painting and WineSaturday, June 9th Creative Mankind will be hosting a “paint and sip” event at Chrysalis Vineyards on Saturday, June 9th. (From their website: Creative Mankind is an art company that offers art classes and hosts parties and events for all ages. Our motto is “Everyone is a Creative Genius!” It's just a matter of people reconnecting with their creative self. Our mission is to enrich our community with art education and culture in a fun and accessible way.) So... spend a fun afternoon laughing, listening to music, creating your own masterpiece, and sipping your favorite Chrysalis Vineyards wine! This 3 hour event is just $40 and includes all art supplies, an awesome staff, and a lot of fun. No experience is necessary. For additional information please contact Creative Mankind at 571-403-1912 or go to their website listed below. [Editor's Note: cut and paste this long link if it doesn't activate by clicking on it. Thanks.]. https://sites.cimplebox.com/events/registration.aspx?s=5329&c=3146&eid=404482&r=0.1191576 |
REPORT FROM THE TASTING ROOMWelcome Summer! The warm happy days of June are finally upon us! June is usually a month packed with activities for everyone. Whether it be the end of the school year, a college graduation or celebrating a wedding, wine seems to be a constant companion to these celebrations. Our Tasting Room staff will be asked countless times over the next few weeks what is the perfect pairing for a special celebratory dish. Our answers will vary but there is one that will stand out above the rest during this month of celebrating, our Sparkling Norton, Buttorfleoge. The tickle of bubbles and the aroma of Norton make it the perfect wine to “pop” and enjoy on a special occasion. It will pair perfectly with everything from a fruit and cheese plate, fresh oysters or a berry parfait topped with the most decadent whip cream. YUM! |
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARDThey run and hide their heads. And it did. For 8 days straight! But we didn’t hide our heads. It certainly complicated things in the Vineyard. Shoot thinning and under-row maintenance schedules were interrupted. The potential for fungal infections, particularly Downy Mildew (Plasmopara viticola) and Black Rot (Guignardia bidwellii), increase exponentially as temperatures and degree of wetness increase. And it was wet! For days on end, which made it impossible to get into the fields and attack the fungal spores with sprays to protect the vines and eradicate burgeoning infections. We managed to get into the fields immediately after the rain ceased and stepped up our Integrated Management Program (IPM) which combines cultural, physical, chemical, and biological control measures to keep any damage to a minimum while also assuring that sustainable viticulture is taking place. Inspection as of this writing has not found any widespread outbreaks of fungal infection which could prove to be devastating, but we will maintain vigilance over the next few days to ensure that there are no latent infections ready to burst forth. Rain in spring in Virginia also portends hail, which you may all remember caused a few issues around Middleburg in June of 2016! Locksley Estate was spared from any hail this go around, but there is evidence of some hail damage at our Hollin Vineyard. At this early stage of development the vines and canopy will recover, and there doesn’t appear to be any damage to the inflorescences at this time and should cause little further issues as the season progresses. We could do with long stretch of drier weather right now, though. Mark Patterson, Winemaker |
REPORT FROM THE CELLARWe bottled a couple of wines in May that we’re really excited to be able to bring to you shortly, so keep your eyes open for some new summery drinks. A lot of blending and barrel work has been going on in the cellar the last month or two, with final preparations taking place for multiple spring bottlings, as well as for future releases. The newest vintages of Albariño, Viognier and our “VIP Club Members Only” release, Private Reserve White, are currently going through the final steps before bottling. The Albariño has all the peachy-goodness expected from this variety, with perhaps a touch of ripe kiwi fruit as well. The Viognier currently is expressing notes of honeysuckle and peach, and its rich mouthfeel belies the fact that it is, indeed, dry. The Private Reserve White is peach-centric, with underlying notes of vanilla, coconut and clove from the fermentation in barrel it goes through, finishing with a creamy character derived from the bâtonnage (stirring the yeast lees... as with a baton) it goes through once primary fermentation is complete. The bâtonnage routine helps plump up the finish by carefully managing the autolysis of the dead yeast cells so they don’t compact on the bottom, and releases mannoproteins and polysaccharides into the wine. Bâtonnage also helps to integrate the oak tannins from the barrels into an especially pleasant and appetizing whole. Mark Patterson, Winemaker |
REPORT FROM THE FARMHello again! -- Another month, another picture! Look closely; no, we’ve not entered the giant, farm-raised marshmallow market. Almost as ground-breaking, here is an individually wrapped, high-moisture hay bale. Actually, this one is the first we have ever made on this farm. Making “baleage,” as it is called, is just one more way we are trying to bring our cows the best, and offers several advantages when used along with traditional hay making methods. |
Note from Jenni |
Sarah Dornin, our chef/baker, and I just got back from Bread Stone Ovens, in Dallas, Texas, where we went for training on how to operate our new Four Grand-Mère oven (boy, that sounded like really cool French to me, but it turns out it just means Grandmother’s Oven… haha!). The owner, Antoine Canterel, somehow wound up in Texas, but he’s definitely French and can he make bread… and flatbreads, too! We spent three days of intensive training to learn how to load wood into and fire the oven, manage the burning, and prepare and shape the doughs into baguettes and boules (from the French for “ball”). Sarah, of course, is already way ahead on making great bread, which y’all have been enjoying over the past few weeks. So she was really focused on oven operation; fire management and breads and flatbread control in the oven. Me, I was mostly just havin’ fun. Of course, I do want to know all the details and processes involved in making our artisan food products, so that I can “think” and “create” along with our “food artisans” - winemaker, cheesemaker and baker. (BTW, I always like giving a shout out to those who have helped us along the way, and for anyone interested in their own backyard brick oven, Antoine is your go-to guy. He has ovens of all sizes, and they are of the highest quality, and accompanied by his excellent customer service.)
Sometimes, in the thick of activity and work, I forget how fortunate I am... and all of us are for that matter, to live and work in such a beautiful place, creating and crafting such exciting and fulfilling projects and products. Thank you to all of our friends, supporters and customers for making it possible. We are committed to bringing you the very best artisan food products we possibly can, for you to enjoy and proudly share with your friends and families. Come on out to the countryside… it’s summer!
Jennifer McCloud
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