 |
| APRIL NEWSLETTER 2017 |
IN THIS NEWSLETTER...VIP Club Pick-up Party... at the ADC |
VIP PICK-UP PARTY…
|
VIP Days at Champe Ford RoadSaturdays, April 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29nd
|
Creative Mankind Painting and WineSunday, April 9th
Spend a fun afternoon laughing, listening to music and creating a one-of-a-kind masterpiece! 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. (Editors Note: cut and paste this long link if it doesn't activate by clicking on it. Thanks.) NOTE: Remember that this event is at our Champe Ford Events Center this month. |
Book Signing with Richard Leahy
|
Easter at The Ag DistrictSunday, April 16th
|
REPORT FROM THE TASTING ROOM
TANNAT!! This month’s wine selection contains one of my favorite varietals, Tannat. To me, there’s nothing more special than when a wine seems to match its home. A light white from a pretty seaside getaway town or a boozy Port from a village that once was home to pirates, I love it when the wine seems to blend with the tone of the people and the place. And Tannat is the absolute best of that. The Basque region is about the size of Vermont and it straddles the border of Spain and France. A truly ancient people with a distinct and ancient language (pre Indo-European), the Basque have held their culture mostly intact for thousands of years. The nationality is mainly versions of Romani (or gypsy) and the people were excellent seafarers and horsemen. Tannat is a dark, smoky, and bold wine with very distinct flavors, and to me is the perfect wine for this ancient and tough band of warriors and sailors. Intense and unique, full of spirit. Uruguay is working hard to make Tannat wines a national product, but the flavor is lighter from that part of the world than from the region in France where it was born. Virginia’s Tannat’s are much like the original, and ours at Chrysalis Vineyards is really something special. Grill up a steak, maybe caramelize some onions, open the Tannat and dream of the rugged terrain and history of this unique area of France. Sue Contostavlos, Tasting Room Associate PS: Hey you VIP Club members… don't forget to grab a steak from the Ag District Center to throw on the grill at the VIP Clubhouse! A juicy steak will be a perfect match with our Tannat. Open Saturdays and Easter Sunday, Noon – 7pm. |
REPORT FROM THE CELLAR
The Viognier is a bit closed right now, but I expect it to open up shortly with notes of mango, pineapple, honeysuckle, and ripe-citrus/tangerine. The Norton lots have recently undergone a racking to get them off of gross lees (yeast) and then put back into barrels for further aging. They are showing typical plum, blackcurrant, bramble, with some coffee and cacao thrown in. A recent barrel tasting of the Tannat and Petit Verdot heralded good things for the 2016 vintage wines, with lush red fruit and velvety tannins in spades. The months ahead will further develop this excellent vintage. Mark Patterson, Winemaker |
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD
[Editor’s Note: see a link in Note from Jenni at the bottom of the newsletter for a really cool close-up photo of a vine cane that’s started to “bleed”.] Mark Patterson, Winemaker |
REPORT FROM THE FARM
I came to be a cheesemaker reluctantly. I grew up in nearby Frederick County MD working on dairy farms, milking and taking care of cows. My only aspiration was to be a dairy farmer. In 2002 my career led me to New Jersey. I was managing a farm there, when we made the decision to turn the cows’ milk we were producing into cheese. In order to make cheese we needed a cheesemaker. It turns out that experienced cheesemakers were a rare commodity in New Jersey at that time. So I volunteered to take on the role as cheesemaker. After all, I liked to cook… how much harder could it be to make cheese. I soon learned how hard it could be as I struggled through numerous fits and starts those first few years. Many times I thought this work is not for me. I longed to go back out with the cows. Then I went back to school. I received my cheese making education from The Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese at The University of Vermont. When the course was over I came back to the farm and applied what I learned. It came as a pleasant surprise to me that the cheese quality improved and I began to understand what I was doing, turning milk into cheese. In fact I was actually enjoying being a cheesemaker! Even now over ten years later, the more I learn about cheese the more I realize how much I don’t know about cheese. That inspires me to continue to expand in the knowledge of my craft. I have had the privilege of producing cheese in five states during my cheese making journey. I’ve also had the pleasure of being involved in several startups. It is always fun to see a business move from idea to reality. We are eagerly working toward the day when Locksley Estate Farmstead Cheese Co. will be in production. I am busy doing all the tedious dirty work that must be done so that I can do the work I enjoy the most, the actual cheese making. Until then, my time is spent on planning and budgeting, and using my experience to bring fresh ideas to the process. There is also the food safety plan that I am writing. Cheese making is a highly regulated endeavor. So we are required to have a written plan that identifies and documents potential food safety hazards at each step in the process. In addition, it must include how we will insure that each hazardous step is handled safely, verified, and recorded. Don’t let me forget to write the recall plan as well! I will have to put time into developing cheese recipes, assisting with the completion of the creamery, starting relationships with regulators and suppliers, and applying for the various licenses and approvals we will need to begin production. In the coming weeks I’m sure I will even be pressed into service giving Perry a hand moving cows through the newly completed milking parlor. I’m excited to be adding my experience as a cheesemaker to the team here at Locksley Estate Farmstead Cheese Co. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to introduce myself. I am looking forward to producing some great cheese for you to pair and enjoy with Chrysalis Vineyards wines. Kelly Harding, Cheesemaker |
| Note from Jenni |
 |
|
Teri Scott, our Accounting Manager and all-around “do everything” staff member, including our newsletter “assembler” (she does all the hard work of getting everyone to submit their parts, takes most of the photos and then assembles everything for me to code into HTML) took the photos. The close-up pictures she took of the vines blew both our minds. How incredible nature is, to hold off bringing life’s living liquid into the vine until it’s safe to do so. The low resolution of the photos in the newsletter require shots that are not too detailed. The picture above allows you to see a vine dripping liquid. But the photo I really want you to see is a high-detail, super close-up cross section of a vine cane. I’ve kept it full resolution so you can marvel about it like we did. Check it out here and tell me that this isn’t a vineyard photo contest winner! Spring is underway, of course, and as everyone knows who’s been around me over the years, I LOVE SPRING!!! Bring it ON!
|
True to form, March came in like a lion and seems to be going out like a lamb. Let’s hope that the warming trend continues this month and we avoid any late frosts! If everything goes well we should see bud break in the vines sometime later this month. This marks the beginning of our winemaking cycle and a very busy season in the vineyard. So… here’s to the 2017 vintage, may it be the best year ever at Chrysalis Vineyards! Be sure to read about all of our April events…there’s always something interesting to do at Chrysalis Vineyards!
For all of our members who miss the Good ol’ Days at our original tasting room, we would like to continue “VIP Days at Champe Ford”. The Champe Ford Events Center and Sarah’s Patio and Pavilion will be open exclusively for our VIP Club members and their guests every Saturday in April in addition to Easter Sunday. This is an opportunity to buy a bottle or glass and get to know your fellow VIP Club members in the cozy confines of our old tasting room. The grills will be available for you, so stop by the Ag District Center, pick up some Locksley grass-fed beef and come out for a picnic! While we will not be doing tastings, we will have staff on hand to discuss our wines and answer questions. Also, please note that your VIP Club wines will still need to be picked up at the Ag District Center.
Creative Mankind will be hosting a “paint and sip” event at Chrysalis Vineyards on Sunday, April 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.)
Richard Leahy, a former editor for Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, has written the essential book on Virginia wine, and we’re excited to have him share his knowledge and experience with our friends and customers at the Ag District Center on April 22nd, from 3:00pm – 4:00pm.
Back by popular demand… Sweet Pink Bakery at the Ag District Center!! On Easter Sunday, April 16th, we will have a selection of delicious, wine-infused cupcakes created by Sweet Pink Bakery available for purchase (while supplies last). These sumptuous goodies are way better than the old jelly beans, or chocolate bunnies, and have been created specially to pair with our Chrysalis Vineyards wines. So… grab a glass of wine and some delicious cupcakes and enjoy Easter Sunday at the Ag District Center!
Our resident Tasting Room wine expert, Sue Contostavlos, is writing a series of articles to offer a little additional education about our wines and answer some of your most frequently asked questions.
This month we will be bottling new vintages of the Sarah’s Patio wines, as well as the 2016 Albariño and Viognier. Final blends are being confirmed, with the Albariño presenting healthy doses of ripe peach, as well as apricot and white flowers. Jenni called this one a “real beauty”!
So far, so good! The mild weather this winter has allowed us to finish our pruning and tying of the dormant vines in a timelier fashion then last year. With no significant adverse weather events so far we haven’t seen anything particularly concerning in the vineyards. The mild temperatures in February, coupled with a few cold days immediately following, gave us some cause to worry, but we haven’t seen any damage to the trunks or canes as of yet, and the buds still look good. Of course, this is great news and all of us are quite relieved that there was no damage. Shortly these same buds will break their dormancy and begin to grow once again, creating another fine grape crop for Chrysalis Vineyards.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kelly Harding. I have been working as a farmstead cheesemaker for 12 years now. Jenni and Perry have brought me onboard to assist them in launching Locksley Estate Farmstead Cheese Co. into production.