In This Crushin' Issue:
1) The 2014 Boneyard Release and Barrel Tasting
2) March Tasting Menu
3) Concert Schedule!
4) BLOSSOMS!
5) Quarter 2 Vine Club Pick-Up Party
6) Easter Holiday
7) 2012 Single Vineyard White Release
8) Where are we?
9) What's on our minds?
The Tarara Road Show
Where we at? Here we be! If you happen to live near or visit any of the following spots, be sure to stop in and say hello:
Saturday, March 15
Tarara and Boneyard tasting at Cheesetique in the Del Ray section of Alexandria
Tuesday, March 25
Tarara and Boneyard tasting at Twisted Vines in Arlington, VA
March Minutes
Sonya: "So, about winter. It came, it saw, it conquered. I hate it, and I really want to tell Old Man Winter where he can go. But I digress. On a happier note, I've been lucky enough to meet some really great people through lots of offsite tastings that I've been doing all over Norther VA these last few weeks. It's been great to introduce people who had maybe never heard of us before to our wines. It's been even more exciting to be met with tons of enthusiasm from folks who walk in to WineStyles or Swirl and Sip and say, "Oh awesome, Tarara's here!" Not to worry, there are lots more offsite tastings scheduled for the next several months, so I hope to see you out there!
And on my personal never-ending quest to be better (at what, I'm not sure - just better), my French lessons are coming along quite nicely. I can now tell you that I have two dogs, and that there is a red ball on the table."
Jordan: "Well this winter sure has brought some old cold memories of growing up in Canada. It has given me a chance to show my oldest, Ethan, all about tobogganing (even sometimes dangerously on homemade luge tracks from the vineyards, oops), building snowmen, ice skating, and just how it feels to get that lump of ice stuck between your mitten and wrist. He also believes however that school is only "sometimes" now though in the months of January and February.
With all the fun of playing in the snow and freezing our butts off, we have also seen the repercussions. Our general hours say that we are open 361 days per year but we have now closed far more than our four allotted holidays. I keep joking with the staff that we will just have to work Christmas and Thanksgiving then...or is it a joke? They don't seem amused. Really though, we are looking forward to the Spring coming
and getting back to normal and having a great time around this beautiful property in the sun and watching the trees bloom.
A lot of people have also been asking the effect of the cold on the vines. At this point I do not think there is all that much to discuss. It has been cold, but not to the point where we should see any major damage. There might be a few buds on sensitive varieties like Merlot that may not be fruitful, but I don't believe it will be wide spread. Really for vines to suffer any really measurable damage it normally zero temperatures which we have not seen on any of our sites. We have gotten close but I am confident that any damages will be minimal. Now if we can just get away with no frost, limited rain, no hurricanes, abundant sunshine, no pests, a nice breeze, and temperatures in the 90's during the day and 60's at night until November 1st then we will be on track for a great 2014 vintage! :)
It is an exciting time of year as well. We have been bottling and blending for the last couple months. All but two of the 2012 reds are now in bottle (Tranquility and D9 will be in June) and they are all awesome. We have also bottled the first of our early release 2013 whites and started the blending process of the 2013 reds. It's funny what each year of experience brings. The2013 vintage was challenging to say the least, although we did get some dry warm weather right at harvest which was great. That said, the 2013 reds in particular are insane. Tim, Kevin and I have been tasting each and every barrel and all we can say is site is everything. Everything from Nevaeh and Tranquility are easily the best reds we have made to date. I expected Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon to struggle through, but WOW, they are good. The yields were extremely low which means there will not be a lot to go around, but what is there certainly benefited from those low yields. The density may even be greater than 2010, but at modest alcohols and far better balanced acidity and tannins. The flavors are reminding me of 2007. The acidity and tannin remind me of 2012. Ultimately a weird combination of our three flagship vintages since I have been here. The wines are the first ones as well where all three of us could easily pin point the vineyards and blocks of Nevaeh and Tranquility with about every barrel. They are real terroir wines and it shows we are understanding the sites more and more every year which just means better wine.
Well, back to work. I hope to see all of you soon as the weather brightens and we release some of these new gems."
Margie: "Hoping for a warm March. Thought I would share this sweet haiku. Hope you enjoy!
red, fermented fruit
bold, yet not presumptuous.
My life's tasting notes.
Cheers!"
Shawn: "With the recent weather here in VA, my upcoming trip to Hawaii is even more exciting for me. I'm looking forward to the hike on the Kalalau Trail, and to enjoying new sights, sounds, and imbibables (including the wine--yep, Hawaii has wineries!). If you come in on the 22nd or 23rd, you can see me sunburned and abraded, but very happy!"
Bryan: "The rumor of Spring (Training) is in the air, and it is infectious! The February doldrums are quickly vanishing and in their place has risen the ever-renewing hope of a championship season… Yep, I’m talking about the other college football season – Spring Football. Beginning this Saturday, March 8, the Crimson and Cream will take the field to begin the 2014 season and I couldn’t be more excited! Well, unless you ask me about the new wines, new labels, new website, and new events that are on the horizon here at Tarara. Speaking of new, if you pop in for a visit, chances are you’ll see some bright, new smiling faces welcoming you to the Tasting Room. These new members of the Tarara family are excited to be a part of the team and just as excited as we are for the upcoming season. YES!!!
Bring on the juice, bring on the fun, bring on the music and bring on the sun!!! Huzzah!!!"
