Purple Cow Vineyards

May 2008 Tasting Room Lineup Change

I'm the biggest fan of the 2006 Pinot Noir Kelsey Edition.  We have sold most of it and is so smooth and sexy....... Anyway, we are equally proud of 2006 Sophie’s Edition.  It’s huge - perhaps one of the most extracted, big Pinot Noirs (Zin big) we’ve ever tasted.  2006 Sophie’s Edition has a nose of raisin and dried prunes, a dry mouthfeel, and mountainous longevity.  We’d like to share the progress with you, so we’re pouring Sophie’s Edition instead of Kelsey’s Edition during May of 2008.  Come by to try it out, and perhaps buy it, while it’s selling at one half its potential value.  –Jon-

2006 Chardonnay Overview

Our 2006 Chardonnay is barrel-fermented which adds a creamy texture and extra complexity.  This is a classic Burgundian Chardonnay.  The wine combine 2 blocks of grapes: 1 is an early-ripening site that provide the tropical elements, and the other is a shady and late-ripening block that provides the crisp acidity on the pallet.  We use very little new oak so the character of the grape still shines through.  70 cases produced.

2005 Tempranillo Elena Edition Overview

As I plan our product roadmap out into 2008, I come upon a realization.  People love our existing Tempranillo.  That humble statement raises a question, should we mix our coming estate harvest in with our imported fruit, or make 2 different wines?

I love small lots of wine and I love diversity.  So we're going to keep our estate Tempranillo separate from our partnerships with other vineyards.  Therefore, we need to start naming them uniquely.  Welcome to the Elena Edition of the Tempranillo.  Elena is wife to Galo and a huge contributor to the business.  Wines bearing the name Elena Edition will be the higher alcohol, more structured version of our Tempranillo portfolio for years to come.

It accumulated 27 months in the barrel, allowing it to concentrate nicely.  The fruit and pallet are lovely.

130 cases produced
ABV 13.8%

Bottled Feb 18, 2008
Released Apr 12, 2008

2006 Gabriela Overview

I'm a huge fan of Cabernet Franc.  I even tried planting it.  The plants never performed well on my site, and the gap was so big that I haven't tried any of the changes the resulted in successful Tempranillo.  I really think it just likes more heat to be the style of Cab Franc I like.

No sense in crying about it.  We just brought some in from Southern Oregon.  Even there, it's a little cool for it.  So we merged it with some Cabernet Sauvingon.

The name comes from Galo's daughter.  It suits her nicely.  Sweet and spicy at the same time.

I love this wine.  It's soft for Cab, but the aromas are rich.  Furthermore, it's a lovely change of pace from Pinot Noir and Tempranillo when you want a wine that has more bell pepper and pineapple instead of berries on the nose.

Open today for Tasting & Skiing

Snow. April 19th. ugh.... we're supposed to have bud break!  Thank goodness we haven't yet or the 2008 crop would be hurting. And it's supposed to snow more tomorrow! But no fear, we're open our normal tasting room hours today and the snow's starting to melt anyway. Come by for a taste, a view of the snow, a litle snowshoeing or skiing (just kidding). See you soon!  - Wendy

2005 Tempranillo Elena Edition Release Party Trivia Winner

Congratulations to Linda Kroll, who was the only person who got every one of Matt's brutally difficult trivia questions correct.  She was a tenacious researcher and no doubt got a little help from Chanda.  We learned a lot about running a trivia contest and we'll have an even more entertaining (and achievable) contest next time around.  Thanks to everyone who played.

Tempranillo Elena Edition Release

On April 12^th, we will officially release the 2005 Tempranillo Elena Edition, with all the trappings it deserves. Of course, it will still have our usual casual atmosphere, featuring some of our signature dishes like the Cuban-style Roast Pork. There will also be a trivia raffle with a nice reward. This is an open event, no cover charge. –Jon-