White Oak Winery

Good day to be "in"

2012-02-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

You can see how really tiny our winery kitty Smokey is, by the way she can curl up in my in box.

Brr it's been a cold and wintery wine Wednesday around here. I think it calls for some Zinfandel!


We opened this 1984 Zinfandel last weekend for Open That Bottle Night. It still had fruit!

2009 Alexander Valley Estate Old Vine Zinfandel on the menu tonight!

the only thing constant is change

2012-02-29T13:02:00.000-08:00


White Oak Vineyards & Winery in the Alexander Valley.

I do social media for the winery. Today facebook announced that it will be changing our page to the timeline format. Deep breath...time to learn something new. It wants a cover photo. How about this one? Smiling now, learning new things surely helps to keep my young...now on to Pinterest!

'round here yesterday

2012-02-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Crocus in the winery garden.


Double rainbow in the Alexander Valley yesterday around 5pm. I was surprised to find it dry once I crossed the Russian River heading into Healdsburg. It was our own magical Alexander Valley moment.

Happy Wine & Food Friday

2012-02-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

Panko crusted Sole with Fennel Gratin.

I know last Friday's food & wine pairing was a cheesy baked vegetable dish such as this one but this Baked Fennel with Parmesan is really quite different in it's texture and ingredients. The short ingredient list which includes Creme Fraiche is what really attracted me to this recipe. We're so lucky to have fennel growing wild around here as well as to have so many local dairies to provide fresh milk and cheese.

A match made in heaven!

As easy as one, two, three, four. Chop and saute the fennel. Add Bellwether Farms Creme Fraiche & cream. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano. Bake! I served mine with a simple Panko Sole that baked at the same time as the fennel, and our White Oak Chardonnay. I wanted to roast asparagus together with the fennel and fish, but I wasn't able to reach it from my motorized shopping cart...but that's a totally different story! Hope what ever you pair up with wine this weekend is perfect. Have a great one!

Wine Cat

2012-02-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

Beautiful day for a photo shoot at our Alexander Valley Winery.

Some months ago we got an email from Australia inquiring as to whether we might have a winery cat to be photographed for a new book coming out from the same people who gave us the book Wine Dogs. I responded back that yes indeed we do have a beautiful winery kitty and we would love to have her in the book. Well, today's the day she's had her photo shoot!

Smokey found us five years ago at harvest. She was a very tiny, very fierce wild kitten no longer than seven or eight inches long. To this day even if she knows you, if you wear something different, like a hat, or carry a box or tool, she takes off. She's a survivor. She takes no chances. I was wondering how a photo shoot would actually pan out, given her feral roots.

Craig found us in my office. Met Smokey and agreed that she indeed was beautiful. He wanted to take her out and photograph her amongst out old vine Zinfandel. I was pretty sure she'd have none of that. Sure enough after following her around the cellar and tank pad and coaxing her with cheese and treats, we retreated to my office to see if I might have a shot of her that he could use. While we were looking at my flicker Alexander Valley Set, she moseyed right back into my office and curled up on her favorite chair. Craig still had ideas about where he wanted to shoot her, in the light of the French doors, so we rolled my office chair around my desk and I cuddled her up and plopped her into it. We did this about six to eight times before Craig was satisfied with his work. As he left he thanked me for my patience and said if he didn't like what he got he would love to use one of my Smokey portraits. Here's the one he liked best.

Craig said Smokey would definitely be in the book along with other Winery Cats from all over the world!

Looking on the Bright Side.

2012-02-22T11:55:00.000-08:00


Wild Mustard and Calendulas vineyard wildflowers.

My go to ice pack.

My ice pack's getting a bit beat up, but see how the colors mimic the wildflowers outside? Alexander Valley is alive with color and noisy with birds. Wild Plum trees, Daffodils and Narcissus are all out and blooming. Yesterday we hit 75!


Ouch.

I'm 13 day in on a really bad ankle sprain, using crutches and I must say how touched I am by everyone's willingness to help me out. Perfect strangers have run to open the door for me when they see me trying to open one of the winery's heavy french doors. Guess it's a silver lining to my little black rain cloud.

Crab Feast!

2012-02-21T16:04:00.002-08:00

Wayne & Gary with a fresh catch.

The Gang circa 2010

Each March we celebrate the sea with a Crab Feast. The Gang arrives Friday and we start to party.

Fresh asparagus & Meyer lemon potato salad served family style.


Wayne tries out a new Thai stir-fry technique.

DL Catering on dessert.

The day isn't complete without proof Wayne's wearing his famous boxers.

Happy Merlot Monday

2012-02-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

Our 2011 Merlot.

These beauties came in before all the rains that made a big yucky mess of the fruit still out. Isn't the color amazing?

Happy Merlot Monday and since I also celebrate Meatless Mondays how about an delicious meat free idea to go with our beautiful 2007 Napa Valley Merlot?

I'm a fan of taking it easy on Monday nights, so I bring home Kashi Thin Crust Pizzas to doctor up and top with ingredients that I think will complement the wine I have in mind to go with.

Usually I'm the pizza Goddess, but since my ankle injury John has graciously taken on cooking duty. It has been fun for me to see how meticulously he prepares each dish. Back story: John builds guitars and he's usually in his shop while I make our dinner. After many years of building incredible fine detailed instruments, this attention to precision translates to his cooking as well. You should see his egg rolls! I requested artichoke olive and mushroom and here's what I got.

Not only did the Merlot taste divine with John's topping additions of local Clover Dairy Cheddar and Pepper Jack, caramelized red onion and sauteed red and green peppers, it looked divine alongside our plates.

Merlot and me Harvest 2011

So what do you say, Merlot for you on this beautiful winter Monday?

Happy Wine & Food Friday

2012-02-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Creamy Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower and Chard

Yes! I saw this over on POPPYTALK and had to have it. The recipe is by Jeanette Ordas of the fabulous blog Everybody likes Sandwiches. It was easy, so very healthy, extremely delicious and paired perfectly with our Russian River Chardonnay. Cheers to your weekend!

T.G.I. Furry F!

2012-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

My little lunch date Miss Smokey.

I think she missed me, won't let me out of her sight!

Happy Wine Wednesday Save the Date!

2012-02-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

Alex offers a delish mango chicken pairing with our Chardonnay at Taste Alexander Valley.

February, Valentines behind us, we can take a breath and get out the calendar and dream of the next wine event to attend. I love being a part of hosting events at White Oak. Being a small hands on kind of winery, everyone who works here takes part in each event. Taste Alexander Valley calls for all hands on deck as we try to be the best winery of the event. We do live music and several wine and food pairings and generally encourage everyone to hang out with us and enjoy the day.

Maya offering mini Hoagies with spicy pepper relish paired with our Syrah for Taste Alexander Valley.

This group comes every year. It just wouldn't be the same without them!

Gary, Dave, Wayne and Dave arrive each March with a fresh catch for our annual Crab Feast.

Our annual Crab Feast always feels like a family reunion.

Rain or shine, and usually both, the third weekend of March is reserved for our annual Crab Feast. When you look at the photos from this event, the same happy crab and wine loving faces show up year after year. 2011 2010 2009
The First Weekend in march has been reserved for Barrel Tasting along the Wine Road for the last 33 years!

Dick & Erleen Ludwig have been invested in White Oak from the get go.

It is so exciting to taste our wines from the barrel and also to share our beautiful winery with visitors. I'm not sure who I enjoy seeing more, returning guests or people meeting us for the first time.

Happy Barrel Tasters.

Kentucky Derby Day.

Our newest event is a chance to really spoil our wine club members with a party packed with wine, food and lots of fun. Reasons to join us for Kentucky Derby Day include a our newest wine releases, southern barbecue lunch, live music, an outrageous hat contest and watching the Run for the Roses on the big screen in our cellar.

So pencil us in and set aside a day or two in the months ahead to join us for some fabulous food, fun and wine.

'round here

2012-02-09T16:35:00.000-08:00


Beautiful white mist wafting though the Valley this morning.

The thermometer topped out at 74 degrees today!

Rain predicted for tomorrow.

Smokey's been here.

New Wine & Food Wednesday

2012-02-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

We've a new release! When I have to choose just one of our wines as my favorite, year after year, it is our Zinfandel. This Saturday evening we'll be officially releasing it during our For the Love of Wine Pick Up Party. Everyone's invited for a fun time. I couldn't wait until Saturday to start cooking with our newest Zin, so last night I snagged a bottle out of our Library to take home with me.

After my work out I headed to Big John's Market to grab a beautiful eggplant. I decided to make baked eggplant cutlets. Part of me wanted full on Eggplant Parmigiana, but another part, still in my gym clothes, wanted something healthy and on the lighter side. Once home the first step was to slice my eggplant and drizzle it with a little olive oil, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Into a 375 oven until it softens.

After baking, I dipped it into beaten egg and then into Panko read crumbs, gave it another sprinkle of salt and pepper and put it back into the oven to crisp up.

Time for wine, some for the sauce and some for me.

While at the market I decided that I was going to buy Marinara to make dinner prep a little easier. I was stoked to find Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce on sale. While it warmed up I added Zinfandel to the sauce. The house definitely starting to smell great about now.

I was too tired to fix a salad but John had the energy and drive to crack some leftover crab legs to go with our cutlets.

Romano cheese on top and dinner is served.

I found this shot on my phone the next morning...those are my cycling shoes... Guess it's safe to say we liked the pairing. The Zin tasted great and really held it's own against the lush tomato and the crunch then creamy taste of the eggplant.

Wishing all a Happy Wine Wednesday!

Rainy day Rosé

2012-02-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

2011 White Oak Vineyards & Winery Napa Valley Rosé

I love Rosé. Back in 2004 we made one here. It's a good story depending upon who you get to tell it. I'm so excited that 2011 will also produce a White Oak Rosé. I keep asking is it ready yet? We're bottling it in March so it's getting close. Weeks ago I walked into the tasting room to see my colleagues with pink wine in their glasses. I believe it was then I told Parker, our winemaker, if Rosé is being tasted, I want to taste it! So today I get the call on my intercom: "Rosé is being tasted in the tasting room." Francesca wants to pour it as a pre-release for our Love of Wine Wine Club Pick Up Party, so we're tasting it to see what we've got. Parker wants to do some Viognier additions to bump up the aromatics. I think it's great the way it is.

2009 White Oak Vineyards & Winery Alexander Valley Estate Zinfandel

In other news we've sold out of one of my favorite wines, our 2008 Estate Zinfandel so, we pop a cork on it's little sister and start figuring out the tasting notes for our new vintage. Today it's myself, Alexandra, Parker, Will, Francesca and Olivia putting our palates together to come up with some aromas and mouth feels for Parker to spin into tasting notes. OK, well we all agree it's good, we really like it, not a shocker...and between the six of us, before we know it, the bottle is empty, also not a shocker. At some point Francesca suggested strawberry and Parker said he refused to put down strawberry, said if you tasted a real strawberry you wouldn't think it smelled like strawberry. Olivia said it tastes like purple which inspired me to suggest Goofy Grape Kool Aid, to which Parker countered with Rootin' Tootin' Raspberry.

Ripe Plum
Cumin
Cinnamon
Black Cherry
Nutmeg
Cedar
White Chocolate
Dried Cranberry
Raspberry

Meat Free Monday Menu

2012-02-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Meat Free Monday. This past Saturday we didn't feel like going to the market so I managed to find a delicious dinner from ingredients on hand. I have estate grown tomato sauce stored in my freezer where I also found a package of what I thought were cheese raviolis. Turns out they were actually vegan. I learned this the next morning when I was thinking back on dinner and how delicious it was. I went to look for the packaging to see why those rav's were so tasty.

I love Rising Moon Organics and had just grabbed the ones that sounded good to me not realizing I was making a vegan purchase. This has happened to me in the past with pizza too. Once a checker asked me "Is this any good?" indicating the pizza I had chosen, "It doesn't have any cheese." she explained. Perhaps I'm not so much of a reader when I'm hungry. Told her I'd try it and let her know. Anyway, I love it when food surprises and these ravioli are a delight. Back to the menu, I blended some fresh spinach walnut arugula pesto into my fall harvest tomato sauce to give it depth, and made a great big green salad.

We enjoyed our dinner with a bottle of our Syrah, you know the Syrah that gets gold after gold and everybody loves when they taste it but we can't get it going sales wise across the nation. This year we decided we'll just be making enough to sell in our tasting room where it is consistently the most popular red wine we sell.

91 White Oak 2006 Syrah (Napa Valley); $26. A big, dry, immature wine, firm in acids and tannins, whose strong black pepper notes add to its tart pungency. Underneath all that are immaculate blackberry and roasted meat flavors. Impressive for the price, and should develop bottle complexity over the next six years. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. Thanks Steve!

T.G.I.F!

2012-02-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

One time at spoonbar...

Friday! That means the weekend is here. Oh yeah. Every time I visit spoonbar, located in the over the top fabulous h2hotel healdsburg, I am haunted. Haunted by the memory of the best cocktail, glass of wine, appetizer, entree, heck even the water there is delicious.

Don't miss this Crab Feed, should they roll out another.

My welcome cocktail, Meyer lemon Margarita, Baby Mixed Greens Winter Market Salad, with baby red beets, Laura Chenel goat cheese & pomegranate Balsamic vinaigrette.

Definitely the best Margarita I've ever had. The salad was perfection.


Poached fresh Dungeness crab, warm clarified butter, house made Harissa spiced tartar, Meyer lemon & caper aioli, Mac n Cheese Gratin, cauliflower cream and Manchego cheese, sweet potato fries, white truffle aioli & fennel apple coleslaw.

I'm always too full for dessert but I've learned from experience to always eat dessert at spoonbar. This night it was homemade Croissant bread pudding served with Vanilla gelato and as you can clearly see, caramel!

I almost forgot Dinner included a beautiful glass of Roederer Estate Brut!

Detail of the etched glass dining room walls.

All of this on a Wednesday night in sleepy little Healdsburg. Really? Really!

on my desk January

2012-02-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Smokey has always loved my inbox. She just fits! A bird nest from the day we pruned the Wisteria vines. Narcissus I grabbed from my front yard one morning for a little cheer.

'round here yesterday

2012-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Good Morning

Good Night

Wake Up! Wine Wednesday Cooking with Coffee & Wine part two.

2012-02-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

We celebrate Meat Free Mondays at our house. This week I wanted to try out cooking with coffee recipes to share with The Hungry Goddess during her entertaining and informative twitter chat. So, vegetarian + savory + coffee was my search criteria. Delighted I was to find a recipe for Smokey Black Bean Soup! All the chopped veggies meant the perfect time to practice my skills using my Christmas Cuisinart. [Thank you Santa]

Tthe two cups of coffee required was just exactly what we had leftover from the morning's coffee. The recipe calls for a ham hock, not very meat free, so I substituted a rich Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base to add a little salty component.The coffee really did give a smokey flavor to the soup which I hoped would make it the perfect pairing for our gold medal awarded Syrah.

Dinner is served and the pairing with Syrah's a hit. When I looked at my soup versus the soup pictured in the recipe I realized that in all my excitement to sit down and eat, I had left out a step. The recipe suggests to puree half of the soup, oh well, next time! Happy Wine Wednesday!

Wake Up! Wine Wednesday Cooking with Coffee & Wine part one.

2012-02-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

One half cup coffee beans simmered in one pint of heavy cream.

First up, Coffee Mushroom ( Merlot ) Cream Sauce. This needs to sit three hours, so I prepared it a day in advance, then it was ready for me to make this simple and elegant delicious dish.

In a large frying pan saute Crimini mushrooms and shallots over medium-high heat.

Strained coffee bean cream and a generous half cup of Merlot into the pan to simmer for about just as long as it takes to cook up some penne rigate.

I must say I was concerned that this dish would taste strange and I had a back up plan if necessary to abort, but it was delectable.

As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more. ~ Jules Renard

2012-01-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Prosperous New Year

2012-01-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

The year of the dragon symbolizes prosperity.

Each year our distributors in Japan make a visit to the winery. Rie, who speaks English, and Tomo, who does not, bring gifts for my colleague and me. Each January for the last 6 years my gift has been a Lunar New Year Figurine. I was delighted that they continued the tradition with the gift of a Dragon. They asked me if I would prefer a white or a green dragon, my first thought was white.


This is the best part about the way my gift is wrapped.

Each year it is a treat to carefully unwrap my figurine and see how my year will be made better by the its presence upon my desk. Rie and Tomo are sincerely concerned as to whether or not I will like my figurine. The year of the Rat and Pig had them particularly worried but I assured them that they were adorable as they were truly. This year Rie looked concerned when she saw that my dragon was "a little fat". I said it meant my dragon was prosperous. Once she translated my comment to Tomo they both had a good laugh.

Will's green dragon is gorgeous.

When I commented on the beauty of Will's dragon he said he never would have thought green goes so well with red and orange.

Orange and green together.

It takes a lot of planning and hard work to be a prosperous winery, especially in our current economy,and at the mercy of Mother Nature. Hoping the year of the dragon will be the year we see black ink and not more red. One think is certain, we're going to give it all we got!

From Farm to Table

2012-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Neighbors at HawkesWinery; Thank you for stopping by with home made cookies and a gorgeous bottle of your hand crafted Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. We heart you! Sincerely, The Gang at White Oak Vineyards & Winery.

Totally adore their logo.

The back of the cookie tag says for recipes and how-to videos visit www.hakeswines.com

I just went over to the the tasting room and Harry was unwraping another surprise I hadn't known was in the gift bag, Meyer Lemon Curd! Really? Yes really. Makes me grin and take a deep happy breath to be a part of such an amazing community. It's been a good day.

Barrel Tasting Weekend Traditions

2012-01-27T11:23:00.000-08:00


Bottle Your Own Zin in our cellar with our winemaker and cellar crew.

Make new friends, it's the best to meet and impress first timers to our winery.

Group shots by the fountain.

Library wine sale, screaming deals!

Always the first weekend of March, well at least for the last 33 years, Barrel Tasting is the chance to taste the future and give kudos to the hands that craft the wine we all live and breathe here in Sonoma County. This annual event has expanded to two weekends so that means I work behind the barrel at White Oak for the first one, and go for it the next!

Good day sunshine

2012-01-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

Wild Calendula in the vineyards.

Wine & Food Wednesday

2012-01-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited about our newest Sauvignon Blanc release. It has an amazing fruitiness, really screams I'm S. B.! One of my new twitter friends, The Hungry Goddess, holds these great chats on twitter each Wednesday. Today's was all about Quinoa, so last night I made a recipe to pair with our newest Sauvignon Blanc.

It's called Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios, but I couldn't find any pistachios so I subsituted pepitas!

Apricot orange juice dressing with olive oil, garlic, orange zest and scallions.

It was the apricot in this recipe that made me think it would pair up so nicely with our new release. About me: I love arugula.

John volunteered to be on Scampi duty.

Stay tuned: I also have on hand the ingredients for The Hungry Goddess' recipe for Quinoa Cakes with Fennel...paired with?
P.S. Happy Wine Wednesday!

Blue Monday

2012-01-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

Dramatic skies after yesterday's big rains. The rain gauge at the winery read 3.5 inches this morning.

Wasn't really this dark and gloomy this morning, just felt like it to all the 49 Faithfuls around here.


Sausal Creek went from dry to pretty full.

Smokey loves Mondays and snuggling in for a long day's nap.

Blue skies making a come back!

Here today, gone tomorrow.

2012-01-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday

Today

Remembered that I don't like 49 degree rainy socked in days. Thank goodness for tea at my desk to keep the chill away.

iWinter Wineland

2012-01-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Yes We Cam

ShockMyPic

Filter Mania

Posterize

Percolator

Spica

iPhonegraphy

Winter Wineland Sunday

2012-01-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

High noon in the Alexander Valley.

Enjoyed the Chardonnay barrel samples and took advantage of the Winemaker autographed magnums & Jeroboams too!

Hostesses with the most-est!

Winter Wineland white roses.

And again, how about those Niners!!!

Made some new Wine Club members today!

Mr. Healdsburg continued to gain fans as he helped us man the tasting bar.

Most handsome designated driver of the day.

Sean stopped in to share his winemaking efforts with his friends.

I think they had fun.


My reward after a great two days of "working" during Winter Wineland	.		[ I had fun ]

Winter Wineland Saturday

2012-01-15T11:49:00.000-08:00


Arriving in style.

Alex was visited by her Aunt, Uncle and many beautiful cousins.

Francesca's winter themed arrangement.

Olivia loves Chardonnay.

Fusili pasta with a smoked chicken sundried tomato basil sauce.

Happy to get their pasta.

How about those Niners!!!

Visiting all the way from Minnesota

Manicures before wine tasting!

Doing it all again today! Come see us!

Chardonnay

2012-01-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

Our educational component of Winter Wineland will be a comparative 2011 Russian River Chardonnay tasting from three oak barrels, Neutral, Hungarian and French.

It was really fun to try all three. The Hungarian agrees with my palate...as in yum. It has a great smokey nutmeg quality. The neutral barrel is austere, like sparking wine which I also adore. Tomorrow I'll try the French oak again and see what I think, for tonight it came in third.

T.G.I.F!

2012-01-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Sean Padraig Moran! Cellar man extraordinaire and now a quarter of a century old!

The Last Rain November 18, 2011

2012-01-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

It wasn't a lot of rain. But I remember it was the kind of day when the sun would break through and make an incredible light.

Yesterday someone told me we might see rain again next week. I think we're all a little nervous about that subject. Personally I adore a sunny day and hated that my umbrella skills got so much practice last year.

Today's forecast is for sunny skies and seventy degree highs, that's my kind of January weather.

'round here

2012-01-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

last night

Make a Wish

2012-01-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Wine Wednesday! How long has it been since you've made a wish? I love our fountain. I never get tired of looking at it and watching our guests pose in front of it. If I had just a nickle for every picture taken with it I would be rich! Well, richer anyway, I'm already very rich with health, friends and family. Years ago, before I worked here, I was in our Wine Club. I started working here in December of 2003. Shortly after I had a roll of film developed only to find pictures of this fountain. Serendipity in action. After a customer finished looking at my photography exhibit in our tasting room she commented that I should have an image of the fountain included. That inspired the production of this image and me wondering just how many times I myself have photographed it's beauty. Here's a little inside info regarding the fountain, my favorite time of day is when we turn the fountain off and just listen to the Valley around us, usually while we watch the sunset and sip Chardonnay.

Like I said, I'm rich!

Francesca's Flowers

2012-01-10T12:23:00.000-08:00


Cherries and chocolate Hershey's Kisses in the Merlot arrangement for Taste Alexander Valley.

So looking forward to this weekend's 20th Annual Winter Wineland. Francesca our tasting room manager has amazing talent when it comes to creating the perfect and unique look for our special events. Take a look.

Running for the roses at our Derby Day.

Hope the weather is as lovely for Derby Day this year. It's so much fun to sip Sauvignon Blanc Mint Juleps in the spring sunshine.


Industry mixer on our patio.

Maya, Sean, Francesca, Ryan and Alexandra pose for me in front of the tropical creations made for our Lobster Fête.

Summertime private dinner on our patio.

November's Wine & Food Affair.

Hope you can stop by the winery this weekend and see how Frankie interprets our Winter Wineland theme for 2012.

Check out our website photo albums for all of the fun to be had at our special events, and join us!

Good News!

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Not only is it a great day for the walk to the mailbox, the results of the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition were waiting for me: Our Merlot and Chardonnay garnered gold medals! I was thinking of promoting our success with label shots but then I remembered this still life I did. Happy coincidence, pictured are the Merlot and Chardonnay. This photo was in our tasting room and was purchased by a guest as a thank you for his friend who had sent him our way. I hope it was happily received.

PS We took Bronze on the other three wines we entered so all of our entries medaled!

A Different Point of View

2012-01-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

My view looking toward the Alexander Valley from Healdsburg Ridge. January in Sonoma County can really be spectacular. This morning was covered in a beautiful white frost and today is brilliant with sunshine and clear blue skies.

T.G.I.F!

2012-01-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend! Last weekend I visited Wurst in Healdsburg. All week I have been thinking about how much I enjoyed the vibe and the great food. I think it is an excellent stop to include in a day of wine tasting. You're going wine tasting this weekend right? Wurst has something for everyone on the menu. For example my dog was made of eggplant. That's it up top with the cheddar on it. Scrimshaw Pilsner on tap is the perfect palate cleanser after sipping on our local wines. Wurst is the perfect spot to fuel up before, sustain during or relax after a day of wine tasting. Tell them Laura at White Oak sent you!

Won't you join us?

2012-01-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

20th Annual Winter Wineland Our goal: Be the best winery on the Wine Road!

We want to welcome you back or introduce you to our style of hospitality.

We're really excited to be offering a comparison barrel tasting of our 2011 Russian River Chardonnay barrels, Hungarian and French.

I always look forward to seeing Francesca's floral creations. They are always gorgeous!

Our chef for the weekend will be Healdsburg Charcuterie's Patrick Martin. He says the people want something healthy, and we say we want pasta. We'll have to wait for the big day to see who wins that battle, but one thing for sure, Patrick's cooking is always delicious.


Alex didn't know Patrick was hamming it up behind her.

I am honored to be showing (and selling!) my photography. I just went into the tasting room to count how many images I have (31) and noticed another one has sold! Sweet.

Cabernet

OK, so if for some reason you can't make it to Winter Wineland this year, you can still party along with us by following on twitter @WhiteOakWinery search #Wineland2012.

If you don't tweet, we'll get an album up on our website shortly after the event.

I have my photography show images in a set on flickr too ~> Images of the Estate

If this weather holds it's sure to be a great time to get out and enjoy Sonoma county. Hope we'll see you!

You're Invited

2012-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

What a day. Happy first Wine Wednesday 2012! Today was definitely a Chardonnay day! Cheers!

Check back with us tomorrow for your invitation to a fabulous weekend of fun coming up January 14th & 15th!

Working Winery Kitty

2012-01-03T16:41:00.000-08:00


Inspecting the grapes.

We spotted her in our cellar during Harvest 2006. She was the tiniest wild kitten who really wanted nothing to do with humans. I'm thinking she was the runt of the litter and abandoned by her mom. We started to tame her with a bowl of milk. Now, this was actually a covert activity on my part. I wasn't sure how our owner would feel about a winery kitty so I kept her feeding/hiding place a secret. Until one day when she was so big & frisky that I thought I better let the cat out of the bag! So casually I asked my boss if he had seen the kitty that was hanging around the winery. His face lit up and he went right outside and started calling to her. A few days later he asked me what I thought we should name that cat. I suggested Harvest, since she found us during harvest and I thought Harvey was cute for a boy or a girl. Parker our winemaker wanted to name her Shadow because when she's in the shadows there's no seeing her. She is amazing at hiding around the winery grounds. But Bill, our owner said "I think he looks like a Smokey." I was so happy that he had thought about her enough to give her a name, I replied "Smokey it is!"

Guarding her vineyards.

With time and daily coaxing Smokey became comfortable enough to let me pet her, and if I stood right beside someone, she would let them pet her as well. It took two of us to get her into a carrier so I could take her to the veterinarian's office to see if she was healthy and if she was a he or a she. We had her spayed and the Dr.'s office called me to come and pick her up. She was freaked out by being caged. I had to keep her in her cage over night and I was so worried that she would run away when I let her out the next morning. She was so happy to be set free again that she was more affectionate with me than ever. I have become her favorite person around here and where I go she goes too. More photos over here.

My favorite lunchtime companion.

Looking Back, Harvest 2011

2011-12-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Boy, remember how we waited and waited and waited for those sugars to come up? This was a late harvest filled with all the challenges one could imagine. Stories from winery to winery, vineyard to vineyard ranged from I got the fruit in just in time, to Damn, rain, really hard rain, and our fruit is still hanging. We were quite lucky here at White Oak in many ways.

Jesse Andrew Chris & Sean

First we had a stellar cellar crew with great attitude and work ethics, and secondly most of our Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc came in before the rains, looking golden delicious. Our Cabernet was strong enough to hold up to the rains and still keep it's beautiful round berries.

And as the last load of grapes came into the cellar we had reason to smile, a quality of ours that makes each day one we can be proud of. Check out all of our smiles and all of the team players this past harvest on our winery website photo album. And please come by and ask to see those smiles for yourself. We've got them at the ready along with another great White Oak vintage to share with you!

White Oak Winery's winemaker Bill Parker

Looking to the Future, Let's Plan Some Fun!

2011-12-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

I received a phone call this morning from a bride to be asking if we host private events. I said yes we do, take a look at our photo gallery on our website. As I went to look for the gallery I realized that it wasn't on our website at all! Not to worry, I had posted it on our Facebook page. And now all 47 photos are on our website too.

I love it when our guests request a cheese plate from our Alexander Valley neighbors at the Jimtown Store. Isn't it gorgeous?

Think of White Oak Winery as you plan your wedding rehearsal picnic, next birthday or special anniversary. Call 707.433.8429 or email Francesca in our Tasting Room to talk over the details and save the date. We'd love the chance to share our beautiful slice of the Alexander Valley with you as you celebrate in 2012.

For the Birds

2011-12-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

Winter is such a perfect time to bird watch in the vineyards at White Oak. Come on out and have a picnic in the warm winter sun and see how many you can see...

Mockingbird
Red Tail Hawk
Raven
Blackbird
Western Bluebird
Starling
Crow
California Towhee
Sparow
Titmouse
Goldfinch
Ruby House finch
Acorn Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Red Shouldered Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Western Scrub Jay
Robin
Winter Wren
Barn Swallow
Black Phoebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Belted Kingfisher
Anna's Hummingbird
Mourning Dove
California Quail
Bald Eagle
Mallard
Canada Goose
Spotted Towhee

The Cornell Lab of Orinthology

Christmas Holiday Wine Tasting Hours

2011-12-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

We'll be here December 23rd until 5pm and December 24th until 2pm. Alex says: "Take a break from cooking and come taste some wine!" I say: "Take a detour from Grandma's house and come pick out the perfect wine to pair with your Holiday dinner!"

From all of us here at White Oak Vineyards & Winery: "Merry Christmas!"

Merry Christmas to me!

2011-12-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

On my desk this morning! J Rosé from Parker and Mueller Pinot from Will, guess I've been good! and...

Jesse says he's working on my gift! Not only is a great cellar rat at making wine and fixing anything that's broken, he's an amazing artist. Here's the gift me made for our founding owner Bill Myers, otherwise known as The Mighty Oak.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2011-12-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

Wishing all a happy winter solstice.

If today is any indicator, we're in for some great wine making, grape growing, soak up the sun kind of winter!

Nice to Meet You!

2011-12-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

Today's Task at hand this morning was to meet our latest and greatest Russian River Chardonnay. Our 2010 vintage needs her tasting notes so, Parker, Will, Harry, Francesca, Alexandra and I put our collective palates together to figure out what this new vintage has to offer.

It's a fun experience to taste the wine together and throw out ideas about what we're tasting, Here's what we came up with:

Asian Pear
Buttered Toast
Honey Comb
Banana
Pineapple
Orange Zest
Wild Flower Honey
Lemon Peel
Peach
Nectarine
Honeysuckle
Mulled Wine Spice

Next Parker will take all this into consideration and come up with a more sophisticated edition of tasting notes for this elegant new release. Check our our 2009 Russian River Chardonnay on our website or come on in and taste for yourself.

For the Love of Wine Pick-Up Party

2011-12-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

For the LOVE of WINE Pick-Up Party
February 11th 7-10pm

Wine Club Members, pick up your February shipments.

Chef Patrick Martin of Healdsburg Charcuterie will be creating his beautiful and delicious passed hors d'oeuvres.

Non-Members, join us to fall in love at first sip!!!

7 Reasons To:
Ditch your Date, Bring them with you, or meet someone new!!!

1. She's vibrant & vivacious - our 2010 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc
2. She's full bodied & unforgettable - our 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
3. He's smokin' hot! - our 2006 Napa Valley Syrah
4. She's better than a box of chocolates - our 2007 Napa Valley Merlot
5. He'll actually listen when you speak - our 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6. He's reserved just for you - our 2005 Alexander Valley Reserve
7. He's sensationally sweet - our 2006 Napa Valley Dessert Wine

Music by Pat Jordan!

Wine Club Members $20 :: Non-Members $30 Contact Alexandra to RSVP Alexandra@whiteoakwinery.com :: 707.433.8429

Purchase event tickets

Merry Merry Old Time

2011-12-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Someone's been busy setting the scene for a fabulous "Ugly Sweater" Holiday party!

Parker, always so serious.

Enough said, those candy canes say it all no?

WOW

We had a really great time!

See more at our Facebook page ~> Here!

Beautiful Distraction

2011-12-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

This past week of frosty nights has dropped all of our vineyard color to the ground leaving the vines bare and brown. While we wait for the wildflowers to start their blooming, we'll look to the sky for our daily color fix. Last night's sky was a blaze of color!

Last week's sky gave us gorgeous lavender!

“No person was ever honored for what he received. He was honored for what he gave.” ~Calvin Coolidge

2011-12-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

We have beautiful Magnums of our Napa Valley Cabernet just waiting to grace your Holiday tables!

Email our Tasting Room Crew for special seasonal pricing!

Frost Moon, Winter Moon, Long Night's Moon, Moon Before Yule, Cold Moon and best of all, Oak Moon.

2011-12-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Happy last full moon of 2011!

Winter Wineland's 20th Anniversary Celebration

2011-12-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Featuring Images of Our Estate Photography by Laura O'Hanesian.

Parker will be hosting a comparative Chardonnay tasting featuring French & Hungarian oak barrels.

Well Have our fireplaces blazing! We're planning the menu in order to wow you with something delicious for you to pair with our featured wines.

We'll make sure you have a great day!

Get your tickets today!

Shakespeare's birds

2011-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

European Starlings were introduced to America by immigrants at the close of the 19th century. Some say as an homage to William Shakespeare's writings. There is nothing like being in the midst of a swarm. These were over our Cabernet vines as I walked up to get the mail. They are called invasive species but I call them amazing!

Join us?

2011-12-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

Ever just want to get away? Need to reconnect with your friends? Pick a date. Call us and let us know you're coming. We'll arrange to have wine, lunch and a beautiful place to enjoy it, here at our beautiful Alexander Valley winery!