Happy Halloween! And praise the rain on the pumpkins: we’ll take it as Mother Nature’s very best treat. We’re on the cusp of November, which means we’re into the home stretch of the year. The vineyard began turning beautiful fall colors early in October, and the rains are giving the vines a much-needed drink after …
Many of you are asking about the impact of the #LomaFire on the wineries up here in the Summit area. Thankfully, our Summit wineries have had little or no impact: we at Burrell School are fine. Our neighbors at Loma Prieta Winery have had a scarily close bird’s eye view of the fire since it …
Our unusually moderate August weather has created perfect slow ripening conditions that we haven’t experienced in quite a few harvests now. Usually, we get a heat spike just in time for Labor Day, but this time, it looks like we’ll be in good shape. Last year, Pinot was brought in before the end of August, …
Summer accelerates into full swing as we head into August, the month of full veraison, pushed along by the intense stretch of heat we had the third week of July. Now is the time when the grapes flesh out, when Chardonnay becomes golden and the reds take on their darker hues. Thankfully, temperatures have moderated …
Happy Halloween and Welcome Daylight Savings Time! Like it or not, we’re into the home stretch of the year, when the leaves in the vineyard begin donning their deeply burnished autumn hues and short days lead to early, often fiery sunsets that match beautifully with Burrell School Cabernet Franc, with its lovely reddish glow. We …
Ristorante Casa Nostra presents BURRELL SCHOOL VINEYARDS “Extra Curricular” Wine Dinner Menu October 27, 2015 2013 Estate Chardonnay – “Teacher’s Pet” Paired with: Summer Squash Al Forno – yellow squash stuffed with prosciutto, potato and red bell pepper, topped with Provolone cheese 2011 Estate Pinot Noir – “Principal’s Choice “ Paired with: Penne Contadina- Chicken, …
Shake Up Your Tastebuds With Our Wine Dinner at Casa Nostra Ristorante Tuesday, October 27, 2015 Burrell School Vineyards will be this month’s featured winery at Casa Nostra Italian restaurant in Ben Lomond. Join Anne and Dave for a special dinner on the last Tuesday of the month, October 27, featuring authentic Italian cuisine, Burrell …
Harvest 2015: Short, Sweet and Over Already Autumn is here, harvest is over and the vines are showing off splendid fall color. “Short and sweet” was our mantra for harvest 2015, which began on August 19th, the earliest ever, and ended on September 26th. From the over-abundant 54.5 tons of harvest 2014, we saw only …
It’s “Back to School” month here at the big red schoolhouse and the vinous students are already showing up for class. First to arrive, and quite early, were Pinot Noir 667 and Pinot Noir 05, on August 19, the earliest matriculation ever. A small cropload, due to the drought and the very protacted bloom that …
August is here and the summer heat is well and truly on, hastening the ripening of our estate grapes. Veraison is in full swing, turning the green grapes to red as the pace of summer quickens and our thoughts turn to impending harvest. Pinot Noir sports netting — we don’t like to share with the …
Out in the vineyard, we see the bright hues of autumn and in the cellar we see the many barrels now filled with Vintage 2014 wines. The harvest was pretty awesome by all accounts. Dave tallied a total of 58.4 tons for this year’s haul and gave the vintage an A+++ rating! We’re very excited …
Wow – what a quick harvest this has been! In fact, it’s almost history, as the estate Cab Franc is coming in this week. Even the Petit Verdot beat it to the punchdown! That pretty much leaves a wee bit of Grenache and Mourvèdre over at Pichon still hanging. Don’t forget this evening, October 1, …
As kids get back to school all over the region, we’re about to welcome The Class of 2014 to the old Schoolhouse. Harvest is upon us—we’re expecting to pick the Estate Pinot Noir very, very soon, right after Labor Day. Then it’s all hands on deck as the tons (and tons) of primo grapes start …
Countdown to Harvest! August is here—and that means our annual “Count Down to Harvest” has begun in earnest. As is the usual at the Schoolhouse, August is the month we’ve been busy bottling: this year, a whopping 2300 cases of wine! Wow. Meanwhile, in the vineyards, the Chardonnay couldn’t look more plump or inviting, and …
Here at Burrell School, we’re busily pressing off the last of the reds after primary fermentation has completed for our most bountiful Harvest 2013. What a year it’s been! Nearly 73 tons!! WOW! After a fun visit to see the twin grandsons in Colorado, Anne & Dave are enjoying the mild November weather here in …
October is the month of prevalent punchdowns, as the grapes come marching in. And we’re about 80% all in at this point — hooray! in fact, the Estate Merlot will be picked later this week: that’s a record!! We’ve had a busy month of September with harvest in full swing. So far 30.1 tons of fantastic fruit …