Autumn 2016

A Season for Giving Thanks

This season, gratitude has been on our minds. With another beautiful harvest completed and in barrel, and Thanksgiving just around the corner, we feel extraordinarily blessed by the many gifts brought into our lives through our remarkable journey into winemaking. We are thankful for our amazing team, who are such a pleasure to work with and who enable us to craft extraordinary wine year after year. We are also honored and grateful each time we meet or hear from our wine collectors and appreciators. Please accept our heartfelt thank you for blessing us with your friendship and for including Pulido~Walker in your wine cellars!

Our Upcoming Release: 2014 Panek Vineyard

The ten-year mark seems to be a magical one for Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in Napa Valley. Panek Vineyard hit its tenth anniversary with a 2014 wine that shows a savory element which brings a pleasant complexity to what has been a consistent, generously fruited palate. With this vintage, we return to the familiar red-black fruit profile, greater acidity, and caramelized sugar qualities that distinguish this Cabernet Sauvignon from its St. Helena site.

2014 Pulido~Walker from Panek Vineyard represents the best of the 2012 and 2013 vintages wrapped up in one great wine. This extraordinary single-vineyard wine will become available in January, three 750ml bottles packaged in our custom birchwood box for $585.

2014 Vintage Labeling and Pack-out

Our 2014 Pulido~Walker Cabernet Sauvigno wines are hand labeled, wrapped in tissue, and packed in custom birchwood boxes. The wine will rest until shipped in February (Panek Vineyard) and October (Melanson Vineyard).

2016 Harvest Notes from Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown

The 2016 vintage looks to continue our run of great vintages in Napa—now five in a row! Yields were all over the place but quality was consistently high. The later pick lots were especially strong—they colored up quickly and the aromatics were clean and focused, even early in the ferments. I think we have the best ever set of lots from Panek. Even some of the traditional laggards look strong which should make for some enjoyable blending sessions.

Melanson may have had the lowest yield relative to historical average of all the vineyards we dealt with this year. Everything looks promising. Wine was an electric opaque purple color after a day in the tank. Tannins built really slowly in tank due to the fruit’s complete ripeness, so we were able to go a little longer on skins and extract the best from the vintage.

With the state-of-the-art optical scanning technology at our winery, we are able to have even greater precision in selecting the best berries to our exacting standards for the Pulido~Walker single-vineyard wines.

Our Estate Vineyard: A Discussion with Viticulturist Kelly Maher and Thomas Rivers Brown

What went into consideration when selecting the specific clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay for planting at the Pulido~Walker Estate Vineyard site?

TRB: In planting a large percentage of the Pulido~Walker Estate vineyard to Cabernet Sauvignon, clone selection was key. Late-ripeners like Clone 4 and Clone 6 aren’t suited to the cooler climate of the estate overlooking the San Pablo Bay, so we selected very high quality clones that consistently ripen early, with medium-range ripeners planted in the warmest spots to give us blending possibilities.

Chardonnay was reserved for the cooler plantable sites, where clay soil predominates. We chose the two highest quality clones available “Old Vine Wente” and “Montrachet.”

KM: As far as clonal selections, we currently have 18 separate blocks—15 blocks are Cabernet Sauvignon and 3 blocks are Chardonnay. For Cabernet, we chose 4 different clones. Three of the clones are originally from France: 169, 685, and 15. We also utilized one historic domestic clone, FPS 30, which was originally the “See” clone, selected a long time ago from the See Ranch in Yountville. These clones were all selected based on historical performance and quality, as well as optimally pairing clones to the site. In regards to Chardonnay, as mentioned above, we planted “Old Wente” and “Montrachet,” two of Thomas Brown’s favorite clones.

Meet Kelli Willard: Managing Customer Experience for Pulido~Walker

We are pleased to introduce Kelli Williard, our friendly and knowledgeable point of contact for Pulido~Walker collector inquiries. Kelli is integral to our winery support services and is managing orders, fulfillment, and inventory tracking. She will be happy to answer any questions regarding your wine orders or shipment tracking.

Kelli has been working in Napa Valley for a number of years, primarily with limited production, premium wineries. Having the unique ability to wear many hats, she is keenly committed to customer support and operations at the highest level. Kelli’s experience includes the role of general manager at BRAND Napa Valley on Pritchard Hill and business manager for Schrader Cellars.

Growing up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Kelli discovered a love of wine while attending Oregon State University. She and her husband moved to the Napa Valley 19 years ago to be closer to the vineyards, to build a successful custom swimming pool and landscape construction company, and to raise their two sons. Kelli is passionate about spending family time with their pets, watching football, savoring great food and wine, and teeing off for the occasional round of golf.

For questions about our wine or for assistance with your order, please contact Kelli at [email protected] or call 707-226-1900.

Summer Recipe & Pairing Suggestion:

This recipe is a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and was inspired by The Purple Pig in Chicago, with Estate Ambassador Daniel Ha incorporating ingredients that are growing in our garden at the Mt. Veeder Estate. Serve with a glass of the 2012 Pulido~Walker Panek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon for a perfect holiday pairing.

TURKEY CONFIT WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES, ROASTED KALE, RADDICHIO & SLICED PERSIMMON

Ingredients (serves 4)

Marinade
3 turkey legs, skin on (total weight approx. 2½ pounds)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp of nutmeg

Confit
2 sprigs rosemary
1 sprig sage
2 sprigs thyme
6 cloves garlic
5½ cups of duck fat melted

Sides
⅓ cup pomegranate molasses
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp Pulido~Walker extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup water
1 pinch salt, be generous
2 bunch of Dino Kale cut in half lengthways, then chopped into thirds (bottom of stems removed)
2 heads of radicchio quartered
½ cup pomegranate seeds
2 Fuyu persimmons sliced thin on mandolin
1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and strained
1 liter vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Marinade
1) Place the fennel seeds and peppercorns into a small pan over medium-high heat. As soon as the fennel begins to pop, swirl the spices around and turn off the heat. Place the toasted spices into a mortar and pound with the pestle until coarsely ground. Stir in the brown sugar, salt and cayenne. Rub the spice mix over the turkey legs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum 3 hours, or preferably overnight.

Confit (can be done a day in advance)
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2) Take a saucepan or Dutch oven-style pan that will fit the turkey legs snugly and in one layer. Place the herb sprigs on the bottom of the pan.

3) Remove the turkey from the fridge, pat dry with a paper towel and lay the legs over the herbs. Dot the whole garlic cloves around the legs. Carefully pour the lard over the turkey legs to cover completely. Put the lid on the pan and cook in the oven for approximately 3 hours.

4) When done, leave the whole pan to cool completely on the stovetop or bench. Remove the turkey legs from the fat and lay them on a plate. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until needed.

Sides
1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2) Place the pomegranate molasses, sugar, virgin oil, water and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the kale and radicchio and toss gently to coat.

3) Lay the vegetables in a single layer in a large ovenproof dish that will also fit the turkey legs. Take the turkey legs from the fridge and nestle amongst the vegetables bake in the oven, basting halfway through. After 20 minutes, remove the turkey legs, wrap in foil and set aside. Return the tray of vegetables to the oven for another 10 minutes.

4) During the baking process, heat the liter of vegetable oil in a saucepan and deep-fry the garbanzo beans for one minute. Strain beans from the oil and allow them to sit on kitchen towels to absorb any drips. Season with salt.

5) To serve, pull meat from the turkey legs from bone and place over the kale and roasted radicchio and garbanzo beans and drizzle over any juices left in the braising pan and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and persimmon slices.