VELLUM Tasting July 26th at Wine Styles in Vacaville, CA

We are thrilled to announce that VELLUM will soon be featured at WineStyles in Vacaville, CA!!

On Sunday, July 26th from 5pm-7pm please join us at WineStyles to celebrate the introduction of the 2007 VELLUM Cabernet Sauvignon. All are welcome to attend - to hear winemaking notes from VELLUM Winemaker Karl Lehmann and to enjoy live music with Gianna Biagi.

WineStyles is a fantastic wine bar and retail shop with a great location in historic downtown Vacaville. Here is the address:

VELLUM at WineStyles
Sunday, July 26th from 5pm-7pm
11-B Town Square Place
Vacaville, CA 95688
Phone: 707-447-9463

We look forward to seeing you there!

- Jeff Mathy

ps. The photo above was taken by VELLUM fan Peichi Waite (C)2009

Wine and Cigars

In May we debuted our 2007 VELLUM Cabernet Sauvignon at release parties around California to great success. However, on June 24th for the first time VELLUM's 2007 vintage was presented in Napa at BakerStreet Downtown.

We were fortunate enough to have our wine paired with the world renowned cigar brand C.A.O. International. So, as an unapologetic cigar lover it was my honor to have VELLUM match so well with my long time favorite CAO Brazillia label.

It was a classic pairing brought together by Brenda Roberts, the proprietor of BakerStreet Downtown. I want thank her for this enriching experience and I was very pleased to see how well the Napa Valley community received our first wine.

I also want to extend a special thanks to Frank Kapp and Ed Trevino from C.A.O. International. Their insight, understanding and shared appreciation for the craftsmanship of cigars and wine made for a complete evening.

And...Thanks again to all in attendance - we hope to see you again at future events!

- Karl Lehmann

Vellum Wine on Track!

This past week Jeff and I decided on a departure from the quiet wine country setting to reach an entirely different audience that may not know we even exist...Hmm...How about... Vellum Wine goes racing!

There are many ways draw attention to a wine: having old cellars, stacks of barrels, vineyard dogs or parties with only your wine being poured. In advertisements, most wineries opt for the tried and true picture of an expansive vineyard with someone in the center holding a glass of wine as the sun sets behind them. You see it all too often... so we thought that it's time for a change of scenery.

What brilliant luck!!! Through an unlikely turn of events, it just so happened that the SCCA GT2 racecar team of John Shine and John Pecora graciously afforded us a decal space on their car. What a windfall- I certainly did not see this coming! On June 21st, for the first time, the GT2 sportscar burned up the track at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Salinas, California.

It was a great day to be trackside with John Pecora as driver John Shine accelerated past us out of the corner. It was a real thrill to be so close to the action. I felt the heat, the noise and energy of the cars come at us.

If any of you have never seen sports car racing before... Please go. These are not the same cars that drive flat out in an oval for hours... and the events are not televised. This is real nuts-and-bolts racing!

I will be back again - I'm hooked - and I am still not used seeing our logo zoom past me at speeds I may never see in my lifetime... Or maybe I will? I should probably check with my insurance agent first! :) My thanks again to John Pecora and John Shine. I hope you win the series this year! I also want to thank cinematographer Alexander Kushner- without his expertise behind the lens all of these pictures would be a fuzzy blur!

- Karl Lehmann

2008 VELLUM Blending Session

On Saturday evening Karl and I sampled the 2008 vintage and experimented with blends of our different wine lots.

Vellum's fruit is sourced from 3 world-class vineyards in Napa County, mostly from the part of Napa Valley called Coombsville.

We started the evening with a sample of what we call BDX. This is a blend that we created shortly after fermentation completed - from Petit Verdot and Merlot - our two most aromatic wine components. In glass, the BDX was an intense ruby color with a slight purple hue. The first thing I noticed about the wine was its beautiful strawberry and rhubarb aroma, brimming with freshness. Before even bringing the glass to my nose I could smell the fresh fruit flavors mixed with a strong note of sweet briar. In the mouth the wine reflected the nose, but added a strong dark cherry element. The acid (pH 3.67) was well-structured and created a great framework for the deep fruit. Sweet oak was present but subtle. And with an alcohol level of 13.9% it was well balanced and lingered in the finish.

Next we tasted Cabernet Sauvignon from our producer in the Chiles Valley AVA, a highly underrated area of Napa County. This Cabernet was deeply colored and full-bodied. In the glass it had a deep inky purple and red saturation. It carried Vellum's characteristic "espresso grounds" note very strongly, mixed with dark berries. The wine tasted phenomenal - reminding me of cherries, blackberries, cooking spices and even raspberry compote. The tannins were of a very fine grain, falling mid-palate. The acid and alcohol on this lot was very similar to our 2007 vintage - pH 3.56 and alcohol 13.91.

Finally we poured the Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine makes up the majority of our production and is unique in its long hang time on the vine. This Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is typically harvested last in the season...sometimes into November. And yet we are able to bring it in with sugar levels far below the industry average - A GOOD THING! The wine was deep red with hints of purple...smelling of cherries, dark berries and fennel. Karl and I both noticed how remarkably "wild" the wine tasted. And I think the 2007 VELLUM reflects this as well. We have a wild character in the wine that is hard to describe...yet it is intriguing and attractive when poured out of bottle. Try it for yourself and you will know what we mean. There was also a really great yeasty note - funky and complex. In the mouth the wine had lots of weight. It was succulent and mouthwatering with fine powdery tannins. The palate matched the nose and carried a lingering black cherry flavor through to a very long finish.

Overall, the 2008 vintage is developing into a very elegant wine. We expect the final 2008 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon to be very similar to the 2007s but with a bit less alcohol and oak influence. Balance and integration are paramount to us - and we will continue to shape the 2008 vintage in a way that reflects those ideals.

Now back out to the vineyards for the upcoming 2009s!

- Jeff Mathy

Wine Style

A few times a month Jeff and I try about thirty wines from around the world with a close circle of wine professionals. We are there to examine wines for what they are regardless of their quality and trueness to type or region.

Usually ten to twelve lesser known wines are selected blindly and placed in order to follow one another as a logical progression to prepare one's palate - whites, light reds, dark reds ,off dry and others (e.g.- Retsina...look it up!).

Despite what we think, this order is not absolute. In fact, many times we get it wrong! Where we think a wine should place, more often than not the order should be switched.

Recently, a small production Pinot Noir we had in the last tasting from Central Otago, New Zealand had more depth and character than both the following Chilean Cabernet or the Tannat from Uruguay. To me this was a surprise. I expected bolder flavors and body at least from the former but that did not happen.

The Pinot we consumed had the tannin, structure and the lingering finish. This is not the image we have of this variety. At least in Californina we think Pinot Noir is a light bodied, translucent red full of black cherry and gamey flavors. Our perception seems skewed not only by the domestic market but by what the we think the "New World" style should be.

I believe it is correct thinking to admit that we are in need of a change on how we view wine style and what we expect for our dollar. Some wines are poorly made or subject to adverse growing conditions and it shows in their composition as well as their value. This can be easily remedied in the hands of a creative winemaker who can make more with less and add a refreshing signature that can leave us guessing.

However, our current wine industry has been globalizing in recent years to bring about a homogeneity of "New World" style which is not only economical to produce but it enables wineries to neatly type cast any variety.

This past week has been a valuable lesson to me. Wine does not require a fixed image for us to enjoy it. So, I would encourage everyone who has even a remote interest in wine not to fall prey to mass market trappings. Go off the beaten path to discover unknown producers. Smaller is not better but it is a good place to start. Research who you are dealing with if you can. It has been my experience with hundreds of producers that good people generally make good wine and the opposite has also held true. Finally, challenge your mind, your nose and palate on what a grape variety should be. You may pleasantly deceive yourself (as I have) and understand that with wine - - style is everything.

- Karl Lehmann

My Marsupial Encounter...

Well... Not much of an encounter... Actually it was a Kangaroo steak that ended up on a plate in front of me! It was my first taste of this "pesky critter" (as I am told) and I did quite enjoy it.

It was lightly seasoned, pan fried on the rare side in a Porcini reduction and served with new potatoes and green beans. As I was eating it I did wonder why don't male Kangaroos have pouches?...They have stuff to carry too!

Alright...not my joke but I must say that I did expect a "gamey" flavor from it, however there was none of that - it had a slight tender beef character. I enjoyed it with a pairing of The Willows Vineyard 2004 Bonesetter Shiraz. This wine was extraordinarily silky in texture with a fine forward tannin composition and clean. There was also a very present blackberry note on the nose which carried on to the palate. This was the hook for me that provided a surprisingly good match for the Kangaroo steak and the subtle Porcini mushrooms.

I do hope to revisit this certainly uncommon meal in the future. Many thanks to my hosts Samantha and Alex for a great evening and for the rare Barossa selections they laboriously lugged from half a world away. Perhaps you can get back to see the parents again in Australia very soon! ;)

- Karl Lehmann

VELLUM WINE PARTY THIS SUNDAY!

Join us for the celebration! Meet Vellum Winemaker Karl Lehmann and sample delicious treats - perfect pairings for the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

This is one last reminder to our friends in Southern California - Vellum's Inaugural Wine Release Party will take place this Sunday, May 17th from 2pm-5pm. (Open House Style)

Location: Mathy Family House, 2054 Smokewood Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92831

All are welcome to attend!

Please let us know that you will be joining us by emailing - jeff@vellumwines.com

Don't forget to read the latest news from the vineyards and cellar by clicking BLOG on our website at www.VellumWines.com or visiting us on Facebook.

See you at the party!

- Jeff Mathy and Karl Lehmann

Thank You for a Successful Release!

Jeff and I want to thank all the friends, family and the people who newly discovered us for making our first release party such a success. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to everyone and I want to personally say that the day was very gratifying.

The two of us have put everything we have into Vellum and it pleases us to no end to see that the wine is so well received. For all of those who purchased the 2007 vintage, enjoy now or save for the next generation!

We are hard at work on the promising 2008 vintage and planning the upcoming 2009 harvest. However, we want to extend an invitation to all those in wine drinking world, so please do not hesitate to contact us about anything. We love to hear from you!

Thanks again!

~Karl Lehmann

Our Gratitude

I was inspecting some vineyards this weekend and it only now occurred to me that we are entering our third vintage with Vellum. It was very difficult to imagine this point in time three years ago. There were so many more uncertainties then than we have now and we have constructed a foundation that will last for years to come. So, I want to take this time to thank those have helped us build it and to those who have been the mortar in places where we needed it most.

Commercial winemaking is indeed a high risk business and mired with difficulties that only careful planning and hard work can avoid. It is not for the wealthy individuals who want to throw money at problems in the hopes that they will go away. They never do. The proof of this is far too evident here in Napa Valley and elsewhere in California. Wineries become money pits and backyard venues to entertain personal friends. But! When the end is near for them and the party is over (...as many come here to do just that!), the winery is sacrificed for a bargain price and assimilated into a corporation's portfolio.

The resulting casualty is that the property and brand becomes a trading card among other corporations who have taken it upon themselves to globalize our craft. As for the people who came here to party? They suddenly find that they have less money than they started with and fewer friends since they do not have a winery anymore...

Vellum Wine Craft is determined to avoid these pitfalls - because we are here to create and grow as our own entity.

I want to acknowledge first and foremost that we are people who have the fidelity to achieve an end outside the spoils of vanity and lifestyle. As a native Pittsburgher and devout Steelers fan I learned a very important lesson early in life - - Invest in the right people the first time and put your nose to the grindstone with them.

You then will never get "caught up" and do things for the wrong reasons. As fates would have it, in the end you may even get your own Superbowls!

We hope in the future to attract people like ourselves to us and to our wine. It will be a great honor to meet and talk to all of you who have been with us along the way, Sunday May 3rd (and May 17th) for the very first release of Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

See you then..

- Karl Lehmann

Vellum Release Party Approaches!

Please join us for an afternoon of wine tasting with Vellum's Winemaker Karl Lehmann as we uncork Vellum Wine Craft's premier vintage - the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

Due to popular demand - we are hosting two release parties to accommodate our patrons in both Northern and Southern California.

**Sunday, May 3rd from 2pm-5pm
(Location: A Taste of the Himalayas Restaurant, 464 1st Street East
Sonoma, CA 95476)

**Sunday, May 17th from 2pm-5pm
(Location: Mathy Family House, 2054 Smokewood Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92831)

All are welcome to attend!

Please let us know that you will be joining us by emailing - jeff@vellumwines.com

You may also order VELLUM by CLICKING HERE

The Rites of Spring

Jeff could not be more right about bud-break. I am excited too (Give it up for plants Jeff!)...The 2009 vintage hinges on what happens right now! This is when we watch the weather very carefully - as do our growers.

An early bud-break followed by a late frost could seriously damage our chances at a successful year. So far...we have had a lot of rain in March and fair to warm weather in April and now it is raining again - keeping any chances of frost at bay. Also, this late rain is important because it increases the water table; which in turn will help in more uniform berry-set after flowering.

For some extra security?...In solidarity with our growers this year I even went so far as to plant my vegetable garden three weeks early...and lo' and behold no frost! But, as it is with my garden, we have the good graces of nature this year with us, however it is not always that way.

Last year proved to have a particularly damaging early spring; which gave way to low yields during harvest across the region. As viticulturists and winemakers we made adjustments and as I maintained in previous writings, I think the 2008 vintage is our finest to date (...and I want to thank our recent visitor from Bordeaux for receiving it so well too!).

So these are the fortunes of winemaking right now. They can rise and fall with the weather but it is up to us to pay attention to the details of the fruit in the meantime and address its needs early - to make great wine.

Finally,speaking of details, I have been thinking lately about the words which we say and the words which we adopt for ourselves. Last September, Didier Dagueneau, a star winemaker of the Loire's Pouilly-Fume passed away. Many say that he had a strong personality and lived by what he said - both of which translated into his legendary Sauvignon Blancs. In his wake of an enduring legacy of wines, he left these words:

"There are no recipes. It's all the details of viticulture and all the details of winemaking, the assemblage of little things, which makes for the minute differences between a good wine and a great one." - Didier Dagueneau

I like to think that this wisdom came to me at the right time in my life and I believe now that we are going to have a very good year indeed.

Enjoy Spring!

~ Karl Lehmann

Bud Break !!

On Friday I spent the afternoon walking among the vines at our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard on the south end of Napa Valley.

Karl and I have raved about these vines since we first tasted their fruit - and witnessing the vines start their growth for the 2009 vintage is as inspiring as ever.

I am not one to get excited over watching plants grow...BUT!...these vines are the lifeblood of Vellum. And now that the 2007 vintage is in bottle and the 2008 vintage is in barrel, I am thrilled to welcome the next vintage of Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vines are just starting to push out the new growth that will carry the 2009 vintage through harvest.

Enjoy the photos...

- Jeff Mathy

Vellum is throwing a party!

You are cordially invited to Vellum Wine Craft's inaugural wine release!

Please join us for an afternoon of wine tasting with Vellum's Winemaker Karl Lehmann as we uncork Vellum Wine Craft's premier vintage - the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

Due to popular demand - we are hosting two release parties to accommodate our patrons in both Northern and Southern California.

**Sunday, May 3rd from 2pm-5pm
(Location: A Taste of the Himalayas Restaurant, 464 1st Street East
Sonoma, CA 95476)

**Sunday, May 17th from 2pm-5pm
(Location: Mathy Family House, 2054 Smokewood Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92831)

All are welcome to attend!

Please let us know that you will be joining us by emailing jeff@vellumwines.com.

Milliliters, Milligrams and Millimeters - Part II of the "Joy of Bottling"

Today, on Saint Patrick's Day our very first unfined and unfilitered wine made its final journey and is now sealed in glass. I cannot impress enough upon everyone how exceedingly difficult it is to make truly great wine much less to get it past the final hurdle and into bottle. We have put everything we know and everything we have into Vellum and yet our success is measured by milliliters, milligrams and millimeters.

Putting a cork into a bottle of wine properly requires an understanding of temperature, vacuum, and very close consistent tolerances in the head-space between the wine and the cork. The temperature of the wine cannot be too cold. If there is too great a difference between the wine and the ambient temperature, it will expand in the bottle when it warms up and quite possibly push up the cork even under a vacuum.

Being the mindful types we are; the wine came out of the tank at 58-60 degrees F and went into the bottle at about the same temperature. We maintained a head-space between 12-14mm in each bottle, giving the wine a chance to move if the worst should happen (exposure to heat)...Let's hope not. I like to think that everyone stores their wine responsibly!

It is also worth considering the amount of dissolved oxygen is the wine. This measurement is important to protect the wine from any infection that could happen in the bottle. At Vellum we will not fine or filter our wines. Fining is a process by which undesirable constituents are removed from a wine during the winemaking process. The other side of this process is that fining agents do not discriminate and they will remove the good stuff too! Filtering, while making a wine more biologically stable and microbe free can also strip out a wine very quickly leaving it listless. In most cases may take months afterward for it to re-integrate (if at all) to its former state.

So, our only weapons to make sure that Vellum goes into and develops in bottle infection-free, is impeccable hygiene and good numbers. We keep everything sanitized from our barrels to our equipment but also it is the nature of our wine that keeps any yeast or bacteria from growing in it. The wine is dry (no sugar in it) and virtually free of malic acid. Both of these can be food sources for yeast and bacteria respectively.

Also, Vellum has a comparatively low pH by Napa Valley standards. Not only does this contribute greatly to sensory properties but it is an inhibitor of infection. As mentioned, the dissolved oxygen level has been brought down below 1 mg/L where normally it can range from 4 to 6 mg/L . So, when the wine hits the bottle anything in it that requires oxygen to live (aerobic yeast or bacteria)- will not thrive.

As a reminder, when you can no longer resist the temptation to drink the wine, please let the bottle breath upon opening. It needs oxygen to "wake it up" and you will find that your drinking experience will be much more pleasurable.

Finally, for aesthetic purposes, once we have finished corking the wine we needed to put the capsule on it and have the labels strategically placed. The package for Vellum has become a reflection of what is in the bottle but unfortunately getting it right can be an exacting task. So, the labels have to be placed with tolerances of 1-2mm and the foils have to go on with the right amount of torque without breaking or even stressing the bottles. There also should be no folds during the process and this perhaps is the most tedious task and requiring many eyes as the bottles come off the line and into their cases.

Which reminds me... I want to take this opportunity to thank all twelve? (I think I counted correctly) people involved in the bottling of the 2007 Vellum vintage. They demonstrated great skill and professionalism over the two days and they met our needs without hesitation. When working with solid people like this, it makes a seemingly trying event much more bearable and gratifying. Again, my thanks to everyone involved and to everyone who purchased futures of our first vintage, we are eagerly anticipating the release as much as all of you are in May.

- Karl Lehmann

The bottling line in live action...

Thank you to our family and guests who documented the bottling of the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A day of bottling has come and gone...and now the celebrations begin.

So many green bottles must mean good luck on St. Patrick's Day.

- Jeff Mathy

Springtime in the Vineyards

Yesterday Karl and I spent the day among the vines. We paid special attention to the water-retention of the soil...and did an inspection of vines after their winter pruning.

The vines must be pruned during their dormancy (in the winter months). If the vines are not trimmed back to the main cordons (arm-like branches), then the vine will continue to grow larger until it looks like a bush.

Our vineyard managers prune the vines to maintain only the necessary amount of vegetation on the vine during the growing season. Less vegetation means that more energy/sugar is transferred to the grape clusters. Plus, it makes the vines easier to monitor and harvest.

Spring showers have also brought us seas of mustard plants. Their bright yellow flowers make the vineyards a major attraction for naturalists and photographers during the vines' dormant season. But one benefit that the mustard brings to the vineyards is the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is a vital component in healthy soil...and mustard is a great cover crop to provide the soil this "nutrient boost".

Vineyard management is a tricky business - every vineyard has different needs.

We strive to direct each vine's resources into the grape clusters, while simultaneously stressing the vine enough to minimize vigor and overcropping.

Small berries in small clusters always bring greater complexity and depth to a red wine. As winemakers, we work tirelessly with our vineyard managers to find an equilibrium for each vine that produces the finest quality grapes. Our foremost goal is to maintain the integrity and health of the vine and its entire ecosystem.

Sustainability - a buzz word in many respects - is something we take very seriously.

- Jeff Mathy

Wine Study Group

On behalf of Vellum, I would like to thank our good friend Rick for helping to organize a small study group of young wine professionals who meet about once per week to taste and discuss wines from all over the world.

While we don't usually taste more than about 15 wines per night, we occasionally bring all of the half-bottle samplers out for a parade of sorts.

In order to keep the tasting unbiased, our friend Patrick chooses which wines will be opened on any given night. Patrick's lack of bias is firmly rooted in his inability to tell wines apart. So as most of us do, he judges the wines based on their labels. Whichever labels look interesting that night - that is what we taste.

Along the way, we keep up a continuing education in wine, winemaking, wine styles, yeasts, blending and more...

It is rare to come across a wine we all universally love - which is a testament to our belief that everyone has a unique tasting palate.

And while there are many wines I have found unpalatable or even downright offensive - it seems that I am always happier when there is wine in my glass. It doesn't matter what kind of wine it is...I always seem to learn something from it and about it.

- Jeff Mathy

Karl's "Joy of Bottling", Part I

When I was a boy I read this ancient Chinese saying, "Give a man a fish and he has food for a day. Teach a man to fish and he has food for a lifetime."

I loved this piece of wisdom and the lesson it taught me, but when I grew up I faced reality and learned another saying, "Teach a man to fish and he has to buy bamboo rods, graphite reels, mono-filament lines, neoprene waders, tackle boxes, lures, flies, spinners, worm rigs, slip sinkers, offset hooks, gore-tex hats, 20-pocket vests, fish finders, boats, trailers and SIX PACKS!!!"

The long lost lessons are not forgotten but I think I'll opt for the adult take on life.

*********************************************

For the past weeks Jeff has been showing the world all of the components it takes to get wine into a bottle - and there are a lot:

- Bottles in standard size, half-size, 1.5 Liter, 3 Liter and 6 Liter.

- Four different size corks.

- Tin capsules.

- Labels front and back.

- Boxes, cardboard and wooden.

- Pallets, shrink wrap and twine.

- Bottling line, crew, truck, fork-lift.

- And a bonded cold storage warehouse.

...Oh and...WINE!!!

*********************************************

So now that's out of the way, I thought I would go through the process of the "JOY" that is bottling.

We are scheduled to put the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon into bottle on March 17th. It's a day reserved for a certain St. Patrick, the lurid but endearing Kelly green, Leprechauns...?...and a worldwide timed event where people practice the custom of taking alcohol OUT of bottle, not putting it back in!!

...Part II of this post coming soon...

- Karl Lehmann

Branding the Cork.

Today I had the pleasure of spending the morning with my friends at Ganau, Vellum's cork producer.

Ganau has a superb staff and maintains an extremely high level of quality throughout the cork preparation process.

The raw cork is first washed with hydrogen peroxide to provide a uniform color. The corks are also screened for imperfections, by hand, multiple times before arriving at the processing facility.

Once the cork bales are approved by the winemaker (see Monday's Blog), they are loaded into a fire-branding machine that rolls each cork against a flame-heated metal brand. The brand burns its image into the cork as it rolls by. Again, corks are sorted at this point so that only the highest quality corks make it to the bottle.

Next the cork is loaded into a tumbler that applies a very thin layer of paraffin to the exterior. This allows the cork to be uncorked with very little resistance. It also prevents the cork from breaking.

After the tumbler, the corks go through a final baking/curing process right before shipment to the winery.

I hope you enjoy the photos...

And thank you again to Ganau for a great morning,

- Jeff Mathy

Sample Capsules.

Yesterday we approved the final samples of Vellum's capsule. The custom tin capsules are being produced in Europe and will be flown over to the US next week...just in time for bottling.

Cork cork cork.

This morning we inspected the nearly 10,000 corks to be paired with our 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

As a quality-centric winery, we chose corks of the highest possible quality - sourced from sustainably grown and harvested groves in Italy.

They are 54mm in length - perfect for the long neck of our bottle. A longer cork will create a better oxygen barrier during the wine's lifespan. While some air exchange is important during the aging process, too much air will eventually oxidize the wine beyond a pleasurable measure.

We also have a small selection of 44mm corks for our half-bottle size (very limited production).

During the inspection, we checked for uniform quality and the absence of off-putting aromas. Musty and mildewy smells from raw cork can sometimes be a sign of infection. No bad smells were coming from these corks. In fact, the scent was reminiscent of fresh popcorn.

This week, the corks will be fire-branded with Vellum's name and website (see the brands in the images above). Then they will go through a final polishing process that adds a very thin layer of wax to the exterior, allowing for a smooth uncorking from the bottle.

Counting down to bottling...

ORDER WINE HERE

The 2007 Vellum Label

This morning I finalized our label printing with a visit to the press room at our vendor's facility in Napa.

Next week Karl and I will make a final inspection of the cork bales to be branded with the Vellum name.

Our other packaging materials are coming together nicely, with only a few hiccups so far.

On another note, we are planning Vellum Release Parties in May. Please save the dates and join us !!

May 3rd, Sunday, 2-5pm (Napa/Sonoma, CA)
May 17th, Sunday, 2-5pm (Fullerton, CA)
June TBD (San Francisco, CA)
June TBD (San Diego, CA)

(More detail to follow...)

A quick look at an etched 3-Liter bottle

We are in the process of prepping our large format bottles for the March bottling.

Here is a sample 3-Liter bottle that our etcher produced with the full Vellum label.

The glass is sand-blasted to create the etching - and then the artwork is carefully painted by hand.

We will have (8) 3-Liter and (4) 6-Liter bottles produced for archival library purposes.

- Jeff Mathy

Vellum 2007 Cabernet - Final racking

Hello Everyone,

The 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon went through its final "racking" today, meaning that the wine barrels were cleaned one last time before our bottling on March 16th.

Karl and I took a moment to taste the wine while it waited patiently in tank.

After taking a few sips and a sample back to the lab, I called my parents to share my elation about the wine.

We are so excited to share this wine with all of you! I know I keep saying that sentence...but we cannot express our eagerness enough!

Many of you, friends and family alike, have been following along with us throughout this adventure. And now, after five years of planning and two years in business -- we are poised to release the fruits of our hard labor.

Karl and I have built this business with the future in mind. It is humbling now, to close my eyes and think into the future...imagining what it will be like to look back on 10, 20 or even 40 vintages of Vellum wine.

Along the way we have overcome many pitfalls - and celebrated many small successes.

But now, with only weeks to go before bottling and months to go before release...I think I can safely say that making this first Vellum Cabernet has been the hardest task of my life.

And I can't wait to do it over and over again !!

The 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon is truly a wine worthy of Vellum's premier entry into the wide-world of winemaking.

Thank you again to all of our friends and family for their love and support along the way,

- Jeff Mathy

2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon is ready.

Hello All,

Today Karl and I were at the winery pulling a sample of our 2007 vintage. The wine has been in barrel for almost 15 months now...and it still has about one month to go. Ample time in new French oak barrels has been well-spent. The wine has developed a great deal of structure from the oak.

While we filled our sample bottle, I sneaked a quick sip from a barrel. All I can say is...I can't wait to share this wine with all of you. It is such a wonderful representation of what Napa Valley is capable of producing.

For those of you who like red wine with dinner - this is going to be perfect with everything from grilled steaks to veggie lasagna to spicy chili. And for those of you who like to dissect a wine over a plate of stinky cheese - you will enjoy its restrained oak, balanced acidity and alcohol, concentrated fruit flavors and spices that erupt out of the glass and float harmoniously on the palate. I could go on and on about how much the 2007 Vellum delivers.

We hope you love this wine as much as we do!

More to come soon as we get closer to bottling the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon...

- Jeff Mathy

ORDER VELLUM HERE

A first look at the 2008 vintage.

Hello Wine Lovers!

After two months in new French oak barrels, the 2008 Vellum is ready for its first review and trial blending session. Karl and I were very excited to try these four different wines, all of which will comprise our 2008 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our fruit comes from four rock-star vineyards in Napa - each expressing their own personality and style. Two of the vineyards produce Cabernet Sauvignon and the other two produce small amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot.

Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon closely mirrors wines found in the Bordeaux region of France. Our focus is balance, elegance, bright acidity and moderate alcohol.

The 2008 vintage did not disappoint!

Our Merlot lot is strikingly red in the glass. Bright and polished, with a magenta rim...this wine is very youthful. It has hints of red berries and graphite on the nose. And it tastes just like a young wine should - fresh and fruity with balanced acid. This Merlot will do well with more structure....the oak barrels will add the tannins and concentration to make this a great addition to our blend.

The first Cabernet Sauvignon lot we tasted was from the hills just east of the Napa Valley. The vines are old, mature and giving consistently beautiful fruit-clusters at harvest. And clearly, this Cabernet steals the show. My first impression of the nose was like walking into a candy store. Images of block chocolate and cherry-tootsie-rolls washed over me, then a bit of freshly brewed coffee. After sitting open for a while, the wine took on other scents...of perfume and musk. I could taste dark fruits, balanced alcohol and acidity, with tannins that fell mid-palate (like the 2007s). This Cabernet is a real powerhouse, and yet it remains light and elegant on the palate. The finish is superb...long and mouthwatering.

Next up - our Cabernet Sauvignon from the south end of the Napa Valley. A lower yield this year brought lots of concentration and complexity to the fruit. When I first lifted my glass, even at arms length, I smelled fresh blackberries. After a swirl or two, chocolate covered cherries and cherry tart came wafting out. Absolutely joyous! On the palate, the wine was fatter than the previous Cabernet...but just as youthful. Raspberries and warmly blanketing tannins coated my mouth. The acid kept my mouth watering as I gave this wine plenty of time to open up. It's funny, Karl and I remarked that this wine could easily be sold as a finished wine at this point in its lifespan. But we feel that another year or so of oak aging will add the structure and framework needed to make this a wine for the ages.

Finally, we tasted the Petit Verdot. Wow - what a great nose. This deep, dark, purple wine smelled earthy and funky - in a good way! Dark berries and floral notes penetrated my senses. Violets and roses also came to mind. And a big smile quickly followed. On the palate the wine showed a classic dark cassis flavor. Cassis is usually a Cabernet flavor, but it dominated my tastbuds in this Petit Verdot. The finish was a good length and left me looking for the sample bottle to refill my glass.

Karl and I could not be happier with our 2008 vintage.

The wine is shaping up to be what we think Cabernet Sauvignon ought to be - SERIOUS, BROODING, INTELLECTUAL, and with a STRONG LIFE FORCE.

And yet, the overall balance of these wines creates an elegance that is usually only found in fine Bordeaux.

And if we weren't breaking the Napa mold enough...the 2008 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon will have an alcohol level around 13.85 !!!!

We can't wait to see how it develops over the next year...

Jeff Mathy

Winter in the Cellar...

Today we blended wine from the 2007 vintage, in preparation for bottling next Spring.

This is a significant milestone for all winemakers - for the first time, the wine is combined to form one primary blend rather than multiple varietal lots.

We hand selected the barrels of wine that will comprise the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon. One final sample from each of 32 barrels confirmed their inclusion in the final blend. And it's a tasty one!!

It is important for the wine to have enough time to integrate and mix thoroughly - this can only be accomplished by letting the wine sit in tank for a day or so.

So tomorrow we will barrel down the wine and let it continue to age in our French oak barrels.

Only a few months to go before bottling...

You can reserve your Vellum right now by clicking here.

Cheers,

Jeff Mathy

The Second Vintage of Vellum is Finished!

The 2008 vintage proved to be a challenging year for us. We got past many trials and successfully navigated more than the normal share of potential pitfalls.

This year, for the first time ever, it occurred to me that truly great wine is very difficult to make. As my father once told me, "The devil is in the details!".

I suppose its like that with anything one wants to accomplish in life, but with wine, any miscue shows itself boldly and it is almost impossible to undo what has been done.

However, as I try the 2008 lots and then go back to them again, I have no criticisms -this is also a first!

So it leaves me wondering how we got here. Our implemented details collectively have created a wine that exceeds all of my expectations in the face of a less than desirous year.

And... the 2008 vintage is done! The individual lots have completed their secondary fermentations. This is where the malic acid in the wine is metabolised by the beneficial bacteria Oenococcus Oeni and converted into the more stable lactic acid. It is here when we mark the wine's completion and beginning of its maturity.

So, the 2008 Vellum is ready for a long winter's slumber. I suspect it may prove to be my favorite of any wine I have created...My apologies to everyone who will have to wait to find out why!

As an addendum, I want to take this opportunity to thank those who have gone beyond every expectation to help us meet our winemaking goals...You know who are!

I also want to express my sincere wish as we approach the winter solstice and the holiday season that everyone can take time out to look back upon what went right for them this year.

At Vellum we are thankful for everything that fell into place and for this much needed time for rest and reflection.

Cheers to all!

~Karl Lehmann

TO ORDER WINE --> CLICK HERE

Thanksgiving Cheer!

Everyone at Vellum Wine Craft would like to wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving!!

Harvest Party 2008

A big thank you to everyone who celebrated with us at Vellum's 2008 Harvest Party!! Hosted by the famed Sonoma restaurant - A Taste of the Himalayas - we were thrilled to bring the 2008 harvest to a successful conclusion. Thank you to all of our growers and investors - and thank you to our friends and family who continue to support Vellum Wine Craft.

We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!!

Cheers to you all,

Jeff and Karl

Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is now on sale!

That's right - Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is now on sale via our mail-in order form. Soon we will have full e-commerce functionality on the site, but for now the only way to reserve your wine is to print the PDF order form and mail or fax it to Vellum Wine Craft, PO Box 10800, Napa, CA 94581. FAX: 707.935.7916.

Only 800 cases were produced. Wine will be allotted on a first come, first served basis...so reserve your Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon today!!

Tuesday wine blending.

Another wonderful evening of wine blending trials has come and gone...and the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon continues to impress wine experts and novices alike.

Karl and I had the pleasure of hosting two guests tonight, my cousins Melanie and Sonya from Vernon Hills, Illinois.

After tasting the bright and brilliant fruit of the 2008 samples, we moved on to the 2007s. We have nearly perfected our final 2007 Vellum blend. The adjustment was slight but noticeable - and we now have the following percentages of each grape varietal in our 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon 84%, Merlot 10% and Petit Verdot 6%.

In the photo above, you might also notice our prototype wine label - to be officially unveiled when the 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon goes on sale this Saturday, November 1st.

For the first time, Vellum will be available for purchase as "wine futures". We have promised our friends and family that they would be able to purchase the wine in this fashion - to reserve their bottles pre-release!

- Jeff Mathy

Wine Hits the Barrel!

This week the first of this 2008 vintage was put into barrels! Two thirds of the wine has finished its primary fermentation and it has been pressed off and recombined with it's free run.

I was very pleased with the press wine! I decided to add it all back to the original free run to provide better structure and integration to the overall wine early on. It benefited greatly from this marriage with no trace of bitterness or overly extracted tannins and together it will pick up even more structure in its new oak.

Also, although the wine is still very unsettled as all new wine should be; I feel it displays the Vellum signature balance and it is approachable now.

Here too, I would like to make special mention for one lot in particular, our small blending lot of Merlot, which had undergone a very trying and exotic fermentation to become its resultant wine. The wine fermented perfectly to 100% dryness and I feel that in every regard it is the finest of my career. Everything in this wine is heightened but in a graceful manner. I expect it will mature beautifully and we will watch it closely as it becomes a very worthy addition to the 2008 Vellum vintage!

-Karl Lehmann

Pressing the grapes!

Yesterday Karl and I pressed two different tanks of wine - Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The pressing process involves a few steps:

1. First we drain the "free run" wine into clean, fresh tanks.

2. Then we take the remaining wine-soaked skins and load them into a press. (Photo of the press is above.)

3. The press has an inner bladder that inflates with air to push the skins against the inside of the press cylinder. The wine from this pressing is collected for selective blending into the free run.

4. At the end of the process, we have a highly concentrated pressed wine. The leftover skins and seeds are then used for fertilizer in the vineyards.

In the photos above you can see the brilliant purple and magenta hues of the finished wine. It is opaque because there are billions of yeast cells still in suspension in the wine. Over the next few months, they will sink to the bottom of the barrel and will be removed periodically in a process called "racking". Racking of the barrels is a process where the winemaker removes the wine from the barrel, cleans the barrel, and then puts the wine back into the barrel.

Slowly, the wine begins to clarify and become polished.

During the next month, the wine will also undergo its secondary fermentation (aka ML fermentation) where malic acid is converted by beneficial bacteria into lactic acid.

More to come on this topic later...

Oh yeah, the wine tastes as good as it looks! Bright fruit flavors with lots of intensity. I can't wait to taste the 2008s after some time in barrel!

Jeff Mathy

No two vintages are the same.

One of the things that makes wine exciting is the degree of uncertainty from year to year. Sometimes it is met with joy and mixed with a little apprehension but it is always with great anticipation that we first drink the new vintage and bear witness to our triumphs from the vineyard.

Yesterday, the first two of four primary fermentations were completed - a Cabernet Sauvignon lot and our Petit Verdot. Both were as I expected - bright and balanced on the palate and most of all - lively.

The colors are very deep, almost black and serious despite their well structured acidity which usually displays a vibrant crimson hue. Here too the wine fully expresses the fruit flavor which I discovered while walking all those hours among the vines.

I think this is when Vellum wine is in its purest form. It has not been exposed to oak yet and is newly born on the must (grape skins) eagerly awaiting to be pressed. However, It is also at his point that the the fermentation also has to be recognized for its underlying contribution to the wine.

The lifespan of a yeast cell is generally short-lived. Their purpose to winemakers is deceptively simple: consume sugar to make alcohol. Although in most red wines it is ideal for stability as well as style that the yeast which began the fermentation consume all of the sugar before their population dwindles and eventually passes on.

So in reality, a complete fermentation takes great planning, control and mindfulness. It is very important too that all of this takes place in lower threshold but persistent temperatures. In this environment the yeast may still thrive and produce its own heat but the wine greatly benefits by having its fruit and varietal character preserved. Here a successful fermentation is quantified in very small fractions of a percent of residual sugar.

So, the wine in front of me now is "dry"; which means that the sugar level is so low that it can no longer be considered a viable food source for the yeast.

While I am on the subject, I remember that someone once asked me, "Does it matter what type of yeast is used and if so what do YOU use?" To that I responded, "undeniably yes and...its a SECRET!!!".

So yes, I consider a yeast's specific strain and kinetics to be a large part of my augmentation of the wine and a continuation of the previous vintage. It's like choosing the right sports team to have success year after year...as well as establishing a signature style of play.

On the nose and palate both the Cabernet and Petit Verdot have notes reminiscent of the yeasts which were chosen for their aromas and flavors. They are what I feel the fruit needs to make its transition gracefully, safely and with interest into wine.

Tomorrow these lots will be pressed and the wine will be added back to its pure free run at my discretion. The yeast have done their job in presenting wonderfully elegant wine and now its time to let machinery and the further extract of the grapes to subtly fill it in.

Karl Lehmann

Great news from Uncle Sam!

We just heard word from our good friends at the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Vellum's 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon label has been APPROVED and we can now go ahead with printing.

We are looking forward to unveiling the label very soon!

Also, watch for a new "ORDER WINE" section of the website starting on November 1st. You will be able to order wine online and it will be shipped after it is bottled in the New Year.

Karl will soon have a blog posting regarding the fermentation of the 2008 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon. Stay tuned!

A happy harvest finale.

Yet another harvest for Vellum Wine Craft has concluded - and a new crop of Cabernet Sauvignon is sitting in its fermentation tank awaiting the wonderful transformation from grape juice to wine.

It has been a year of many celebrated successes, but we are not at the end of the road. Rather, we are beginning another leg of our journey.

Karl and I wish to extend our warmest thanks to all of you who have followed along with us from afar. And a very special thank you to the Linstad family who made Saturday's harvest such a wonderful experience for our visiting friends and family.

We are grateful to have so many positive people behind us.

Cheers to you all! And please keep coming back to the Vellum Harvest Notes blog as we continue to convey the stories from the vines and the cellar.

The 2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon is poised for release. We hope to share our hard work with all of you!

Jeff Mathy

Merlot is harvested!

Thank you to Sharon and Alex Ivanoff for a great day yesterday. The Merlot was harvested from their small but mighty vineyard in the western hills of Napa County. As usual, we started at sunrise and started filling bins.

This year was remarkably warmer than last year. I wore shorts and a light jacket - a stark contrast to last year's harvest (photos in our blog archive below).

The fun is not over yet!

The majority of our production, the Napa Valley Cabernet will be harvested on Saturday morning. It will conclude another stellar year for Vellum.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - November 1st

VELLUM PRE-RELEASE SALE BEGINS!

Jeff Mathy

Tomorrow is the big day!

Tomorrow morning we will harvest our prized Merlot vineyard. The berries are dark blue, almost black in some cases and the sugars are still relatively low - allowing us to maintain our desired lower alcohol levels. And the development of the seeds and skins is definitely there.

This vineyard was harvested in late September last vintage. This year's slower ripening will likely result in more concentration and depth - which we love!

Looks like it will be another beautiful harvest morning in Napa!

Jeff Mathy

Cabernet at 23.8 brix

The Cabernet Sauvignon is right on target to be harvested next Saturday. Karl and I walked the vines again this evening and took samples for analysis.

The sugars and acid are excellent, as is the overall grape maturity. So it looks like we will bring in about 9 tons of fruit early Saturday morning.

We couldn't be happier with the way this vineyard performs. Development is always slow and steady, making for an easy-going harvest. No surprises!

On another note, I will be happy to have a few special guests joining us for the crush this weekend. Karl and I are looking forward to capping off the 2008 harvest with a little celebration - perhaps at our favorite Sonoma hang-out - "A Taste of the Himalayas" Restaurant.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood that evening, please stop by and join the fun!

Looking forward to the busy week ahead,

Jeff Mathy

A rainy Friday brings good news for the vines.

Last night's rain came at just the right time for our two remaining vineyards. The Cabernet in particular will benefit greatly from the sprinkle by soaking up some water and temporarily allowing the sugars to drop in concentration. This swelling of the grapes works to our benefit by extending the ripening period.

By letting the grapes hang longer on the vine we encourage hyper-development of the skins and seeds.

Like last year, the ripening Cabernet is perfectly timed with Mother Nature's showers. And with any luck, we may be ready to harvest the fruit next Saturday.

Jeff Mathy

Cabernet harvested!

Wow! - what another beautiful day for the 2008 harvest. Our first 4 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested on Wednesday. The fruit came in at about 23.5 brix, perfect for making a well-balanced wine.

The berries were evenly set and had a great combination of flavor and acidity. We began at sunrise, picking and sorting the grapes as they were collected in half-ton bins.

We enjoyed a few hours in the bright morning sun...and then we were off to the winery. At the winery we weighed the bins and started the crush. The grapes were once-again sorted before entering the destemmer. From vine to tank, all of Vellum's grapes go through four (4) hand sortings. This ensures that only the highest quality clusters are used. The rest of the fruit gets turned into fertilizer. (And in some cases - grape jelly!)

All in all, the day was wonderful. Thank you to everyone that helped...and to our friends and family who are following along with the harvest from afar.

Now the Cabernet will go through 48 hours of cold-soak before we start the fermentation.

Keep on checking back with us...we have 12 more tons of grapes to harvest in the coming weeks.

Jeff Mathy

Vellum's Petit Verdot Harvest

Yesterday we harvested the Gobbler Grove Petit Verdot. The day began with a beautiful bright morning and stayed moderate in temperature into the afternoon. Our crew picked 2.35 tons of grapes...and from the looks of the photos above...the color and flavor intensity will mirror the 2007 fruit.

More to come tomorrow...

I'm bushed from our day of work on the Cabernet. Pictures from today's harvest will be posted tomorrow.

Thanks again for everyone's hard work!

Jeff Mathy

Vellum Cabernet grapes looking great!

Yesterday Karl and I met with Jerry and Marsha Linstad, owners and viticulturists of Linstad Vineyards. It had only been a few days since our last visit, but we walked the vines and took another sample to check for sugar, pH, and total acidity.

The grapes look stunning - lots of good development in the skins and seeds. The clusters are evenly ripening and the flavor of the juice is incredibly delicious and sweet.

This vineyard is located in a very slow-ripening part of Napa Valley. In many ways, the micro-climate is similar to vineyards in Bordeaux France. The fog layer typically lingers in this part of the valley, providing cooler temperatures and in our case, long maturation periods. All of this is VERY good for cultivating Cabernet Sauvignon of the highest quality.

The sugars are starting to creep up to the brix (sugar) level we desire, around 24.5 degrees brix. But with a cold front coming later this week, the three of us felt that the vines would gain even more development and concentration if we let the grapes hang a while longer.

Thanks again to Jerry and his family for their work this harvest. We are really looking forward to starting the crush.

But first we have the Petit Verdot coming in tomorrow morning. Wish us luck - and check back for tomorrow's blog with photos from the festivities.

Cheers!

Jeff Mathy

HARVEST 2008!!

Hello All -

Greetings from Napa Valley! It has been nearly six months since our last blog entry - and we have been hard at work - to make the 2008 harvest our best vintage yet.

Vellum will harvest our small production of Petit Verdot on Tuesday morning, the first of four vineyards used in Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

Known as the Gobbler Grove Vineyard, this hillside property sits high above the valley floor on the east side of Napa. The vineyard's micro-climate is perfectly suited for producing world-class Petit Verdot.

Vellum uses a small amount of Petit Verdot in our Cabernet to add just a hint of blueberry and spice to the aroma of our wine. Petit Verdot is also a very dense wine with extremely dark coloring. The 2007 vintage produced a Petit Verdot that was opaque, almost black in color, with aromas of blueberry pie and baking spices. It adds a beautiful "fullness" to Vellum, blending seamlessly with wine from our other vineyards.

In addition to the Petit Verdot, on Wednesday we will harvest one of our Cabernet vineyards in northeast Napa. Located at the base of an alluvial fan (a small hillside), this Cabernet vineyard is older and more mature than any of our other vines. It produces fruit with rich dark berry flavors, edged by hints of espresso and smoke. The 2007 vintage is deep purple, inky and full-bodied. With such good development of the skins and seeds, we are able to harvest these grapes at a moderate sugar level which aids in the wine's alcohol balance after vinification and barrel aging.

These two vineyards are looking perfect. Karl and I could not be happier with the quality of the fruit and the uniformity of development. What a great way to start harvest!

More to come as the 2008 season begins...

Jeff Mathy

Barrel samples looking good.

Hello all,

Last night Karl and I completed another round of blending trials - and the wines are coming along quite nicely.

The Merlot has once again proven to be pure and true in form, with fantastic red cherry, strawberry and raspberry on the nose and palate. It's got great acidity and the alcohol is well balanced with the overall mouthfeel and finish. Again, a hint of sandalwood peeked through and added to the complexity of this amazing Merlot.

Our two Cabernet Sauvignon lots showed great promise with lots of boysenberry and spice on the nose including nutmeg and cardamom. The overall structure of these wines continues to develop with the faint oak influences starting to take shape.

It's exciting to see how much these Vellum wines have matured since first entering the barrels.

It leaves us both very excited about how the wines will taste when we host Vellum's first-ever barrel tasting on April 26th.

We hope you love these wines as much as we do!

- Jeff

Karl goes off...on beauty.

At this point in my life I have come to the conclusion that all creativity is an emulation of nature and a display for others. With this in mind I feel that a Muse is a figure central to the inspiration and fixation of another. A person may create without the focus of a Muse but perhaps not to their potential. "Muse" as a word and concept with its mythological underpinnings is sacred to me. The daughters of Zeus and others from lesser known lineages were said to inspire and spawn creation in mortals with their beauty and purity. Not only did this bring humans closer to the gods but the iconoclastic ideal of the Muses alone would ensure their influence for generations.

I do not believe that this has changed even today, as I too am prone to these trappings. Art and invention is not created out of the mired pain of human existence
(as many would have us believe); rather out of the want for beauty in its corporeal form. A Muse. All creation is for that figure and is a display of devotion. So...we burn and we seek.

In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a short story called "Ligeia"... I always felt that this piece of literature best expressed how I perceive the world and how beauty plays the central role in my life. In the past I have made several attempts to push this story on to others but in the end I realized I should keep it to myself, close by and use it to shape my own life. If you care to read on... here is an excerpt from Ligeia:

"There is one dear topic, however, on which my memory falls me not. It is the person of Ligeia. In stature she was tall, somewhat slender, and, in her latter days, even emaciated. I would in vain attempt to portray the majesty, the quiet ease, of her demeanor, or the incomprehensible lightness and elasticity of her footfall. She came and departed as a shadow. I was never made aware of her entrance into my closed study save by the dear music of her low sweet voice, as she placed her marble hand upon my shoulder. In beauty of face no maiden ever equaled her. It was the radiance of an opium-dream -- an airy and spirit-lifting vision more wildly divine than the fantasies which hovered vision about the slumbering souls of the daughters of Delos. Yet her features were not of that regular mould which we have been falsely taught to worship in the classical labors of the heathen.

"There is no exquisite beauty," says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, without some strangeness in the proportion. Yet, although I saw that the features of Ligeia were not of a classic regularity -- although I perceived that her loveliness was indeed "exquisite," and felt that there was much of "strangeness" pervading it, yet I have tried in vain to detect the irregularity and to trace home my own perception of "the strange." I examined the contour of the lofty and pale forehead -- it was faultless -- how cold indeed that word when applied to a majesty so divine! -- the skin rivaling the purest ivory, the commanding extent and repose, the gentle prominence of the regions above the temples; and then the raven-black, the glossy, the luxuriant and naturally-curling tresses, setting forth the full force of the Homeric epithet, "hyacinthine!" I looked at the delicate outlines of the nose -- and nowhere but in the graceful medallions of the Hebrews had I beheld a similar perfection.

"There were the same luxurious smoothness of surface, the same scarcely perceptible tendency to the aquiline, the same harmoniously curved nostrils speaking the free spirit. I regarded the sweet mouth. Here was indeed the triumph of all things heavenly -- the magnificent turn of the short upper lip -- the soft, voluptuous slumber of the under -- the dimples which sported, and the color which spoke -- the teeth glancing back, with a brilliancy almost startling, every ray of the holy light which fell upon them in her serene and placid, yet most exultingly radiant of all smiles. I scrutinized the formation of the chin -- and here, too, I found the gentleness of breadth, the softness and the majesty, the fullness and the spirituality, of the Greek -- the contour which the god Apollo revealed but in a dream, to Cleomenes, the son of the Athenian. And then I peered into the large eves of Ligeia.

"For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique. It might have been, too, that in these eves of my beloved lay the secret to which Lord Verulam alludes. They were, I must believe, far larger than the ordinary eyes of our own race. They were even fuller than the fullest of the gazelle eyes of the tribe of the valley of Nourjahad. Yet it was only at intervals -- in moments of intense excitement -- that this peculiarity became more than slightly noticeable in Ligeia. And at such moments was her beauty -- in my heated fancy thus it appeared perhaps -- the beauty of beings either above or apart from the earth -- the beauty of the fabulous Houri of the Turk. The hue of the orbs was the most brilliant of black, and, far over them, hung jetty lashes of great length. The brows, slightly irregular in outline, had the same tint. The "strangeness," however, which I found in the eyes, was of a nature distinct from the formation, or the color, or the brilliancy of the features, and must, after all, be referred to the expression.

"Ah, word of no meaning! behind whose vast latitude of mere sound we entrench our ignorance of so much of the spiritual. The expression of the eyes of Ligeia! How for long hours have I pondered upon it! How have I, through the whole of a midsummer night, struggled to fathom it! What was it -- that something more profound than the well of Democritus -- which lay far within the pupils of my beloved? What was it? I was possessed with a passion to discover. Those eyes! Those large, those shining, those divine orbs! They became to me twin stars of Leda, and I to them devoutest of astrologers.

"There is no point, among the many incomprehensible anomalies of the science of mind, more thrillingly exciting than the fact -- never, I believe, noticed in the schools -- that, in our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember. And thus how frequently, in my intense scrutiny of Ligeia's eyes, have I felt approaching the full knowledge of their expression -- felt it approaching -- yet not quite be mine -- and so at length entirely depart! And (strange, oh strangest mystery of all!) I found, in the commonest objects of the universe, a circle of analogies to that expression.

"I mean to say that, subsequently to the period when Ligeia's beauty passed into my spirit, there dwelling as in a shrine, I derived, from many existences in the material world, a sentiment such as I felt always aroused within me by her large and luminous orbs. Yet not the more could I define that sentiment, or analyze, or even steadily view it. I recognized it, let me repeat, sometimes in the survey of a rapidly-growing vine -- in the contemplation of a moth, a butterfly, a chrysalis, a stream of running water. I have felt it in the ocean; in the falling of a meteor. I have felt it in the glances of unusually aged people. And there are one or two stars in heaven -- (one especially, a star of the sixth magnitude, double and changeable, to be found near the large star in Lyra) in a telescopic scrutiny of which I have been made aware of the feeling. I have been filled with it by certain sounds from stringed instruments, and not infrequently by passages from books. Among innumerable other instances, I well remember something in a volume of Joseph Glanvill, which (perhaps merely from its quaintness -- who shall say?) never failed to inspire me with the sentiment; -- "And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will.""

- Karl

Wine Update

Karl and I spent the weekend tasting through our four wine lots from the 2007 vintage. The wines have been racked (removed from their sediment) for the first time since being in barrel and now we can start to get a clearer idea of how the wines will taste when they go to bottle in about 15 months.

This is, of course, only a snap-shot of Vellum 2007. The wine has only been in oak for a month and there is much more structure and influence to be imparted by the barrels over the course of the following year.

You'll see from the photos that we did this in a very focused atmosphere - Karl even went so far as to wear his "smell catcher" hooded sweatshirt.

And I must admit, hoods and brimmed hats do make a difference when searching for very faint components in the wine's aroma.

So let's start with the most aromatic of our lots - the Petit Verdot. PV is typically a very deeply colored wine, used in blending to make a wine opaque and inky. Our PV is truly deep and rich in color, but it was the one lot out of the four that made us actually try to get our whole head inside our glasses. The nose on this wine is like a creation of Willy Wonka himself! (But we guarantee that no one will turn into a blueberry after trying it.) Imagine this - a freshly baked cheesecake with a thick graham cracker crust made with brown sugar and butter, covered with a blueberry compote. That's what our PV smells like! Wowee!!

We followed the PV with a sampling of the Merlot lot. In previous posts you may remember that we described the Merlot as dense, UNmerlot-like and concentrated. This lot continues to impress in so many ways! It is a tightly wound wine with dark fruit components and very fine velvety tannins. The nose has lots of spice with faint hints of sandalwood and incense. The Merlot and the PV will be blended in with our Cabernet lots to provide aromatic components that will tie everything together. The first thing you will notice when drinking Vellum 2007 will be the nose, largely influenced by the Merlot and PV.

But don't let our zeal fool you - Vellum is a Cabernet Sauvignon first and foremost! And our smaller of the two Cabernet lots, what I call Cab 8, is absolutely stunning. It is by definition a true Napa Cabernet. Rich, ripe, opulent. It brims with dark fruits on the nose and after sitting open for a few hours - it unveils a perfume of sweet floral characters. Karl and I remarked that we could bottle this lot on its own and have a fabulously successful wine. On its own, it is truly wonderful.

But we plan to combine it with our final lot of Cabernet Sauvignon in what we hope will be a magnificent example of Napa's diversity as a winegrowing region. This Cab lot tastes like a French Cab - superbly balanced, moderate alcohol level, tannins that caress and envelop the tongue (rather than grate against it) - and if there was one word that best described this wine it would be - SENSUAL. Yes, I can't believe I am actually typing the word. But it is sensual. It is seductive. It is elegant.

Needless to say - We love it.

Anyway, Karl and I are very pleased with the results and we will do our best to keep you posted along the way.

Cheers,

Jeff

Christmas Cheer!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all of our family and friends!

Wishing you all the best in 2008!!

- Jeff and Karl

Coincidence?

December 5th marked a very special day for Vellum Wine Craft!!

December 5th was Winemaker Karl Lehmann's birthday!!

We celebrated the day with a chicken tikka curry dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Sonoma - A Taste of the Himalayas. And then it was off to our other hang-out across the Sonoma Plaza, the Girl and The Fig.

Over a couple of Manhattans, Karl and I got into a bar-wide discussion about the repeal of prohibition in 1933.

We were pleased to learn from James (voted best Barkeep in Sonoma) that the 21st Amendment abolishing prohibition was ratified on December 5th, Karl's birthday!!

So the right to drink wine was granted on the same day that Vellum's winemaker was born to make it.

Coincidence? We think not.

- Jeff

Secondary fermentation.

The thing about making wine is that you are never really done with it until it lands in the bottle. Then, of course, you have to distribute and sell the wine. So, I guess you're never done!

Yes, the 2007 harvest is over for us and we can get a decent night's sleep. The growers are happy that the vines are going dormant. The cellar crew is happy that they can cut back their work hours. And we are happy because we have been gifted this year with over 40 barrels of outstanding wine. Now, the watching and the waiting begins - but as it is seemingly unavoidable - the work continues.

When the sugar from our grapes is consumed by yeast and converted to alcohol, wine has been made...but not completely. Many would claim, "Woohoo its done!"..."Let's Party!" but unfortunately many holidays have been canceled because of the next step - the wine needs to finish yet another fermentation!

So, around Christmastime last year I found myself tending to barrels like a shepherd tends to his flock. The secondary fermentation was taking an extraordinarily long time to complete and I could not let the wine out of my care for a second...I worked in the cellar all through the holidays.

However, this year will be different and the '07 Vellum will cooperate because I want to get home to Pittsburgh for Christmas and some German sauerbraten and dumplings with blackened butter! Errr...I digress... but I hope my mom is reading this!

So...Anyway, we have taken care of the sugar but now we need to deal with the acid - in particular the malic acid.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with malic acid, try to think about what you are tasting the next time you bite into an apple. A large portion of that tangy sensation is malic acid.

In grapes, it is available in large quantities as well but it gradually decreases as the grapes reach maturity. Unfortunately though, the acid never completely disappears. Herein lies a winemaker's problem. A spontaneous secondary fermentation is looming because the malic acid is a delicious food for naturally occurring lactic bacteria. It is easily metabolized (consumed) by this bacteria and converted into lactic acid and carbon dioxide gas.

Lactic acid is an acid found in milk products. It is stable and hardly noticeable in milk and it has a similar effect in wine. But here's the rub (and there always seems to be one with wine!) - if the wrong bacteria starts eating the malic acid...spoilage occurs and the bacteria release a potpourri of odorous waste into the wine! This can ruin your wine and make it nearly undrinkable.

But if you introduce a beneficial bacteria (Oenococcus Oeni) to feast on the malic acid...you can considerably improve the wine's quality by lowering the overall acidity. This makes the wine more supple and stable.

It also adds an extra bit of security at bottling. In essence, if there's a yeast or bacteria cell that sneaks into the bottle after it is sealed...it won't ruin the wine...

With no residual sugar and no malic acid - there is no food for the yeast or bacteria to consume and no negative effects will occur.

The 2007 Vellum has been inoculated with Oenococcus Oeni at 68 degrees Fahrenheit to start the secondary fermentation and it is on pace to be finished late next week. When it is finished, the wine's heavy sediment will be removed, the barrels will be topped off and I can keep my appointment for Christmas dinner!

Oh and if there's anyone who can successfully pair sauerbraten with a wine, please give me a shout - yet another mystery to unravel!

Merry Christmas everyone!

~ Karl

Dark ruby.

Yesterday afternoon Karl and I tasted wine from our smaller block of Cabernet harvested on October 4th from Napa's Chile's Valley. I was taken aback by the intensity and depth of the wine's color.

Dark ruby is a fair description...however the brilliant magenta edge of the wine as it thinned near the glass provided so much contrast with body of the wine that it looked black - deep, dark, endless, bottom-of-a-crevasse black!

A few sips later I knew we had a winner - the wine fell broadly on the palate and unfolded gently across my tongue. The tannins were firm but not overbearing. It was superbly balanced with slight favor leaning toward the alcohol, normal for a wine given ample time to mature on the vine.

It will partner well with our other blocks of wine, especially the other Cabernet.

We'll taste it again in the new year...

More to come!!

- Jeff

Getting ready for bed.

The 2007 Vellum is getting ready to go to bed. All of our primary fermentations were successful - the wines are dry!

We pressed off the skins of our nine ton Cabernet Sauvignon lot from the Linstad vineyard to great success! With a gentle but constant pressure, we did not exceed one atmosphere during the cycle.

The pressing stage of winemaking can present itself as a mystery. Sometimes it is difficult to discern what will be extracted at the prescribed pressure and when to stop the process. It is usually a guess based on the quality and age of the grapes, the type and performance of the press and most of the all ability to taste and say, "Enough!".

We did not reach that point this year as the skins produced dense but not overextracted wine until they were almost dry. Thus, all of what was pressed out was not kept separate from the main lot (as is the usual practice). The wine is sound. We measured it to be quite dry before pressing and it had very little malic acid so it was mixed with the free run wine for immmediate integration.

We felt that the wine's aromatic and tannic elements did more for the overall composition of the free run than if it was kept as an individual lot. We are happy to declare that the wine is whole and balanced from the beginning!

This expression of the Linstad vineyard is the best compliment Vellum could provide to the land and its meticulous grower Jerry Linstad.

Up next...Secondary fermentation with the introduction of Oenococcus Oeni!

What's that?!? ;)

...More to Come!

- Karl

Email is working now.

Hi All,

Thank you to everyone who called to let me know that Vellum emails were coming back undeliverable. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Our email hosting service has fixed the problem and apologized for the downtime. Feel free to drop me a line!

Thanks again,

- Jeff
jeff@vellumwines.com

More from Vellum Winemaker Karl Lehmann

Coming soon...

Keep checking back - now that harvest has slowed down a bit, Karl will have more updates about Vellum as it begins to age in barrel.

A Sturdy Foundation

The last of the Cabernet grapes for 2007 are in tank. Our Linstad Cabernet weathered the rain with no effect on the quality of the fruit. I tasted the juice after 64 hours of cold-soaking the "must", or crushed grapes, prior to fermentation. When I held it in my mouth the wine hesitated and hovered before it fell in the middle of my palate and spread out. I knew then that with a few winemaking adjustments to bring up the "foundation" of the must we would have a great wine.

Now two weeks have passed and the ferment is almost done. The wine is already beautiful! The alcohol mends well with the tannin. And the acid provides a sound framework desired for longevity.

The Cabernet floats and falls gracefully as the juice and the tannins are dense and fine but well-knit in their infancy. This is exactly the type of wine that we want Vellum to be. I realize that sometimes it is difficult to judge this early on but we are off to a very encouraging start.

A very wise man once told me that drinking young Cabernet is like sleeping on the cold hard ground and eating raw Brussel sprouts! Not very inviting imagery but it subscribes to the idea that young wine needs to taste bad now in order for it to be great later. Though these are sound assessments, I am not in complete agreement with the idea. A wine does need alcohol, acid, tannin and extraction but these things need to co-exist. One component cannot stand out from the others. For example, the alcohol should not be noticed above the rest of the wine. One would only then think about a burning sensation in the throat and nothing else. With an unintentionally high alcohol wine, the only hope is that aging will lessen this effect and balance it with the tannin. The odds however are against this. An ill conceived wine may never integrate well.

A wine needs a frame - the acid.
It needs warmth and support - the alcohol.
And it needs padding - the tannin.

These are the essentials that carry the aromas and flavors to your palate. They must be sound and must rise and fall together.

I like to think that drinking young Cabernet, when new and sampling of rich dark fruit, should be like sleeping in a sturdy bed that yields and breaks-in slowly over time. Each night you are welcomed back and the more it is slept on the better it gets!

This is the '07 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

- Karl

Fruit is picked!

Hello All,

Saturday was yet another fantastic day of harvest as Vellum's friends and family gathered in Napa to pick our last vineyard of the season -- 9 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon.

We started at 7:00 am, gathered around a campfire, with Karl instructing the crew on which clusters to harvest and which to leave on the vine. A full week of sunshine had dried out the grapes, concentrating the sugars and intensifying the flavors. Karl guided the harvest by removing clusters ahead of the crew - he pulled all of the grapes that had dried out or been snacked on by wildlife.

A slight dew was present on the grapes while we were picking, which made them look white in the flash of the cameras. And I was proud to clip the first cluster of the day with my Dad!

Thank you to everyone who joined us: Jerry and Marsha Linstad, Bill and Robyn Mathy, Mary and Ralph Burklow, Kate Olbrantz, Ashley Humann, Pam Linstad and family, and Michael and Barbara Hirst.

The Cabernet is now crushed and in its fermentation tank. We will inoculate with yeast today to begin the winemaking process.

REMINDER TO VELLUM INVESTORS: Vellum's Harvest Party is this Saturday, Nov. 3rd. Call Jeff to R.S.V.P. at 714.726.4369.

Enjoy the photos!

- Jeff

Final day of harvest - This Saturday!

Stay tuned...we will have a new round of photos and blog entries after our prized Cabernet is harvested and crushed this weekend.

If you would like to join us on Saturday at the vineyard (7:00am) or the winery (Noon) then email jeff@vellumwines.com or call 714.726.4369 for directions and details.

Latest news on the other fermentations:

The Merlot was pressed off last week and is in barrel.
The Petit Verdot was pressed off last week and is in barrel.
The first lot of Cabernet Sauvignon is completely dry (no sugar left to ferment) and will be pressed off today.

And on a side note, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have been affected and/or displaced by the California fires. On behalf of Vellum Wine Craft - thank you to the fire and emergency service crews who are risking their lives for the safety and security of those in danger. We salute you.

- Jeff

A well-deserved celebration!

On Wednesday evening Karl and I took a break from Vellum's harvest to attend the Wine & Spirits Top 100 celebration to honor Karl's contribution in creating a stunning 95 point wine from the 2005 vintage. The event took place at the The Golden Gate Club at the Presidio in San Francisco with over 400 winemakers and trade professionals in attendance.

The highlight of the evening was the opportunity to sample many of the Top 100 wines with our personal #1 pick going to Morey-Blanc's Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru ($175). This Burgundian chardonnay is quite possibly the best white wine we have ever tasted! We were lucky enough to sample the 2004 vintage which received a score of 92 points from Wine & Spirits. The best way to describe this wine is - minerality and stoniness. With additional scents of chamomile and jasmine, the chalky limestone mouth feel brings this chardonnay to the top of our list! Well done!

And congratulations Karl!!

- Jeff

Waiting out the rain.

This year we have already had two sets of rain and the forecast suggests that another is to follow. But we will weather the storm and harvest on one of the many successive sunny days that follow. No good can come from picking early. Our Linstad Cabernet in the Tulocay area of Napa is still out there but it is simply not ready yet. The area is known for unusually long hang time, slow maturity and good concentration without excessive sugars. We selected this site for these reasons and we have full confidence that it will perform as such, despite the weather.

So, I don't believe in knee jerk reactions, I don't believe in crisis management and I don't believe in changing my nature because I cannot change mother nature. Around Napa Valley when people see rain in October blood pressure goes up, trucks scramble around the valley and wineries end up working even longer days and nights. Moods take a sharp nosedive and that translates directly to the wine. Here's my solution: Don't panic! When cooler heads prevail better wine will be had. This is to be a joyous time of year for all of us! We are giving of ourselves to give life to something we dearly believe in. What ever we do and feel - the wine knows!

- Karl

Go yeasts, go!

Hi All,

The fermentations are going very well with the brix levels approaching -1.5 quickly. We will probably press off the Merlot on Tuesday and then perhaps the Petit Verdot by Friday.

The three harvest days we've had over the past two weeks have kept us on the move - at the winery taking samples, back at the lab analyzing the juice, walking the rows of the last vineyard still hanging.

The first day of Harvest, pulling the Merlot on September 29th, was a whirlwind day filled with great memories. Friends from Fullerton and San Francisco drove up to help us bring in the grapes. Andy, Sam, Guru - thanks guys for hanging out with us and supporting Vellum. My nephew William was the most excited of us all! He found his way INSIDE one of the harvesting bins and we found him eating as many grapes as he could fit in his mouth. One word was all he could say in between mouthfuls - GOOD. GOOD. GOOD. See the slide show below for a photo recap!

We still have Cabernet on the vine, holding tight at around 23 brix. Karl and I are waiting for the sugars to rise just a little more before pulling the fruit. It will probably be another 10+ days before we are ready to bring it in. All the while the grapes continue to gain maturity and complexity!

Karl's going to be adding more about the fermentations tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

- Jeff

A Message from Brian Mathy

Yesterday we harvested the first lot of Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 tons from Napa's Chiles Valley. After transporting the grapes to the winery, the grapes were destemmed and pumped into large stainless steel tanks. The fermentation in the tanks is only the first phase of winemaking, an 18 month exercise in patience and restraint.

We've put a great deal of effort into assuring ultra-premium quality by choosing the finest grapes and careful methodology.

I look forward to the day friends and family are able to enjoy the Vellum 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, our first vintage, and I'll reflect on the harvest with fond memories.

- Brian

www.vellumwines.com

Harvest - October 2, 2007

We brought in the Petit Verdot this morning - it took less time to pick the grapes than to drive them to the winery! Now that's efficiency!

One ton of Petit Verdot is not a large quantity in the scheme of things, but it will bring a wonderful deep blueberry color and flavor to our Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thank you to Mike and Kelly for taking such good care of their Gobbler Grove Vineyard. The fruit looked (and tasted) absolutely delicious!

It is now resting nicely at the winery, cold soaking for 48 hours before starting the fermentation.

Enjoy the photos!

Harvest - September 29, 2007

What a wonderful first day of harvest!! Thank you to everyone who made the day a success. And thank you to everyone who cheered us on from afar!

I will write more about the day's events later, but for now I wanted to get these photos posted for everyone to see.

- Jeff

All systems go!

Tomorrow is a big day for Vellum Wine Craft - many family and friends will gather to harvest our first 3 tons of grapes.

My family will be driving up from Fullerton this evening and friends from all over California are making their way to Sonoma for tomorrow's 6:30 am start.

We will meet at the vineyard for a quick lesson in picking and sorting the grapes. Then the day will move very quickly. The fruit is harvested in just a few short hours and we will make our way to the winery between 10 am and noon.

Feel free to join us on the crush pad if you hit the snooze button too many times. We will be there much of the afternoon!

See you all very soon,

Jeff

Sunday Cabernet

I just returned home after spending the afternoon sampling grapes and walking the vines of Vellum's largest Cabernet vineyard. A cool weather spell has maintained the brix at a moderate 22 which makes us think it might be another 2 or more weeks before the fruit is ready for harvest.

The longer it hangs - the better.

- Jeff

(Here are some photos from today's vineyard sampling.)

Merlot vines - up close and personal

I wanted to share a few photos from my brother Brian's visit to our vineyards this week.

Take a look at the merlot vines - up close and personal in the first photo.

Sampling and tasting the grapes right from the vine is one of life's true pleasures.

Brian is wearing a very stylish Vellum baseball cap. Limited edition!

Harvest this week!!

After the heat wave earlier in the month we saw the brix jump to the 20's and it sparked a county-wide rush to bring in fruit. Growers from all over Napa and Sonoma have been bringing in grapes by the truckload. Seeing their haste, we waited...we re-evaluated...and did some deep analysis on our grapes to guide our harvest schedule.

Our decision to hold off has paid off. We have two vineyards ready to come in...both are at the right sugar level and the extra time on the vine has contributed superbly to the grapes' maturity. The tannins are ripe, supported by balanced acids in the flesh and the seeds are woody and crunchy. Perfect timing!

And though it has been a nail-biter...we are confident that our patience will be well-rewarded.

If you would like to join us during harvest please call to RSVP and get directions to our vineyards.

- Jeff
714.726.4369

A surprise gift

This was not the year we expected. The previous two years here in Napa Valley were wet in the Spring followed by long hot summers and leading to compressed harvests. This season however was a bit of a surprise. A temperate Spring allowed for almost full set in the clusters and the weather remained even but warm throughout the summer with no rainfall.

At the end of August we went through a heat spike bringing up the sugars quickly and dropping the acids in the fruit that ripened early. This led many to believe that once again all of the fruit would come in at once.

The first week of September proved different. The pressure system changed and everything slowed down again keeping with the trend of 2007.

It's the 12th now and our fruit is still on the vine. Consistent daily temperatures have provided for slow maturing of the grapes and concentrating flavors. The clusters look fine, tight, but fleshy with no rot. We are also pleased to know that the acids remain high, balanced, and will provide a terrific backbone for this year's vintage.

This may prove to be one of the finer years Napa Valley has seen in some time and we eagerly anticipate what this year will contribute to Vellum's first vintage.

- Karl

Countdown to harvest

I will always look back on the 2007 growing season with a smile - having walked miles of vineyard rows inspecting clusters of grapes, sampling berries and pressing clumps of soil between my fingers. Spending time among the vines has been inspirational and grounding on many levels.

And now harvest is almost upon us! We are expecting our first grapes in the week of September 17th.

Karl and I were just out at our merlot vineyard last night, sampling grapes by flashlight and glow stick. We both remarked at how dense the wine from those berries will be. Deep and concentrated.

Of course, that's why we chose the vineyard in the first place. The merlot from this vineyard doesn't taste like merlot. It is inky, rich, dense...but still floats in the mouth as if it were weightless. A simply perfect blending compliment to our Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon.

But enough of the winespeak! Welcome to Vellum's very own blog...or as we like to call it...Vellum's Harvest Notes.

We hope that you connect with us often as we unveil the makings of Vellum's first vintage!

-Jeff