Greetings from Lawrence Dunham Vineyards

	Summer time has been very busy for everyone at Lawrence Dunham Vineyards. This spring we planted nearly 4,500 new plants; many of them replacement vines. We lost well over 2,000 vines to an October 2009 freeze.	Summer Grapes
The vines that survived the freeze are full of grapes now and afternoon mountain rainstorms are keeping the moisture levels high and provide a respite from the heat that makes for perfect ripening!

Our first wine is in the bottle and we are excited to share it with the world. We anticipate a late September release date. However, the wine will tell us when it is ready. We bottled 52 cases of our 2008 Chiricahua Mountain Syrah. We have the label designed and are currently awaiting label approval from Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Since this is our first label we are keeping our fingers crossed.

2008 Syrah Bottling

Chiricahua Circle

Our first Lawrence Dunham Vineyards’ club, called Chiricahua Circle is growing. The idea behind the club was to get people involved in the grape-growing and winemaking process. When Curt and I started collecting wine and visiting vineyards all over the world, the passion of the winemakers we visited was contagious. We hope to share our passion for our place and wines in the same way.

Chiricahua Circle Club Members Char & Bill McCluskey at LDV

Curt in the Dirt – The Vineyard Update

Curt in the field checking grapes

Spring planting was very successful. We planted another two acres (1,900 plants) of the Rhone white varietal Viognier (VEE-ohn-yay) which we think has a promising future in the Chiricahua Foothills. We also replaced about 2,500 Grenache, Syrah, and Viognier vines that were killed by the October 2009 freeze. Lawrence Dunham Vineyards is now up to 8.5 acres total.

Plants arrived on April 15th and we cold soaked them in root stimulator  for a couple of days. Planting started on April 19th. LDV friends Lisa Faiss and Don Kelly with GreenZona joined us in the field. They worked hard for a couple of days planting but we fed and wined them well and they said they enjoyed the experience. It took about two weeks to get all the vines planted.

2010 planting - Lisa Faiss & Don Kelly

Mother Nature threw us a curve ball at the end of April with a frost right after bud break. We were thankful that our good friend David Thomas was with us helping out as we pulled an all-nighter tending to the vineyard and lighting bon fires and using smudge pots in the vineyard to keep warm air flowing. The overnight temperature got down to 30 degrees but we survived with little damage. We dodged a bullet and the vineyard looks extremely healthy. Many other Arizona vineyards were not so lucky. Now the attention in the vineyard is focused on training the new vines and positioning the established plants. The grapevine is a climber. To grow properly, it needs something its tendrils can cling to – stakes, a trellis, or stretched wires. The new vines are being trained by being tied to the wires that hang between our metal trellising systems. The training that occurs now will impact the vines for the rest of their lives – hopefully many decades!
Curt Training Vines	The established vines are being positioned. This process involves taking the leafy shoots that grow after the fruit is set and feeding them through a series of wires that will create a canopy to shade the maturing grapes. It is important to get a good canopy established to protect the grapes from intense sun.
We have noticed that the color of the Grenache wine from grapes grown in our area is very light and we believe it is because the young vines do not have enough of a canopy to protect them from the sun. The grapes’ color  gets bleached much like our hair in summer. We will be working to remedy this over the years.
Veraison is beginning in the field. The French word veraison has become internationally accepted as the technical term for coloring. In warm summers, veraison begins earlier, in cool summers, later. This process is triggered when a certain level of sugar has been reached within the juice of the berry.	Veraison Begins
Not all grapes take on color at the same time. Usually those that have received the most sunlight and warmth color first, while grapes growing on the shady side remain green longer. We harvested our Petite Sirah on September 9th and 10th last year and we anticipate beginning to harvest later in September this year. Last year we had to pick a little sooner than we wanted due to a freak hail storm. So we are keeping our fingers crossed for a long, mild summer. Let us know if you want to join us for harvest and crush . It is lots of fun and hard work. This will be the first crush at our winery.

Winery Updates

Curt Among the Barrels

We bottled our 2008 Syrah on July 9, 2010. It was an exciting day for us and this bottle of wine will always represent an important milestone. We are extremely pleased with the rich flavors of the wine as it went into the bottle. This is not a wimpy wine. We are getting ready to bottle our 2009 Grenache soon. We will be holding a tasting panel (sampling various blends to see what tastes best) this month to make the final determination of wine we will bottle from this vintage.

In addition to bottling, we have been busy purchasing winery equipment. We are now the proud owners of our first basket wine press. The type of wine press used varies from winery to winery. We chose a basket press for several reasons. It tends to be gentler on the grapes than hydraulic bladder pressing and we think this will really improve the quality of our wines, especially the Petite Sirah.	Hydraulic Basket Press
Since we are going to be focusing on small lot, hand crafted bottlings, the basket press is also much more conducive to this type of approach from a cleaning and maintenance perspective. As our operation grows and matures, we may need to add another basket press or bladder press but for now we are in pretty good shape. Click here to read the Summer 2010 winemaker interview.

Wine Pairings

Summer time is in full swing at the vineyard with wonderful Monsoon storms bubbling up most afternoons. Summer means grillin’ and chillin’ and a New York Strip Steak with Balsamic Vinegar and Caramelized Onions is the best grilled meal. Here are a couple of tips to grilling the perfect steak.

New York Strip Steaks with Balsamic Vinegar and Caramelized Onions

First, pick the right cut of beef. Thicker is better. Ask the butcher to cut them 1 1/2-inch thickness at least. Most already packaged or cut steaks at the meat counters are cut one inch thick. It is funny to watch the butchers at our local grocery store get so excited when Curt asks them to cut steaks to the desired thickness. Butchers take pride in their profession so make their day and ask for a great cut of beef. And they are always willing to share their grilling secrets. Another consideration is your grilling preference. We only grill over Mesquite charcoal because it burns at a high temperature and delivers a nice crust to the steak. So if you are grilling over gas make sure you get your grill hot before proceeding. Or run out to the store and buy a charcoal grill and donate that gas grill to your neighbor. Only flip your steak once. Invest in a good pair of tongs to turn your meat so that the flesh will not be punctured. Flipping more than once will dry the steaks out. Lastly, never, never puncture your beef with a knife, fork or meat thermometer to determine if it done. The proper doneness is determined by sight and touch (not puncturing).  We enjoy our steaks rare but we understand not everyone does so here are some tips. While the steaks are cooking, check them with your fingers or the tongs by gently pushing down on the top of the steak. The firmness of the steak will tell you if it is done. The levels of firmness can be judged by how much the beef springs back when touched. The firmer the beef when cooked the more done it is. For a rare steak, the texture most closely resembles the firmness of its original state. You are on your own if you want a well-done steak. Serve this meal with a bold wine. We believe our Lawrence Dunham Vineyards 2008 Chiricahua Mountain Syrah will hold up to a grilled New York Steak. Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Upcoming Events

Lawrence Dunham Vineyards is committed to giving back to the community even before we sell our first bottle! Over the past year LDV has provided support to: Fountain Hills River of Time Museum Valley Youth Theatre Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) Make-A-Wish Foundation Fountain Hills Community Foundation Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association In-Home Concert

Green Grapes on the Vine

First Chiricahua Circle event – Grape to Glass Symposium scheduled for August 28th. 2008 Chiricahua Mountain Syrah wine release – Late September 2010. Stay tuned for more wine release events - winter 2010. Join the fun. Email us at info@LDVWinery.com if you would like to join us at the vineyard, and we can share information about area accommodations.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook Click an icon to open the link

Click Here to join our email list to receive the eNewsletter and other special announcements.

Copyright (C) 2010 Lawrence Dunham Vineyards, LLC All rights reserved.