Bud break is nearing 100% in the Grand Valley.  If they haven’t busted loose the chains of winter dormancy yet, there’s a good chance the primary bud is not coming out.  The secondary bud hides behind the primary bud and pushes forth a few weeks after the primary buds.  The secondary bud is about half as fruitful as the primary.  That’s actually a good thing for even ripening and high quality wine. With only half the fruit to ripen, the secondary shoot has a chance to catch up to the primaries that got a head start.  The tertiary bud is not at all fruitful.  If all you get is a shoot from a tertiary bud, you’re just growing next year’s crop.  Sometimes that’s the way it goes in the agricultural world.

Enclosed are your Wine Club bottles.  This month’s wines for the Dry Colorado Wine Club are:

2001 Grand Mesa Meritage, Plum Creek Cellars

It has been almost 10 years since Plum Creek has put out a wine under the Grand Mesa label.  In celebration of their 20th anniversary, they brought it back, gave it new artwork, and produced an ultra-premium blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  This wine is very smooth and has a long, satin finish.  Chocolate, spice, raspberry and cherry-vanilla come through in the nose, with a pleasant earth character in the mouth.  Enjoy this wine alone or with a juicy, tender steak dinner.  It just doesn’t get much better than that.

2005 Shiraz, Carlson Vineyards

This wine is incredibly fruit driven, combined with significant oak, and lots of intensity.  Parker Carlson has been making wine here in the Grand Valley for roughly 3 decades and is one of our favorite characters here.  This wine is another example of his unique twist on life.  Try this wine with stuffed mushrooms, twice baked potatoes, and filet mignon.  Don’t forget some beets or swiss chard for greens and major antioxidants.

As always, enjoy the wines in good health!

 Sincerely,

Glenn & Natalie Foster