Atelier Winery

More Photos San Francisco Winemaker Dinner March 2006

2006-04-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Winemaker Dinner March 2006 (Photos)

2006-04-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Take Atelier's Customer Survey

2006-01-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

We'd love to hear your feedback. If you are watching this blog, we'd love to have you take our survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=655401654417

The survey was originally designed for our mailing list clients, however, we'd like to capture everyone's thoughts and ideas. In 2006 we plan on hosting a series of events to meet more people and create an experience with fun, food, and wine that everyone will remember.

If you'd like to attend one of our future events (listed in the survey) or provide other comments, please e-mail david@atelierwinery.com .

Thank you for your interest in Atelier wines!

- David

Wine & Spirits Review of Atelier 2003 Syrah

2005-11-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

From the December 2005 issue of Wine & Spirit Magazine regarding Atelier's 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah:

"A gentle range of red fruit flavors fills the substantial extract and weight of this wine, the tannin so soft it adds bitter chocolate flavor rather than structure. Clean and spicy, for chopped sirloin off the grill."

A toast for the holidays

2005-11-07T23:46:00.000-08:00

Now that harvest is over and the 2005 vintage is in barrel, it’s time to prepare for the holiday season. And this holiday season holds a lot of exciting news for Atelier Winery.

New Release!
Released on November 1st, is our 2004 Contra Costa County Zinfandel. We adore the distinctive character of Contra Costa County Zinfandel, in fact, our love affair with this out-of-the-way appellation dates back over 12 years to our early winemaking days. The bold flavors and inviting aromatics typical of Zinfandel from this sandy terroir dazzled our young palates and have continued to intrigue us with each successive vintage. Ripe raspberry and black cherry aromas mingle with notes of sweet maple and birch beer in the heady aroma of this bold Zinfandel. On the palate hints of white pepper and boysenberry are flanked by finely-structured tannin and supported by vanilla and caramel accents. As is typical in our wines a subtle suggestion of the earth on which the grapes were grown lingers in the wine and delivers a sense of place.

The 2004 vintage was both early and warm. Surprisingly, our Zinfandel grapes matured in the month of August and hit an ideal sugar/acid balance well before summer ended. The early harvest allowed us to ferment the wine, press off skins, and send it down to barrel for maturation all by mid-September. The lush, full-bodied structure of this wine makes it incredibly drinkable at a young age and we found that it needed only 12 months of barrel age to round out the tannins and build structure around the incredible berry richness of the fruit. The lively aromatics are reminiscent of mulling spices making this wine an excellent accompaniment to Fall/Winter and Holiday fare.

Purchase By November 13th and receive in time for Thanksgiving within California. www.atelierwinery.com/purchase.html

Reviews!
Last month we shared the news about the 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah’s Silver Medal at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. This month our Syrah has been recognized by two leading wine critics. Our 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah has just received:

93 Points from Wilfred Wong, Beverages & More, “Impressive all the way around, the full-flavored '03 Atelier Syrah derives its energy from Rhone-inspired flavors; rich boysenberry, white pepper notes abound; long and fine.”

90 Points and 1 Puff from the Connoisseur’s Guide in the November Issue Syrah review. “From its inky color to its ripe, fully extracted nose, this wine has boldness and concentration on its side.” www.cgcw.com

Something for the holidays!
Our 2004 Zinfandel and critically acclaimed 2003 Syrah go great with Holiday dinners. Stock some for yourself or send as a gift for friends or family. E-mail us a custom message and we’ll include a festive hand-written holiday card. Currently, our standard shipping is only available within the state of California. www.atelierwinery.com/purchase.html

Have a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year!

A more intimate look.

2005-11-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

Here's our 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah in a more intimate setting.

Photo courtesy of Wilfred Wong.

Atelier's First Glam Shot

2005-11-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

Here's our first glamour shot courtesy of Wilfred Wong.

Click here to see Wilfred's review of our 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah.

Atelier Winery: A Bountiful Harvest & Harvest Fair!

2005-10-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Atelier Winery!

Our Syrah is in! On September 26th, we harvested our Alexander Valley Syrah. In the days leading up to the harvest we coordinated with the vineyard manager to pick on Monday morning. The night before he gave us the heads-up, “The crew will be there at 3 am”. Four short hours of sleep later, David was in the vineyard performing his QA duties in the field side-by-side with the harvest crew. The scene was surreal. It was 3:00 am with a bright harvest moon shining overhead, providing just enough light to navigate through the field. The stage was set; 10 men, a tractor with two bins on a small trailer, and a 15 foot tall riser with flood lights that provided simulated daylight in which the team would work. The men spanned 4 rows, picked with intensity, filled their 25 pound lugs in a few short minutes, then began calling to each other and pitching the full bins under the trellis to a designated transfer man. One particular fellow with a flair for the dramatic would catapult his grapes over the top of the trellis, through the air, and right into the gondola bin….scoring a perfect shot every time. David kept pace out in front of the team inspecting individual clusters and dropping grape clusters that were not of the highest caliber. David repeatedly explained to the team that he didn’t want any grapes that were dried out or not yet ripe and then team would chorus “No seca! No rojo!.” Four hours later, at 7:00 am, the field was empty and eleven, half ton bins were full. Jose, the team foreman, used a forklift to load the bins onto a truck, and David and the grapes set off to the crush pad.

The next step for the Syrah was a pass through the crusher/stemmer (a device that separates the grapes from the rachis or stem) and on the way out, breaks the skins of the grapes by gently “crushing” them between rollers, then into the tank they went. A good cold soak overnight allowed the juice some contact time with the skins to soak out some hearty color and vibrant flavor. The next day was Tuesday and the grape must was inoculated to commence fermentation. As yeast converts sugar into alcohol the reaction generates heat and CO2 and the reaction pushes the skins to the top forming a “cap”. Twice a day we punched-down the cap to keep the skins wet and to maximize the extraction of color and tannin from the skins. The sugar began to drop down evincing that fermentation was underway: 25, 23, 15, 10, 5…and two weeks later it was down to zero. The week of October 10th, 2005, we pressed the wine to separate the skins from the wine, and put the wine to barrels (a blend of French and American oak.). Now, the wine will rest in barrel for 16 to 18 months as the oak imparts gentle vanilla and toasty flavors to the wine. From this point forward we will keep the barrels topped up, the oxygen out, and keep the cellar cool and humid.

The Sonoma County Harvest Fair
On September 24th, the Sonoma County wine industry gathered to celebrate another great harvest and to recognize some of the finest wines produced in Sonoma County. It was a classic Sonoma County evening; many arrived in black ties or formal gowns while others arrived on the scene in more casual shirts and slacks. True to the earthy spirit of Sonoma County some other attendees sported their finest jeans and cowboy boots. Other than the great food and wine, the highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the awards, and drum roll please………Atelier’s 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah is a Silver medal winner in the 2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. It was an honor for our winery to receive recognition from the industry side-by-side with some of the larger wineries. If you haven’t yet tried our Syrah, we recommend picking up a bottle or two at: http://www.atelierwinery.com/purchase.html

Countdown to Harvest!

2005-09-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Atelier Winery!

It’s been quite some time since our last update. At Atelier our motto is to “share and enjoy in good company.” This saying pertains to our wine as well as sharing experiences regarding the wine country lifestyle. In the next few weeks you’ll receive a few updates from Atelier as we share our harvest experience with you.

15, 17, 18.5, 20, 22.5, 23… the countdown to harvest is well underway. This may not look like the typical countdown you’ve seen before. These numbers are the degrees Brix (a measurement roughly equivalent to % sugar) contained in the grapes. We’ve been monitoring the vineyard throughout August and September in order to select the optimal time to harvest. There are many other factors as well that determine the ideal time to harvest grapes for winemaking. As grapes mature, the sugar increases, acidity decreases, the seeds turn from green to brown, flavors become more intense, the skins of red grapes yield color when crushed and the skin may subtly start to slacken or dimple. All these factors along with weather considerations and winemaking style determine when we harvest our grapes.

As of this weekend, our Alexander Valley Syrah is looking great. At 23 Brix , the seeds are beginning to brown and get a little crunch to them, and the berries are still nice and full. Harvest is probably 10 days to two weeks away, assuming we get some sunshine and warm weather to ripen the grapes and accumulate a couple more degrees Brix. Stay tuned for more on the Atelier harvest as events unfold…

To learn more about Atelier Winery, see our website at www.atelierwinery.com

2005-06-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Bob & Joanne.... the masters of the BBQ at the World Famous Hamburger Ranch.

2005-06-20T22:40:00.001-07:00

The Ward gang, Steve Rezonja, the Ertels, Behrmans, and Mark Thayer hiding in back.

2005-06-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Lost his first tooth today!

2005-06-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

Emily, Kathryn, & John enjoy the view after the Atelier Summer Syrah Celebration.

2005-06-20T22:38:00.001-07:00

Mark, Shannon & Stewart. The food was great ;-)

2005-06-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Atelier Summer Syrah Celebration. Dennis enjoying 2002 Zinfandel.

CigarBQ

2005-05-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

For those who love to pair great food and wine with cigars - check out www.cigarbq.com ! We certain enjoy our annual outing with Hans and crew from Rich Xiberta who provided our beautiful logo corks as featured in our 2003 Syrah. Atelier Winery has donated a couple bottles of wine for the auction that goes toward charitable causes in Sonoma County.

We hope to see you there!

Supreme Court Ruling - Interstate Wine Shipment

2005-05-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

There is hope... read the latest about the Supreme Court Ruling on interstate wine shipments.

CNN Article on Supreme Court Ruling

Colorado Wine News Review

2005-05-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

In the April - June 2005 issue of the Colorado Wine News, Volume 15, No. 2., Harold J. Baer writes:

"The 2001 Syrah, Alexander Valley, $24, has smooth, round, almost creamy aromas of black cherry, caramel, vanilla, and black raspberry. the palate adds pepper, oak underneath, and very fine tannin and everything carries through the broad, medium-long finish. Light to medium bodied and nicely balanced, structured, and integrated. Tasty. The 2002 Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, $18, has a big, rich nose of dark fruit with boysenberry, blackberry and caramel most prominent now. Flavors of pepper, cherry, cranberry, and raspberry are laced with bright acidity and a significant amount of somewhat rough tannin. The finish is medium-broad, medium-long, and nicely persistent with just a touch of alcohol at the end. Light to medium bodied now, it is well balanced, integrated, and structured and should gain in weight and depth and become smoohter if you give it another year or so in the bottle.

Atelier is a new producer which bears watching and whose first releases are well worth the effort to find. If you can't locate the wines, contact the winery...www.atelierwinery.com"

Piedmont Post Review

2005-05-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Much to our delight, upon our return from vacation we received a copy of the April 13th edition of the Piedmont Post. The wine editor kindly mailed us a copy of their article entitled, "California Syrah - the next big thing," written by Pierre DuMont. Here are some excerpts from the article:

"Syrah's original home is the northern Rhone valley in France...it is revered for making huge, long-lived wines...Of the 126 wineries pouring Syrah at the recent Rhone Ranger tasting, the following were the cream of the crop - the most memorable wines of the day."

"2003 Atelier Syrah, Alexander Valley...This tiny new winery is doing an impressive job. The wine's opulent aromatics jumped out of the glass (blackberry liquer, honeysuckle, truffles, and a bit of bacon). Full bodied on the palate with great intensity and purity. This is a winery to watch."

Wine in India

2005-05-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

During our India adventure we had the opportunity to try a couple of the wines of India. To our surprise wine was frequently not available as parts of India have "dry state" regulations, and the heat of the country certainly does not encourage one to go for the red wines. We enjoyed Kingfisher beer at an occasional stop and at the end of our trip sampled two wines at the beautiful J.W. Marriot in Mumbai's Juhu Beach area. Truly an oasis among the madness.

Vivek was our waiter and he was very knowledgeable about Indian wines. We enjoyed a Chenin Blanc from Sula and a Viognier from Grover. The Sula Chenin Blanc was crisp, pure, and lovely in the Mumbai heat with flavors of green apple. We're told by Vivek that it comes from a region not far from Mumbai. The Grover Viognier had a lovely and classic viognier aroma with good weight that allowed it to linger pleasantly on the palat. Grover Winery comes from Southern India closer to Bangalore.

If you have the opportunity to try these wines, we highly recommend them on a hot summer's day in India or wherever you may be. The Kingfisher is also very nice ;-)

Back from vacation

2005-05-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Atelier Winery is back from vacation - a wonderful and exotic 2 1/2 weeks in India. In pursuit of our passion for world culture, we arranged our self-guided tour of Western India with touches of both northern and southern India. The sub-continent's incredible people, architecture, cuisine, and geography never ceased to amaze us. Along with sharing our wine with friends, we also enjoy sharing our travel experiences and photos. Please take a look via the link below and enjoy some of the highlights along:

The temples of Elephanta Island, Mumbai
Asian Lions of the Gir Forest, Sasan Gir
The Taj Mahal (aka "The Taj"), Agra
Udaipur's Monsoon Palace
The backwaters and coconut palms of Kerala, "God's own country"

See highlights of our journey at www.atelierwinery.com/india

Atelier Winery Party. June 18th. Save the date.

2005-04-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

Atelier Winery is planning it's annual party. Please save the date:
June 18th, 2005

Traditionally our parties have been based upon a wine "experience"
such as bottling, labeling, etc. This year promises to be a unique
Sonoma County experience.

What we know about the party:
* It will be in Sonoma County near or in Healdsburg.
* It will likely be an afternoon party to accomodate out of town guests.
* It will be on June 18th, 2005.

We look forward to seeing you then. Details and invitations will be
forthcoming as the date approaches.

Cheers,
Atelier Winery

Rhone Rangers After Party

2005-03-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the photo from our night out after Rhone Rangers. The red eyes are from the flash, not the wine :-)

Atelier's Rhone Rangers After Party Gang

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Atelier's Velvety Syrah at Rhone Rangers last weekend

2005-03-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

We showed our 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah at Rhone Rangers this weekend. The morning started off cold and rainy, but quickly cleared up and became a lovely sunny day in San Francisco. There were over 120 wineries showing their wares, Atelier being one of them. We were very happy with the reception our wine received from consumers and trade alike. People described the 2003 Syrah to us as fruity, smooth, and "velvety" with a rich dark color. The Rhone Rangers volunteers seemed to especially enjoy our wine. We thank everyone at the event for their kindness, support, and encouragement.

After the tasting, we went to dinner at the Eastside West Restaurant and Raw Bar http://eastsidewest.citysearch.com/ with nine of our closest friends and family. The company was great, the food was great, and of course we enjoyed Atelier wine with dinner, which was enjoyed by all.

Stay tuned for photos from the event. I plan on posting them later this week.

Cheers,
David

The First Syrah Bottle...

2005-03-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of the last bottle off of the bottling line:
Hurray! Time to enjoy some wine.

Bottling

2005-03-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

Today we bottled our 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah. This was our first year using a mobile bottling line, and it was awesome. 153 cases bottled with incredible quality and consistency in about 2 hours. This is a huge improvement over last year's manual bottling efforts with about 10 of our friends and 15 hours of hard labor. Hurray for modern machinery. Stay tuned for photos of the first bottle of the line...

Atelier Winery's 2003 Syrah @ Rhone Rangers March 19th

2005-03-07T00:11:00.000-08:00

Sunday, March 6, 2005: It’s a beautiful day in wine country: sunny, clear skies, and 80 degrees. And it is an exciting day for us at Atelier Winery as we prepare to bottle and launch our 2003 Syrah at the Rhone Rangers tasting in San Francisco on March 19th.

We just returned from Napa where we have been cellaring our Syrah for the past 18 months. All this time in French oak has matured the wine and developed it to a stage that we find perfect for drinking. The plum fruit now has hints of spice and caramel courtesy of barrel aging and the texture of the wine is soft and supple. The full-bodied style makes the wine a great accompaniment to rich cheeses and roasted vegetable and meat dishes. The Syrah will be ready to drink in just two weeks and will continue to develop complexity in the bottle for another 2 to 4 years.

To ensure that the Syrah makes it to your cellar, join the Atelier Wine Club and be among the first to receive shipment of our new release. Members enjoy their guaranteed annual wine shipment of Atelier Zinfandel and Syrah at a 20% discount, which also applies to all future purchases. Choose your level of participation at 2, 6, or 12 bottles per shipment, and stay tuned for more information regarding “members only” tastings and social events. To learn more and enroll in the club, see the attached membership form.

We are celebrating the release of our 2003 Syrah with the general public at Rhone Rangers in San Francisco on March 19th. Join Atelier, 120 other wineries, and several thousand wine enthusiasts at Fort Mason for the 8th annual Rhone Rangers tasting. Get your tickets early at: http://www.rhonerangerevents.org/sf/

Last, but not least, we have launched our new and improved website. Check it out at: http://www.ATELIERWINERY.com . You can learn more about Atelier Winery, our wines, and take advantage of our fully enabled e-commerce website and buy wine online. We’d like to thank George Behrman and Kat Thomas of Aplin Uno Creative (www.auc.com) for contributing their artistic and technical talents in helping us develop our new look and web site. Check it out, and let us know what you think.
At Atelier our motto is to “Enjoy in good company.” Feel free to share the Atelier newsletters and e-mail with a friend or two. New people can join our e-mail list by sending an e-mail to join@atelierwinery.com .

Stories of Sharing Atelier Wines

2004-11-11T23:54:00.000-08:00

At Atelier, we encourage you to share and enjoy our wines in good company. We want to hear what you have to say about our wines and great experiences you've had in sharing Atelier wines with others! Feel free to add a comment to this blog with your experiences in sharing Atelier wines.

Here's a sample from our friend Kerry:
"I had a friend over 2 nights ago and we did a little taste comparison between the Zin and the Mouvedre and they were both spectacular! Great Job! My friend Jay wanted me to be sure to congratulate you on how nice they are! Looking forward to drinking more!
Thanks Dave,
Kerry"

2004 Harvest Photos

2004-11-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

To view our 2004 harvest photos, please see our slide show at: http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANG7Rm5cN2TGKg

2004 Harvest Notes.

2004-11-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

The 2004 grape harvest is complete! Although our harvest is small, it is action packed with sampling grapes, picking, crushing, pressing, and managing our fermentations. The vineyards may sound familiar to fans of Atelier Wines. We harvested the Alexander Valley Syrah vineyards that made our former home winemaking efforts famous as well as the Contra Costa County Zinfandel we've more recently become known for. Since this was an early season, we were able to monitor the grapes closely and obtain optimum ripeness prior to picking. Out in the warmer/sunnier location of Oakley, in Contra Costa, we harvested the zinfandel in mid-August, while in slightly cooler Alexander Valley the syrah grapes stubbornly held on until mid-September (still an early harvest for the typical year. The 2004 wines promise to be fine wines. As we put the wines to barrel, the colors were rich, aromas very pleasant, and the taste was vibrant with the flavors of quality Syrah and Zinfandel wines. Mark your calendars for Spring 2006. The wine promises not to disappoint. All the wine asks from us now is patience.

Atelier Wine in The City

2004-10-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

You can now find Atelier Wines in San Francisco at the Napa Valley Winery Exchange. Napa Valley Winery Exchange specializes in small California wine producers - Like US! Next time you're in the city stop by 415 Taylor Street and pick up a bottle. Tell them, "Atelier Winery" sent you.

Cheers,
David

What does "atelier" mean?

2004-09-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

The word "atelier" denotes an artist's workshop or studio. Atelier Winery began as a workshop where we could be creative with winemaking. Atelier's purpose is to craft fine wines through small lot production and traditional technique. Focusing on wines of greatcharacter, our emphasis is on the production of Zinfandel and Syrah from classic terroirs.

Atelier Winery's First Blog

2004-09-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Atelier Winery's (and David Reed's) first blog. I hope to use the blog as a way to update people with what's going on at the winery and to encourage discussion about Atelier's wine and wine in general.

Comments and ideas about our wine and blog are welcome.

- David