Latest News Summer 2008

In the Winery

It is an exciting time here at Talbott Vineyards as summer approaches and another growing season begins. It is also a time of change, with new clones being planted in the vineyard, new wines being released, and most importantly, a new winemaker guiding our team. This said, we are thrilled to announce Dan Karlsen as our consulting winemaker. Dan is taking over for Sam Balderas, who retired in March. Lovers of great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir will likely know Dan by reputation. A gifted winemaker with more than three decades of experience, Dan began his career in 1980 at Dry Creek Vineyard. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, he honed his skills making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir working at Dehlinger Winery, and later as the winemaker for Domaine Carneros. In 1998, Dan became the winemaker and general manager for Chalone Winery, where he worked until 2007. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Dan—his handcrafted approach to winemaking and his background working with exceptional estate-grown fruit make him a natural fit for Talbott and our style.

The new growing season is also bringing a few exciting changes to our vineyards. As part of our constant effort to improve quality, we are currently doing some grafting. We are also replanting several blocks of Sleepy Hollow with some great new clones and rootstocks. As these plantings grow and mature, they will add their voice to the diversity of our vineyards, further enhancing the quality of our excellent wines.

New & Upcoming Releases

Speaking of excellent wines, we are proud to announce the inaugural release of our 2005 Cuvée RFT Diamond T Pinot Noir,(link coming soon please calll our tasting room at 831.659.3500). The pinnacle of our Pinot Noir program, we only made five barrels (125 cases) of this wine, using fruit from three prized acres of Diamond T. We recently began offering this wine to our tasting room guests, and the response has been remarkable. This benchmark Pinot Noir is available exclusively through our tasting room and online store, and will definitely sell out quickly. Our 2004 Diamond T Chardonnay is also currently available, and it is a hedonist’s delight. Luscious and filled with intense tropical fruit, it nonetheless possesses an amazing acid backbone that lends balance and structure. Last but not least, our 2006 Logan Chardonnay recently received a 90-point score in the Wine Spectator Insider. As a result, this wine is going fast. If you would like to order any of these standout bottlings, we recommend placing an order soon.