In the Valley Of The Moon, growers and winemakers are excited. The first grapes will arrive on the crush pad this week and harvest will commence.

It’s been another unusually cool summer, and cautious optimism charges the air. A longer ripening period allows the sugars to rise slowly, developing greater complexity and depth of flavors. Early rainfall is the main concern now, and though that is a possibility, the collective positive thinking of the Valley’s farmers will hopefully keep the rain clouds at bay and make 2011 a vintage to remember.

Our Fall 2011 Wine Club is a celebration of the connection between Nature and those who tend the grapes and shepherd them through their journey into the bottle. This shipment is packed with new releases.

The new players include our 2010 Pinot Gris, from the cooler hillsides of Mendocino County; and our 2007 Sonoma Valley Zin, selected from two different vineyards chosen for their outstanding contributions to this grape varietal. Deerfield Wine Club members are also the first to experience the 2007 Red Rex, which debuts in this shipment.

You will enjoy the Deerfield Ranch Fall 2011 Wine Club shipment selected especially for you by winemaker Robert Rex.

Not yet a Wine Club member? Click here to sign up for the Wine Club.
Click here to review the current club options and for more details.

New Release
2010 Pinot Gris
Nelson Family Vineyard, Mendocino
Two Bottles
Like a basket of white peaches with one Granny Smith apple.
This is our first ever Pinot Gris, also known as Pinot Grigio in Italy. It’s a wonderful summer wine full of white peach flavors, a touch of residual sugar from the grapes and enough acid to give it perfect balance. It is a light and refreshing wine that will not only delight your senses and fill your pallet as a stand alone beverage but will pair beautifully with spicy food such as Thai cooking, Mango salsa dishes and desserts with fruit.

Alcohol: 12.1%, R.S. 1.27%, bottled 450 cases in April 2011
Retail: $24

2009 Sauvignon Blanc
Peterson Vineyards
One Bottle
From one of our favorite Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, just west of the town of Kenwood. The mild Sonoma Valley climate and barrel fermentation produce a rich texture, round fruitiness, and a remarkably long finish. Neutral barrels, which have shed their oak flavor fermenting Chardonnay, soften and broaden the wine without overpowering its bright fruit character. Fermentation starts on native yeast and then we inoculate individual barrels with selected pure yeast strains, each imparting a different “personality” to the wine. It’s the way we “blend” different batches from the same varietal and vineyard. Tropical fruit flavors are accentuated over citrus.

Retail: $24

2001 DRX
One Bottle
Some of the greatest wines in the world are Merlot based blends, most notably from the Saint-Emilion and Pomerol districts of Bordeaux, France, where the famous Petrus Blanc (95% Merlot) sells for several hundred dollars per bottle when first released. Our Merlot is made in that style. What sets us apart from the famous French maker is that we can get our fruit riper in California than they typically can in France. This full vine ripeness, like a strawberry from your garden instead of the supermarket, produces more generous fruit oriented flavors in the wine, a hallmark of the best from California. With this Merlot we’ve married this California ripe fruit to the structure and balance of the traditional French style Merlot. We’ve updated Petrus so to speak. The result is a Merlot that has good structure and modern balance. It has layered complexity unexpected in a California Merlot.

Cabernet Sauvignon 45%, Merlot 31%, Cabernet Franc 17%, Malbec 4%, Petit Verdot 3%
Alcohol: 14%, Residual sugar 0.0%
Retail: $100

2005 Shiraz Cuvée, Sonoma County
Two Bottles
Sonoma County Down under style meets Deerfield know-how
This cuvée has its roots in Australia. Shiraz has a grounded flavor, coming from the bottom of the palate and moving up. This experience was made longer by the Cabernet and more floral with the Merlot. Malbec accentuated the berry flavor and the Petit Verdot filled in the bottom front. Together, a taste sensation that fills the senses. Three years of aging in 70% American 20% French and 10% Eastern European oak barrels softened the edges and added depth. There’s no better pairing than Shiraz Cuvée with a rare charbroiled steak.

Shiraz 78%, Cabernet Sauvignon 8%, Merlot 7%, Malbec 4%, Petit Verdot 3%
Alcohol 15%; Free Sulfites (SO2) at bottling 18 ppm; SO2 at release, less than 10 ppm.
(Human threshold = 12 ppm) Bottled 1400 cases.
Retail: $26.00

New Release
2007 Red Rex
Two Bottles
Taste has no rules. Red Rex is this philosophy personified. We made 140 separate lots of wine
in 2007. Each has it’s own personality. Each barrel is unique, a slight variation on a theme. We’ve
woven this taste, nose, mouth feel, and character into a sensational experience.
“Red Rex is delicious.” This is the most common descriptor we hear. It is rich and full bodied
without being too aggressive. It is floral in the front and has a long finish in the back. It pairs with
almost any food, from Panini to lamb chops. It is equally at home just by itself, enjoyed with friends
on any occasion.

Cabernet Sauvignon 33%, Merlot 22%, Syrah 19%, Cabernet Franc 12%, Malbec 7%, Petit Verdot 5%,
Dolcetto 2%
Alc.14.2%; R.S.: 0.12%; Barrel aged: 33 months; Bottled 2,800 cases July 2011
Retail: $28

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Los Chamizal, Sonoma Valley
Library Wine
Two Bottles
Peter Haywood's Los Chamizal Vineyards climb steep walls of a small isolated valley near the town of Sonoma. Recognized as one of Sonoma's best growers, Peter lavishes as much care on his vines as we do on our wine. The partnership of winemaker and grower is no better exemplified than in this blend, made from selected rows exhibiting the best micro-terroir of the vineyard. This Cabernet has lush flavors over gentle tannins, with ample structure to give it a long life. It will continue to exhibit increased complexity as it ages... the type that collectors clamor for to add to their cellars.

Cabernet 80.3%, Merlot 10.5%, Cabernet Franc 9.2%
Alcohol: 14.5%, Residual Sugar: 0.04%;
Retail: $58

New Release
2007 Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley
Two Bottles
She’ll wrap you around her little finger with a smile
The first Zinfandel in America was planted in Sonoma Valley in 1850, a more perfect terroir could not have been found. The Los Chamizal Vineyard is a stones throw from the first planting. The White Perry Vineyard is on the very same property as the first Zinfandel Vineyard. This fortunate heritage is celebrated in this wine with an abundance of quintessential Zinfandel flavors perfectly woven from threads of dark berry fruit, white pepper, gentle tannins, oak, and age. If you want to know that Zinfandel should taste like, this is it.

62% Zinfandel, Los Chamizal Vineyard, 38% Zinfandel, White Perry Vineyard
Alcohol: 16.5%, R.S. 0.098%, organically produced, Bottled 450 cases April 2011
Retail: $35