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; our 94 point, 2009 Los Chamizal Chardonnay with a commemorative Cellar Rat label, a tribute to those who toil deep in the cave to make these fine wines; and the 2007 Merlot Cuveé, a multi-layered and sensuous blend. 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
One Bottle
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

New Release
2007 Merlot Cuvée
Sonoma County
One Bottle
Merlot out of its box and into the grown-up world
We could have called this wine Merlot, however, that would miss the point. This wine is all about the blend. Cuvée means wine blend. The Cabernet Franc give the flavor lift, up to the top of your palate. The Malbec adds a Blackberry flavor in the bottom back of your palate and the Cabernet gives it a long finish. No, it doesn’t die in the middle of the taste like most Merlot. The flavors keep on going. Good winemaking is like good cooking. What makes a reduction sauce so delicious is the combination of flavors, the layered sensations. This is the essence of the 2006 Merlot Cuvée. There’s more going on, it’s multi-layered. It will hold your interest while it dances on your palate.

75.% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14.2%. R.S. 0.20%. 800 cases bottled July 2011. Organically made and bottled.
Retail: $26

2002 DRX
One Bottle
Our Flagship Meritage
3 1/2 years in the barrel, 3 years in the bottle Initial blending was done as the wines developed in 2 and 3 year air dried French oak barrels from small artisanal coopers. After two years in the caves, the best tasting 28 barrels (marked with an “X” by the winemakers) were selected from the hundreds of barrels of the five Bordeaux varietals. After blending by taste, the blend was returned to select barrels for 18 months of aging. DRX was bottle aged for an additional three years before it was released. North Coast.

Cabernet 57%, Merlot 20%, Malbec 12%, Cab. Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 4%
Alcohol: 14%, Residual Sugar: 0.0%
Retail: $85

2005 Shiraz Cuvée, Sonoma County
One Bottle
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.

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

New Release
2007 Red Rex
One Bottle
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.

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