Open House and Bottle Your Own - GREAT Weekend! Thank you!
One of the two wines featured this weekend at the Bottle Your Own Party was Dolcetto. Enjoy Rod's blog about this fascinating grape and its history.My Little Sweet One
Not familiar with Dolcetto? Long time fans of Nevada City Winery actually are but might not know it. But more on that in a minute.
Dolcetto is a red wine grape that originates in northern Italy and translates as “little sweet one”. That is a surprising translation because this “little sweet one” is bone dry and packs a powerful punch.
In the Piedmont region of Italy, it runs third behind the brooding, powerful Nebbiolo and the crisp, cherry tart flavored Barbara. Because it is relatively easy to grow and ripens two to four weeks earlier than either Barbara or Nebbiolo, it gets planted in all the most challenging spots where neither of the other two would be likely to ever ripen. There it is well liked for producing very café-friendly red wines that are fruity, with medium-light body and crisp acidity.
But when you move Dolcetto to our warm, sun-drenched Sierra Foothill slopes and plant it in prime spots you get a much bigger, much bolder and much more dramatic wine. “I made Dolcetto from this vineyard for the first time in 2010,” winemaker Mark Foster explained. “I fermented it in a very traditional way, on the skins in small open top fermenters. It surprised me. It was huge.”
In fact, it was too burly to be bottled separately so Foster ended up blending it into other wines to tame its wild, tannic nature. In 2011, he changed his fermentation techniques to produce this still powerful but much less tannic wine. “Dolcetto” Foster explained, “generates subtle perfume and wonderful spice aromas but packs a big mouthful of body and flavor.”
“Dolcetto, like Barbara, is another northern Italian variety that seems perfect for our region,” Foster said. “It retains all of its fruit forward style and flavor but with more power and flavor intensity.”
Why should long time fans of Nevada City Winery be familiar with Dolcetto? Because, according to grape ampelographers, the Dolcetto of Piedmont is the same grape as the Douce Noir of the Savoie region of France, which is the same grape as Charbono in California. Charbono was one of the original red grape varieties planted in John Callendar's ......Click here for the complete blog.
May Artist Of the Month, Nancy Hakala
With Love, Nancy Hakala
Nancy has mastered a variety of different mediums ranging from pencil, watercolor, acrylic, and oil, to Venetian plaster. An artist since childhood, she perfected her unique style and precision for detail through painting murals. Nancy serves on the Board of Directors for the Auburn Arts Commission and has recently been selected as an Artist in Residence for Placer Arts. You are invited to view Nancy’s art gallery online at Blueskyartgallery.com & Placerarts.org
May Wine Of the Month, 2005 Contour Library Selection
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot. If you have ever wondered what we mean when we say “a few years of cellaring will reward the patient,” this is your chance to find out. The 2005 Contour has always been a classic Bordeaux style, but now a few extra years of bottle age have rounded all the corners and added additional nuances and complexity. Don’t miss this Library Selection. Jump on this chance to grab your 25% discount on 6 bottles, or 30% for Wine Club members. Shop New Releases: 2011 Chardonnay and 2010 Sangiovese
Last Friday's release party introduced our two newest wines, 2011 Chardonnay and 2010 Sangiovese. The 2011 Chardonnay was cool-fermented in stainless then barrel-aged for between eight and twelve months in French oak barrels. The resulting wine offers a creamy mouthfeel with flavors of citrus, tangerine, and crème brulée with subtle highlights of toasty smoke. Rich and softly textured, this wine is round and full-bodied, yet dry and crisp.You may have noticed the Winery has been tilting a bit in the direction of Italian varietals lately. The Barbera has been a huge favorite and wait till you try the Dolcetto winemaker Mark Foster has created for the upcoming Open House “Bottle Your Own” wine! And now, here is a remarkably tasty Sangiovese. The 2010 Sangiovese is medium-bodied and packed with flavors of spice, dried cherry, citrus peel and just a touch of earth. It’s great by itself and really rocks with some Italian charcuterie and cheese. Enjoy!
New Releases: 2010 Cabernet Franc and 2011 Viognier
Gourmet Cheeses, Salamis, Crackers, And Wine On The Deck
There simply is not a more comfortable spot in town to meet your friends for a relaxing glass of wine than on the deck at the Winery. And now, you can nibble on a selection of gourmet cheeses, salamis and crackers from our gourmet pantry. Available every day.
Join Nevada City Winery on Facebook!
Welcome to the dawn of a new digital age in wine technology! Alright, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but Nevada City Winery is now on Facebook! Come check us out and become a fan!
Check us out and become a fan!
Nevada City Winery Voted Best Winery In Nevada County For A Record 13 Years In A Row!
We are so honored and grateful, once again to have been selected, by you, as Nevada County's Best Winery. We are very proud of our Tasting Room, we think our Barrel Room is the coolest, and we're thrilled that you love our wines. Thank-you!
Nevada City Winery Wins Big!
We’re proud to announce that our 2009 Zinfandel just won a Double Gold,
with a 98 point score at the California State Fair as well as claiming Best of Class (tied) honors for Zinfandel from the entire Sierra Foothills. No flash in the pan, it won Gold at New World International as well as a Gold Medal at the Amador County Competition.
Our 2009 Gewurztraminer, an absolutely delightful wine, is another winner earning top honors for Gewurz at the El Dorado County Fair with a Gold Medal and Best of Class Sonoma (where the grapes are from) award. Now we’re
pleased to say it scored 91 points and Best Gewurz Sonoma County Appellations at the 2012 California State Fair. Eight additional wines won Medals as well!
Award Winning Winemaking- Celebrating 33 years!
Nevada City Winery, an undiscovered golden treasure of California's northern Sierra Foothills, has been producing award-winning wines since 1980. This premium, full production winery is located in the heart of historic, downtown Nevada City, the heartbeat of California's Gold Country. Nevada County has a long tradition of winemaking with the original vineyards dating back to California's Gold Rush. Today Nevada City Winery is located just two blocks from where it once stood in the 1880's.
Nevada City Soap Box Derby Featuring The Return Of The Nevada City Winery Bacchus Bombers
Our Wine Barrel Car, ABV 14.5% ran two great races! We are looking forward to next year!
2007 Cabernet Franc Wins "Best Cabernet Franc of California" Award at the 2010 California State Fair
Last year the 2007 Barbera took home the Best Barbera in California award from the California State Fair. Not to be upstaged, this year the 2007 Cabernet Franc took hom
e the honors as the Best Cabernet Franc at the 2010 California State Fair. Congratulations Mark! Click /public/w1846/Cab_Franc_wins_Big!!.pdf to see the story.
2007 Syrah Wins TOP HONORS Second Year In A Row:
At New World International, our Syrah took Best New World Syrah, Platinum Award, Best of Varietal and Best of Class, for the second year in a row.
It's unbelievable! Last year the 2007 Directors' Reserve Syrah took home the prize. This year it's the 2007 that won top honors. What's up with those 2007 Syrah grapes? Have you tried them yet? The Reserve Syrah has been released, we'll let you know about the release date of the other. In the meantime the 2006 Syrah, a Gold Medal Winner, is absolutely delicious. Click
/public/w184
6/NWIC_Syrah.pdf to see the story.
Two Wines Win TOP Honors: 2007 Directors' Reserve Syrah & 2006 Cabernet Franc
At New World International, our Syrah took Best New World Syrah, Platinum Award, Best of Varietal, Best of Class; At the West Coast Wine Competition, our Cabernet Franc took Double Gold, Best of Class. Wow! Both are available now in our Tasting Room and via our shopping page.
A Day In The Cellar
Check in for updates at the Wine making Page for photos and the latest on this year's harvest.
Wine By The Glass
It's not exactly like the repeal of prohibition but it's still a big deal. We can now sell wine by the glass. Sips are good but sometimes a glass is what you want. Sit out on the deck, catch up with a friend, visit with family, or just hide from the world with a book. It could be the few minutes you owe yourself, in a really lovely spot. Open during Tasting Room hours.
Get Your Wine Club User ID and Password
If you are an existing wine club member, in order to be able to fully use our website and ensure you get all the correct discounts, it's best if you log in using your User ID. If you don't know what that is, contact Wyn at 1-800-203-9463 or 530-265-9463. We'll provide you with your user ID and Password. Look for some deals coming this spring-summer that will only be available for Wine Club Members and only through the web, so be sure to get your user ID and password set up now.
If you are currently not a wine club member and would like to become one, please click here to join.
Discover The Taste Of Gold
Winemaker Mark Foster has continued the tradition of producing flavorful, full-bodied, award-winning wines. Nevada City Winery has earned hundreds of awards over the years including Best Varietal Of Region for Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Zinfandel Sangiovese, Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Sauvignon at the California State Fair.
Visit Us in Nevada City, California
The Tasting Room, complete with antique corkscrew collection and bowling alley bar top, is open 12-5 p.m. daily for wine tasting and 12-6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Winery Tours are offered every Saturday afternoon 1:30 p.m. sharp. For a complete listing of upcoming events please visit our Calendar of Events page.
