A Long Winter's Nap
The grape vines at Robert Hall’s estate vineyards work very hard to deliver perfect clusters with exquisite character, rich flavors and deep color. After harvest we treat them to plenty of nutrients to replenish them before they shut down for the winter. They reward us with a short burst of beautiful color prior to the frost turning their leaves a rusty brown. Once their trunks are full with a store of nutrients and the weather turns cold they take a long, well deserved nap in anticipation of rapid growth in the spring.
The vines at Robert Hall may take a long winter’s nap during the winter months; however, the rest of the Robert Hall team stays busy. Being new to the marketing team, Robert Hall himself decided to give me the full tour of all the departments, the winery facilities and the Robert Hall estate. Here is the inside scoop on what happens during the month of December.
The face of Robert Hall is the tasting room and our tour began there. The hospitality staff is as busy as Santa’s elves in December. Extra merchandise is brought in to stock the shelves, complimentary cheeses and gourmet items are put out for sampling and the entire staff will often be found constructing gift boxes for the large, special orders received from many of the corporate customers. Tasters gather round the large golden bear to have photos taken (the bear is a giant trophy marking when Robert Hall Winery was honored with the Golden State Winery award). Not to mention the staff provides tours of the large wine caverns with barrel sampling several times each day.
In the next building over, the event staff is also busy in December with caterers coming and going to host the many holiday parties held in the tastefully decorated event rooms at Robert Hall. The Library is perfect for small groups, the Meritage Room is ideal for large parties or corporate meetings and then for the full winery experience the wine caverns themselves are often used. The big event open to the public is the New Year’s Eve party – this year the winery is hosting two separate events, both with a Twilight Masquerade theme. The room decorations have been order, the mystical masks are stacked waiting for the party and ticket sales have been going extremely well, so if you want to attend be sure to order your tickets soon.
Over in the winery, the cellar workers are also working hard. Several of the wines have completed malolactic fermentation and are being racked and barreled down to quietly age. Tanks and winery equipment is constantly being cleaned in preparation for the next winery operation. The 2011 Rosé was being bottled the day Robert took me on the winery tour. There is nothing like watching the pretty pink bottles circling the line as they are filled, sealed, labeled and boxed. The Robert Hall Rosé always sells out quickly so I was delighted to have received a sneak preview with a bottle straight off the line.
The winemaker, Don Brady, has his hands full in December as well. In addition to overseeing all winery operations, his main focus in on planning for 2012. Bottling is an on-going activity, so managing inventory, crafting the blends, ordering labels and scheduling never ends. Then although the vineyards are dormant, taking a nap, crop sizes and 2012 wines are already being planned. Knowing the estate vineyards will not be able to supply all the wines required, Don wants to be first to secure contracts with the highest quality growers in the area, so he has been running around viewing vineyards, discussing grower practices and making deals.
The vineyard team is also busy. In 2008, Robert Hall Winery achieved Certified Sustainability in Practice (SIP) standards which entailed an independent third party audit of the vineyard and winery’s practices by our industry peers. As true stewards of the land, environmental sustainability is practiced to conserve our earth's natural resources. These practices mean extra work but the results make it worthwhile. Every other row in the vineyard is “ripped” deep to turn the soil. Compost and soil amendments are applied under the vines providing nutrients for plant growth, increasing the soil organic matter, mitigating soil erosion and optimizing water absorption. Now is the time to catch up on any maintenance repairing posts, replacing signs and general clean-up. It won’t be long before the teams of vineyard workers will be out pruning every plant. With the Home Vineyard, Terrace Vineyard, Bench Vineyard and Brady Vineyard, Robert Hall’s estate vineyard total around 250 acres. That keeps the vineyard team busy all year round.
Well that gives you a bit of the inside story of what happens here at Robert Hall in December. I’ll try to keep you posted each month through this blog. Oh…and if you are wondering what I am doing this December, I am working on a major website redesign, so be sure to check that out late January.
Happy Holidays!
Dec 23, 2011 at 11:26 AM
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Be the first to comment on this postAn exciting time at Robert Hall
Harvest was a little late this year...and the vines provided a smaller crop than is typically the case. In addition to using all of the estate grapes, our winemaker, Don Brady, sourced high quality fruit from a number of exceptional Paso Robles vineyards. The winery team worked long hours, crushing grapes, punching down & pumping over during fermentation, then finally pressing and storing the wine to age. The winery is filled to the rim with wine that promises to be another great vintage at Robert Hall.
Robert and Margaret were also very busy travelling with Robert Hall Cavern Members. The group spent 12 days on the Princess Cruise line with visits to the pyramids in Egypt, the Forum and the Colosseum in Rome, the iconic Acropolis high above Athens, the haunting Pompeii in Italy and the mosques and markets of Istanbul. From cooking classes in Italy to riding a camel in Egypt, the group had a fantastic time with memories that will last a life time.
Now that the wine is tucked away to age and Robert and Margaret are back home, the focus at Robert Hall is holiday celebrations. The tasting room has been decorated and stocked with fabulous gift items to make shopping a little easier this year. The Library, Meritage Room and Wine Caverns are the perfect place to hold holiday parties for groups of 12 to 150. Or just stop by the tasting room with a group of friends to taste wine and tour the largest underground wine caverns in California's Central Coast.
Then of course the grand finale for the holiday season is the New Year's Eve celebration at the winery. This year the theme is A Twilight Masquerade and will be a magical evening. In addition to the annual Dinner & Dance, Robert Hall is hosting a second New Year's Eve event for those who want to arrive later for a party in the Caverns. Tickets are now available on-line or by calling 805.239.1616 extension 24. Visit the event page for all the details.
Harvest 2011
Harvest is officially in full swing at Robert Hall Winery!
Vineyard Manager Richard Raper
LOBSTER FEST
Lobster Fest Tickets
Saturday, October 22nd
6 pm - 10 pm
$75 pp, $65 Cavern Club
Your Evening Includes:
A glass of wine
Lobster Dinner
Entertainment from Unfinished Business
Menu:
1.5 lb to 2 lb Lobster
Red Bliss Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Split Top Rolls with Cheese
Blueberry Cobbler
For Tickets, visit our events page!
Robert Hall Winery Takes Home Medals at the 2011 State Fair!
Robert Hall Winery is pleased to announce our success at the 2011 California State Fair! This year we were awarded a "Double Gold" and a 98 Score for 2008 Merlot, a Gold Medal for the 2007 Meritage, a Silver Medal for the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Silver Medal for the 2008 Syrah!
Robert Hall Winery Awarded "Best Viognier"
The San Francisco International Wine Competition recently released the results of their 31st Anniversary Wine Judging, with the 2009 Robert Hall Viognier receiving “Best Viognier” and a “Double Gold” honors! This years competition featured entries from 29 countries, and evaluated 4,184 wines during the three-day tasting. The San Francisco International Wine Competition is known for being one of the most globally inclusive and comprehensive wine competitions, with a high level of expertise amongst its judges.
As well as best viognier, Robert Hall Winery was also awarded a Double Gold for the 2008 Syrah, and Silver Medals for the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 Orange Muscat, 2008 Merlot, 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Vintage Port!
ROBERT HALL WINERY RECEIVES GOLDEN WINERY HONOR
Robert Hall Winery was honored to received the prestigious Golden State Winery honor at the California State Fair's 15th annual "Grape & Gourmet" held today, Wednesday, July 7th, 2010, in Sacramento, CA. The State Fair announced the Best in California wines at the state's premier wine and food event which was attended by 3,000 guests. The California's Grape & Gourmet was created to celebrate and acknowledge excellence in the California wine industry, as determined by the 2010 State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, the oldest and most prestigiously judged wine competition in North America. At this year's competition there were 2,786 wine entries received from more than 600 participating wineries, judged by seventy-two professional wine judges. Robert Hall Winery is very pleased to receive the Golden Bear trophy along with medal and ribbons for 5 Best of Class-South Central Coast Appellation honors (2009 Viognier, 2009 Rose de Robles, 2007 Rhone de Robles, 2007 Syrah and the 2006 Vintage Port), 3 Gold Medals (2009 Rose de Robles, 2007 Rhone de Robles and 2006 Vintage Port), and 7 Silver Medals (2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Chardonnay, 2009 Orange Muscat, 2007 Syrah, 2007 Merlot and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon). Our top five scoring wines at the competition included our 95 Score 2006 Vintage Port, 94 Score 2009 Rose de Robles, 94 Score 2007 Rhone de Robles, 92 Score 2007 Syrah and 91 Score 2009 Viognier. Winemaker / Director Don Brady accepted the honors on behalf of Robert Hall Winery joined by Assistant Winemaker Kevin Johansing, Cellarmaster Juan Contreras, Marketing Director Kim Murphy-Rodrigues, and National Sales Manager Danny Mantle. We invite all to drop by Robert Hall Winery and enjoy a taste of these award-winning wines which we are very proud of!
Robert Hall Awarded "Best Cabernet Sauvignon"
The San Francisco International Wine Competition recently released the results of their 30th Anniversary Wine Judging, with the 2007 Robert Hall Cabernet Sauvignon receiving “Best Cabernet Sauvignon” and “Double Gold” honors from a selection of 436 Cabernet Sauvignons. Featuring entries from 28 countries, the competition evaluated over 3,800 wines during the three-day tasting. The San Francisco International Wine Competition is known for being one of the most globally inclusive and comprehensive wine competitions, with a high level of expertise amongst its judges. The award-winning wines of the competition will be showcased in a 13-city tour with “The Tasting Panel” magazine.
Robert Hall Winery Candidate for Golden Winery Award
Robert Hall Winery is honored to be a candidate for the prestigious Golden Winery Award to be announced on July 7th, 2010, at the California State Fair's Grape & Gourmet in Sacramento, CA. As one of the top 5 wineries vying for this commendation, the winery recently received 5 Best of Class - South Central Coast Appellation accolades, one each for the 2009 Viognier, 2009 Rose de Robles, 2007 Rhone de Robles, 2007 Syrah and 2006 Vintage Port. Both owner Robert L. Hall and winemaker Don Brady find it to be such a wonderful recognition of Robert Hall wines and take great pride in being a candidate for the honor and in representing the Paso Robles AVA. We'll keep everyone posted on July 7th!! For more information, please visit: http://www.thebestcaliforniawine.com/
Tonic in the Cave
The American rock band Tonic, who have been nominated for two Grammys, visited RHW yesterday as part of the mini-concert series hosted by the Bakersfield based radio station, Kelly 95.3FM. Even though it was a small crowd of 40, Tonic's presence was HUGE! The band members really rocked the Cave and were even gracious enough to partake in a little Q & A for their fans. After the concert tasters enjoyed some wine tasting and a gourmet lunch buffet on our Garden Terrace in the beautiful sun. Great Wednesday!
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Robert Hall Winery Named "GOLDEN WINERY" by the California State Fair Wine Competition!
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Robert Hall Winery achieves Certified Sustainability in Practice
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