Levendi Winery

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2010-04-30T20:08:00.001-07:00

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Winemaker Notes - Spring

2010-04-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

What's happening in the vineyards?

We are having the most wonderful weather! Still a few showers to keep the fields green, but the wildflowers are out, and it is warm around noon and slightly breezy. We still have a chance of frost, and the Chardonnay is out to about an inch, so the vineyard operators are walking on eggshells. I am thinking about racking the 2009 reds soon - they have used up their air from the last racking and are ready to be shaken up a bit. We have to keep them evolving! The 2008 reds were racked in February, so they just need to coast on into bottling.

Until next time!

- Alison Green Doran, Winemaker

Golf and Chardonnay

2010-02-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Most of us visit Napa Valley for the wine tasting and fabulous dining options, but what about adding a round of golf amongst the vineyards?

One of the most presigious golf courses in Napa, The Chardonnay Golf Club, is a hidden treasure amongst the golfing community. With 18-holes of championship golf to challenge players of all skill levels, The Chardonnay Golf Club, course represents the premier golf destination in the bay area.

Ask us about our special golf offers!

Winemaker Notes

2010-01-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

What's happening in the cellar?

The 2009 reds are being racked off their malolactic lees through tub and screen to drive off the carbon-dioxide. The wine then returns to barrel to absorb oxygen and will evolve for some time. The 2009 whites are going through a stage in the process where they get topped and stirred every two weeks. This technique kicks the lees up into the wine. The polysaccharides that move out of the lees contribute to the mouthfeel on the Chardonnay. It's a quiet, but exciting time of year!

Happy Birthday Nica!

2010-01-25T09:49:00.001-08:00

A big happy birthday wish to Nica Gianulias. Celebrating in style . . . with Levendi of course!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

This year is ending with a bang for Levendi. We’ve received multiple positive scores on our wines, including 92 points on our Stagecoach Cabernet Sauvignon. We were also featured in the November edition of The Tasting Panel Magazine, one of the most widely circulated trade publications in the beverage industry.

Merry Christmas from your friends at Levendi!

Rain, Rain, Go Away - Come Again Some Other Day

2009-10-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's a wet harvest for Napa Valley vintners, and most wineries must leave the fruit on the vine and ride out the storm. We have picked all of our Chardonnay and most of our Cabernet Sauvignon, with the exception of Stagecoach Vineyard. That fruit will come in next week before the next big storm.

Mother Nature continues to keep Napa Valley vintners on our toes! The hard work doesn't stop with harvest, crushing the grapes is the next major undertaking and where the real fun begins.

Winemaker Alison Does the Hula

2009-08-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Who knew Alison, our beloved winemaker, had such fabulous hula skills?!?! Check out this video from our recent winemaker dinner at Roy's in Newport Beach, CA . . . . .

Bottling Week Complete

2009-05-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

It was a warm week in Napa, and with over 5000 cases to bottle, it was a busy time!

First off were the whites, then the reds. All 1.5L, 3L and 6L large format bottles are done by hand - so our winemaker Alison, along with her trusty sidekicks Lesley and Heather, bottled each one individually.

Thank you to the bottling crew at Laird Estate - what a great group of people. You made the task of bottling, a simple one!

Last word . . . Congratulations to Lillian, our wonderful Accounting Manager - she recently passed her Sommelier exam with flying colors! Great job!

Time Is Running Out

2009-04-10T10:04:00.001-07:00

Only a few days remain to take advantage of our $1.00 shipping special. It's a great time to stock up on all your favorites! This shipping offer applies to UPS ground shipping within the U.S. where direct shipping is permitted. Offer is valid through April 20, 2009 only, for all orders over $150.

Please enter the code LVSHIP into our shopping cart (notes section) at www.levendiwinery.com

You can also call us at (877) 538-3634 or email info@levendiwinery.com for full details.

* Offer not valid with any other discount or offer.
** Hawaii customers: Shipping discounted at 50% off

Levendi Makes the Prestigious Top Five List

2009-03-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

The St. Helena Star and the Napa Valley Vintners Association chose the Levendi 2005 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as one of the top five Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon's of 2005.

The panelists included winemakers, vintners and sommeliers. Hundreds of wines were submitted, and only sixteen tasted. The top five were chosen and we made the list!

Click Here to read the article. Yasou Levendi!

It's Summer in January

2009-01-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

Check out new images from the Red Hen Vineyard. These shots were taken last week during our 75 degree "winter" weather. The vines have been pruned back and are set up for another great year!

Levendi Rock Star - Dana Reichert

2008-11-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Dana Reichert from The Cabin Club restaurant in Westlake, Ohio. She is an official "Levendi Rock Star." Dana has been a great ambassador to the winery and introduced our small-production wines to many new people since our entrance into the state of Ohio over a year ago. Thank you!

Another BIG thank you to the entire staff at Hospitality Restaurant Group. Each of you has gone above and beyond to make Levendi an integral part of your wine program. George and Chris should be proud!

Harvest 2008 Wrap Up

2008-10-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Levendi harvest is officially over! All Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah has been picked. Sweetwater Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon was picked on Wednesday - it's typically the last every year. The whites are in barrel and reds in stainless steel tanks (for now), and eventually everything will be quietly fermenting away in French Oak barrels.

Crop quality was high, but yields were low this year. As many of you know, Napa Valley endured the worst frost in 30 years. This hit some producers very hard, losing 20-30% of their crop. Luck was on our side this year, an we only lost a small percentage of fruit. That's mother nature for you!

Happy Halloween!

Good Times in Maui

2008-09-22T22:42:00.001-07:00

Nothing like a little game of croquet on the front lawn of the Levendi Maui retreat. Tyler Harden had a blast while perfecting his technique. Good times had by all when Levendi is involved. Tyler, thanks for being a good sport!

The Winery Restaurant - Gold Medal Party

2008-09-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

The fabulous group at The Winery Restaurant rolled out the red carpet for local Olympic Gold Medalist Reid Priddy and his family.

Managing Partners, JC Clow and William Lewis, are true hosts . . . outstanding food and wine, with incredbile service. It was a night to remember!

Thank you from the Priddy and Pierce families!

The Winery Restaurant
2647 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782
Phone: (714) 258-7600

www.thewineryrestaurant.net

Harvest Is Here

2008-09-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

As in the past, the Red Hen Chardonnay was harvested first this year. These grapes arrived a about a week earlier than last year, and are picked very early in the morning - it's still pretty hot during the day, so it's important to keep the grapes cool.

Our winemaker, Alison, believes this is going to be a spectacular year across the board. I tasted the grapes on the vine about 2 weeks ago and they were delicious - sweet, full of flavor, with nice brown seeds in the middle . . . just the way you want them!

More info to come as the 2008 harvest gets into full swing . . . .

Stagecoach in the Summer

2008-08-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

The sales team made a quick trip to check out Stagecoach Vineyard. It's a bumpy ride up the mountain and into the vineyard, but what a sight it is once you get up there!

The vines are in the phase known as veraison, which signifies the change from berry growth to berry ripening in grapevines. The berries change color and the vines turn from green to brown. The ripening stage is an exciting time, as herbaceousness decreases and sugars increase. We found this out when we sampled some of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicious!

Bottling is Done!

2008-05-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week at the winery! Production Manager, Charissa along with our Winemaker, Alison have been busy at work . . . bottling our 2007 whites and 2006 reds. Even through the 90+ degree heat, the bottling team made the week very successful. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Visit us on MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn

2008-04-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check Levendi Winery out on the following sites:

MySpace

Facebook

LinkedIn

We're involved in several wine groups, so join us and network with fellow wine aficionados!

Yasou Levendi!

Road to the Olympic Games

2008-04-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Reid Priddy, a friend of Levendi Winery, will be making his way to Beijing in August for the 2008 Olympics. Reid is local to Newport Beach, CA and has been a professional volleyball player for 8 years. His sponsors include Mikasa, Hurley, and Keanon.

Learn more about his dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal at www.reidpriddy.com.

Good luck #8.

Springtime with Levendi

2008-03-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out our event schedule this Spring, make sure to browse through the list of winemaker dinner and tasting events. The Spring calendar can be found on our website, under The Latest section. Levendi will be hosting numerous events this Spring, so don't miss out - they're a blast!

Also, the 2005 Stagecoach Syrah release is right around the corner. With only 250 cases produced, we don't plan to have it around very long. Call or email us if you want to learn more about this wine!

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

2008-03-13T17:36:00.001-07:00

It's been way too long since our last update . . . .

Although it's been quiet at the winery, everything else has been very busy. First things first, we recently added a new member to our sales team. A local San Franciscan, Jacquelyn Horton joined us with several years of restaurant and wine sales experience. She will be covering the Northern California territory, and we are thrilled to have her on our team!

Levendi has been busy the first part of 2008, visiting our distributors across the country: Arizona, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Washington, Missouri, and Nevada so far! The wines are catching on everywhere! From Mastro's, Morton's, Capital Grille, and Charlie Palmer's to Sea Island Resort and Oakmont Country Club - people are going crazy for Levendi!

We recently released the highly allocated 2006 Red Hen Chardonnay and 2006 Cold Creek Chardonnay. Yields were lower than 2005, so there's not much left (already)! Get your hands on it while you can.

Don't forget to check out our wonderful friends at Antonello Ristorante - an Orange County landmark since 1979. Authentic Italian cuisine at its best! Visit http://www.antonello.com/ for more information.

Ciao!

Cold Creek Chardonnay Receives 92 Points

2007-12-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

Great news! Robert Parker scored our 2005 Cold Creek Chardonnay 92 points. Please check out the full review by clicking here. Merry Christmas!

2007 Harvest Recap

2007-11-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

The last of our Cabernet Sauvignon is in! That's it . . . now the fun begins. Both the Red Hen Chardonnay and Cold Creek Chardonnay are in barrel and making their way through fermentation. Alison, our winemaker, couldn't be happier with the flavors they are giving off at this early stage. Ripe tropical fruit for the Red Hen and beautiful lemon and apple for the Cold Creek. The reds are especially exciting this year, because they weathered a small patch of rain and then basked in the bright sun (80 degrees!) for about a week. The result: ripe, rich and exciting flavors, such as blueberry, cherry, and cassis. It was an ideal ending to a great year!