1. End of harvest.
I have been in the business for 15 years and this was one of the most difficult harvests we have had. A very warm year lead to difficult decision making in the vineyards and very varied results. Both my opinion and Naama's opinions can be found here and here.
2. Blending
We had our first blending meeting of the season. The decisions this year were very tough, but it has always been the philosophy of the winery to maintain its integrity over the wines and if season does not bring sufficient quality then some wines will not be made, so expect some changes to the Dalton line up this year there will be some interesting developments.
3. Sommelier Exhibition
Once again Dalton showed their wines in the Sommelier Exhibition in Hechal Hatarbut. The show was open to members of the trade only. I am not sure how much business was done there but it was a place from mingling and being seen. It was also a good opportunity for us to get initial feedback on a few wines, we showed our new D series Petite Sirah and a new addition to the Alma range, a Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier blend. The initial reception on the wines was very positive.
4. Vineyards
I am happy to report that most of our new vineyards are thriving. Here is a recent view of our Elkosh Vineyard, which is due on-line in 2012.
The weather here is still very odd, winter hasn't arrived, we have had virtually no rain and if the weather continues this way we will be harvesting in February...
5. New Wines on the market, we are happy to announce that two new wines have been released to market, both in the reserve series, Cabernet Reserve 2008 and Shiraz Reserve 2008. Two excellent wines from an outstanding vintage, providing great value for money.
7. Bottling of new wines.
The next few months will bring a flurry of activity to the winery as we bottle some of the 2009 and 2010 wines. Be on the look out for some new alma blends a new Petite Sirah in the D series and some other surprises along the way.
Le Chaim.