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2008 Gewürztraminer, Estate Bottled (Dry): Cluster analysis 2008 , Anderson Valley: Looking up 2008 , Cuvée 128: Wild child 2008 Table : Feast or famine 2007 , Méthode à l’Ancienne: A tale of two genders 2007 , Mendocino: Hot shot 2006 , Mendocino: Nothing simple 2007 , Cluster Select Late : Sweet success 2009 Juices, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Verjus: Family style OUR 2009 HOLIDAY RELEASES Aaron and our pal Terry McCarthy document what’s hap- Navarro streaming pening at Navarro for our website, newsletter and Facebook page.

H I S A U T U M N Navarro installed a gently sloping eight foot diameter culvert in the stream which flows through the Tranch. The passage is designed to encourage the return of steelhead salmon that once spawned in our shady tributary of the Navarro River. It’s been over sixty years since the fish have made it this far. Good farming Stay connected & require a long term commitment e love keeping in touch with and each of the eight our friends via our website new reflects years W(www.NavarroWine.com) of diligent effort: four and Navarro’s Facebook postings. dry whites, three vigor- Please join in the conversation and ous reds and a luscious let us know what you think. Cluster-Select Riesling as a special holiday treat. We are also re- “Well worth the trip. I dream of my next visit to the Anderson leasing three yummy Valley. Yours is one of our favorite stops.” grape juices. —R. R., September 21, 2009 The case special on the 2008 Chardonnay “I am in the wine business and taste over 1000 wines a year. Table Wine works out to only $10.50 per I go to the to purchase these outstanding wines because bottle, which explains in part why so many of they are some of the best, reasonably priced wines made in Navarro’s long-term friends stream back to see California.”—V. J. F., July 15, 2009 us each year. Since we’re all counting pennies, One-Cent ground freight and reduced air freight “Great wines with such clean, crisp flavors and reasonably priced. for all case orders, as well as bargain prices on Always a hit at dinners and wine tastings.”—W. K., July 8, 2009 case specials and samplers will be available until December 31. “We love the pinot and gewurtz juice!!!!! Thank you for offering this non-alcoholic option.”—M. B. O., July 7, 2009 Happy holidays from our family to yours, “Your Gewurz is hands down the best we’ve ever tasted. All too Ted Bennett and Deborah Cahn often, make them too sweet. Yours is spot on. Fan for Aaron and Sarah Cahn Bennett life.”—G. D., June 18, 2009 2008 Gewürztraminer Estate Bottled (Dry) Anderson Valley, Mendocino

Cluster analysis

avarro’s Gewürztraminer vines bore an average number of clusters in 2008 but N the clusters and berries were exception- ally small. The vines produced a modest 3.1 tons per acre. Good thing. At in August the weather had cooled. Chilly weather enhances Gewürztraminer’s heady aromatics but slows ripening. Because they were tiny, the clusters ri- pened in any case and we harvested several days earlier than normal. The season came to an abrupt We installed stainless end in mid-October with three days of hard frost steel cooling panels only the primo lots from our best but by then the had been de-stemmed, inside handsomely fields: Pond, Apple, Peach, East Hill When the days are hot we harvest carved French pressed and the juice was safely settling. The clear and West Hill. This bottling is es- under stadium lights in the chill of ovals to facilitate free-run juice from each site was fer- pecially aromatic and spicy, but our the early morning (front cover). The fermenting at a cool mented in separate oak ovals and aged sur lie for friends have come to expect a lot since winery crew arrives at 7 AM and they 55° F, retaining seven months. We bottled only 50% of our 2008 are greeted by bins of cold grapes. Gewürztraminer’s Navarro’s Estate Bottled Gewürztra- Gewürztraminer as Estate Bottled so we selected The fruit is promptly de-stemmed gorgeous aromas. miners have won Gold Medals for and the juice macerates with the over 30 years. In the last ten years skins for several hours. Cold juice Harvested Sept.27-Oct.10,‘08 alone our flagship wine has earned selectively extracts floral aromatics whereas warm juice additionally Sugars at harvest 24.2° Brix 136 medals in professional tastings. extracts astringent skin phenolics. Bottled May 9-14, 2009 Floral aromas leap out of the glass in Cases produced 2750 the 2008 bottling and the flavors sug- Alcohol 13.5% gest peach, quince and lychee. There Residual Sugars 0.2% are hints of vanilla from the oak casks Titratable Acidity 7.6 g/L and yeasty notes from aging on the pH 3.33 yeast. It is dry, refreshingly tart and Price (750 ml) $19.00 balanced to complement sausages, Price (375 ml) $11.00 curry or Pad Thai. Gold Medal winner. Best of Class. 2008 Pinot Gris Anderson Valley, Mendocino

Navarro’s crew harvests Pecorina, a livestock in the early morning guard dog, enjoys beginning at 2 or 3 AM guarding the pickers to ensure that the grapes during the night arrive cool at the winery. harvests. A section of the vineyard is lighted by portable flood- lights and each member of the crew wears a halogen headlamp to help spot every grape. Navarro customers aren’t the only ones who appreciate the fruit from Middle Ridge. Wild turkeys are particularly fond of ripening Pinot Gris Pinot Gris in 1993 and after four and claw marks from we had settled on a method of vinifica- black bears have tion that is a riff on how Navarro makes shown up on the Gewürztraminer. The biggest difference gate posts that lead to the vineyard. occurs right before the grapes are turned into juice. Gewürztraminer skins are very aromatic and cold juice is allowed to Looking up macerate with the skins for a few hours to pick up aromatics. Pinot Gris skins are ur largest Pinot Gris vineyard is located on Middle Ridge. dark colored and resemble their cousin The vineyard straddles the fog line and overlooks the valley Pinot Noir. However, Gris skins are Ofloor. Navarro’s crew spent a astringent so we try to separate the juice year preparing the site and laying out Harvested Sept.16-Oct.8,’08 from the skins as fast as possible. The the vineyard. When we finally looked Sugars at harvest 23.8° Brix balance of the winemaking is similar: cold up, we realized that the vineyard had Bottled May 7-8, 2009 fermentation in seasoned oak ovals, aging the same silhouette as . How fitting Cases produced 1706 sur lie for seven months and bottling with for Mendocino where most of the first Alcohol 13.6% minimum filtration. Gris is about texture winemakers were Italian Americans. Residual Sugars 0.2% and there is a silky quality that leaves an Twelve years ago we planted the lower Titratable Acidity 7.6 g/L essential oil impression on the palate. The half of the field in Pinot Nero (Noir) pH 3.27 wine is exquisitely tart and refreshing and above the fog line we planted Pinot Price (750 ml) $19.00 with flavors of lime, melon and hazelnut. Grigio (Gris). We produced our first Gold Medal winner. Best of Class. 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Cuvée 128 Mendocino

Ed Wallo’s grapes (and early at 22° or 23° Brix produces a wine that is Navarro’s Sauvignon Blanc daughter) have matured grassy and herbal. Harvesting the grapes ultra- comes from two vineyards since we started buying located on Hwy 128. One his Yorkville Sauvignon ripe produces a less aromatic wine with much vineyard is located in Boon- Blanc grapes some thir- more overt fruit flavors. Fermenting at low ville where the grape’s grassy teen years ago. Recent temperatures, typically in stainless steel, retains aromatics dominate. The DNA research proves most of the grapes fruity and grassy esters, second vineyard is located in that whereas a warmer fermentation in oak bar- a warmer Yorkville site and and Sauvignon Blanc the grapes exhibit more overt are the parents of rels tends to add spice and vanilla. Navarro’s citrus-like flavors. Sarah , Sauvignon would certainly be classified in the is supervising our newest the result of a spon- “grassy” style but it has a bit of all four styles. planting in Boonville which taneous field crossing We cool ferment the juice in stainless steel will include three clones of in 18th century to retain aromatics but when fermentation Sauvignon Blanc. Bordeaux. is complete, we rack the wine to neutral oak casks for three months to add richness to the palate and hints of vanilla and spice. This bottling is deliciously crisp tasting of lemon thyme, lime and fig, the signature of cold-climate fruit. Wild child Gold Medal winner.

n article by Steve Pitcher in The Wine News magazine classified California Sauvignon Blanc wines into four Astyles: grassy, fruity, spicy, and an oak-influenced style. When Sauvignon ripens, the flavors that first emerge are sau- vage (wild) suggesting fresh herbs and passion fruit. If the fruit The word ‘sauvignon’ is allowed to ripen further, the is from the French term sauvage character diminishes Harvested Sept.29-Oct.6,’08 ‘sauvage’, literally meaning and is replaced by less aromatic, Sugars at harvest 23.1° Brix ‘savage’. This refers to the vigorous growth of the vine fruitier flavors suggesting citrus, Bottled Feb. 18-19, 2009 apple and eventually melon. itself and sometimes to the Cases produced 1800 style of winemaking. These When grapes are grown in a cool Alcohol 13.5% are hose clamps hanging in climate, like Anderson Valley, the Titratable Acidity 7.5g/L the winery, not handcuffs to grapes ripen very slowly giving pH 3.16 restrain the winemaker. the winemaker latitude over the Price (750 ml) $18.00 style of wine desired. Harvesting 2008 Chardonnay Table Wine North Coast 75% Russian River 25% Anderson Valley

All cultivated vinifera varieties are hermaphroditic which encourages self-fertilization and formation of seeds. These grape buds are on the cusp of flowering. If the weather is cold and wet during flowering we can end up with a miserably Feast or famine light crop as in 2008.

avarro had only a light crop of Holiday Case Chardonnay in 2008. The same Nwas true with the two other SPECIAL! Anderson Valley vineyards with which we have long-term contracts for Chardonnay. Buy it by the case We searched for other quality fruit in Men- for only $126.00; a docino for Navarro’s popular Chardonnay savings of $30.00. Table Wine but to no avail. We knew that That’s only $10.50 our neighbors in Sonoma had a decent 2008 per bottle. Chardonnay crop but in all the hustle and bustle of harvest we didn’t find the time to venture far to shop for grapes. In January we decided to look for a quality winery that had produced more Chardonnay than they could sell in these tough economic times. We struck a deal with a fine producer from the Russian River sub-appellation that ages Chardonnay in French oak barrels. They had excess from one of the from Anderson Valley adding citrus best appellations for the grape. Well, maybe second best, and herbal elements with hints of since we chauvinistically yeastiness. The blend of the two consider the Anderson Valley Harvested Sept.24-Oct.6,’08 appellations creates a flavor profile that is a cornucopia of fruit. Best Navarro’s Chardonnay Table the finest appellation. The Sugars at harvest 23.8° Brix Wine is priced for the working Russian River wine consti- Bottled June 24-26, 2009 of all is the price tag. When you man or woman and our wine tutes 75% of the blend and Cases produced 2362 purchase it by the case it costs just friends recognize an outstand- contributes an apple-melon Alcohol 13.7% $10.50 per bottle, perfect for any ing bargain. “If you’re looking for an everyday Chardonnay, fruit component backed up Titratable Acidity 7.9g/L feast you lay on the table. Ground freight on a case only costs a penny Navarro’s (Table Wine) comes with generous vanilla and pH 3.18 with our highest recommenda- toast flavors from French oak Price (750 ml) $13.00 so you’ll have money left for dinner! tion.” —scottskitchen.com, barrels. The other 25% is Silver Medal winner. Nov. 23, 2008 Navarro Samplers & Gifts No. 412 or 6 bottles Medal winning wines at holiday savings Pinot & Chard Choose either 1 or 2 bottles Navarro’s full time, wine-savvy each of Gold Medal Pinots staff is available to answer any & delicious Chardonnays. questions. Until December 31 our Hate to shop? phones will be open extra hours; 8 Q 2007 Pinot Noir Just give us the names and addresses on your gift AM till 6 PM weekdays and 10 AM Méthode à l’Ancienne list and we will do the rest. We will be glad to till 5 PM weekends to help you No. attractively print your personalized message on take advantage of special sampler 3 12 bottles Q 2007 Pinot Noir a full color Navarro gift card and include it with pricing, case specials and our Mendocino your wine or juice gift at no additional charge. One-Cent shipping offer. Our Holiday cheer Q 2006 Pinot Noir website is available 24-7 at Méthode à l’Ancienne www.NavarroWine.com. Something special for every occasion: one bottle each of Q 2007 Chardonnay eight new releases completed Première Reserve with four Navarro favorites. Q 2007 Chardonnay No. No. Mendocino 12 or 6 bottles 12 or 6 bottles Q 2008 Gewürztraminer 1 2 Q 2008 Chardonnay Estate Bottled (Dry) North Coast Table Wine Q 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Family value New dry six Cuvée 128 Choose either one or two Choose either one or two #4A—12 bottles bottles each of six delicious bottles each of six new dry Q 2008 Pinot Gris Anderson Valley $209.00 value wines; exceptional releases; four crisp whites Savings of $57.00 flavor at family prices. and two multifaceted reds. Q 2008 Chardonnay North Coast Table Wine #4B—6 bottles Q 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Q 2008 Gewürztraminer Cuvée 128 Estate Bottled (Dry) Q 2007 Pinot Noir $115.00 Méthode à l’Ancienne Savings of $18.00 Q 2008 Chardonnay Q 2008 Sauvignon Blanc North Coast Table Wine Cuvée 128 Q 2007 Zinfandel Mendocino Q 2008 Gewürztraminer Q 2008 Pinot Gris No. No. No. Q 2006 Syrah Mendocino Table Wine Anderson Valley 3 bottles 3 bottles 3 bottles Mendocino 5 6 7 Q 2008 Edelzwicker Q 2008 Chardonnay Mendocino (Semidry) North Coast Table Wine Q 2007 Riesling (375 ml) Cluster Select Late Harvest Value trio Dry white trio Dry red trio Q 2007 Navarrouge Q 2007 Pinot Noir These three Medal winning Three new Gold Medal win- These three Gold Medal Mendocino Red Table Wine Méthode à l’Ancienne Q 2007 Blanc wines deliver luscious fruit at ning dry white wines will trans- winning rich red wines will Estate Bottled (Dry) a price that’s hard to beat. form dinner into a party. warm a winter evening. Q 2007 Pinot Noir Q 2007 Zinfandel Q 2007 Chardonnay Mendocino Mendocino Q 2008 Chardonnay Q 2008 Gewürztraminer Q 2007 Pinot Noir Première Reserve North Coast Table Wine Estate Bottled (Dry) Méthode à l’Ancienne #1A—12 bottles #2A—12 bottles Q 2008 Riesling Q 2008 Gewürztraminer Q 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Q 2007 Zinfandel Anderson Valley (Dry) $149.00 $189.00 Mendocino Table Wine Cuvée 128 Mendocino Q 2007 Pinot Noir Savings of $31.00 Savings of $49.00 Q 2007 Pinot Noir Q 2008 Pinot Gris Q 2006 Syrah Mendocino Mendocino Anderson Valley Mendocino #1B—6 bottles #2B—6 bottles $78.00 $99.00 $199.00 $39.00 $49.00 $59.00 Savings of $12.00 Savings of $18.00 Savings of $53.00 Savings of $6.00 Savings of $7.00 Savings of $14.00 2007 Pinot Noir Méthode à l’Ancienne Anderson Valley, Mendocino

Navarro prides itself in running a gender neutral harvest crew. berries, which had a higher ratio of juice to skins, produced a more feminine wine with exquisite Pinot perfume, fine flavors and silky tannins. The increased ratio A tale of two genders of skins to juice in this current 2007 release produced what Winemaking is for what we consider a more mascu- the fit and hardy. t’s hard not to compare back to back harvests, line wine: richer, bigger, with robust flavors and We punch down especially when variations in weather make such tannins. The weather during ripening was warmer in every bin by hand dramatic differences in the wines we can craft. 2007; the grapes ripened almost three weeks earlier several times a day I which requires Anderson Valley had pleasant, mild weather when the than in 2006 producing juice with more sugar as strong arms, a vines were flowering in 2006. The vines responded by well as more acid. This current 2007 Pinot Noir is a strong back and a producing clusters of grapes where each normal size concentrated wine with power, moxie and complex sunny disposition. berry had two seeds. In flavors but it will take 2007, the weather was vari- Harvested Sept.8-Oct.8,’07 longer to reveal its striking able during spring and the Sugars at harvest 25.5° Brix secrets. Each vineyard site grape clusters were a mish- Bottled August 14-21, 2008 and clone was fermented mash of berry sizes: tiny Cases released 4548 as a separate lot and in the berries with no seeds, small Alcohol 13.8% summer of 2008 we selected berries with one seed and Titratable Acidity 6.4 g/L our cuvée which had been normal size berries with two pH 3.62 aged eleven months in an seeds. Forgive our gender Price (750 ml) $29.00 equally divided mixture of (750 ml UNFILTERED) $31.00 poetic license but we think (375 ml) $16.00 new, one year old and two last years release, the 2006 (1.5L MAGNUM) $59.00 year old barrels. Gold Medal with the normally sized winner. Best of Class. 2007 Zinfandel Mendocino

Jim makes sure that only the best lots of Navarro Zinfandel went into this wine & During Prohibition the rest was relegated hillside Zinfandel to our house red, vineyards were popu- Navarrouge. lar because they hid the clandestine crop. Today hillside Zin vineyards are popular because the soils are thin and the slopes drain well.

Hot shot

infandel is native to Croatia and was limiting yields to concentrate all the vines energy into later planted in Italy but California is fewer grape clusters and vintners have started to use where the variety became a hot shot. French oak barrels. The results have been so successful Don’t wear party Z that Zinfandel plantings now include Australia, South clothes to punch Zinfandel is able to produce large yields in down Zin; it’s dirty hot climates and quickly became a darling of Africa and even Hermitage, in the northern Rhone. but heady work. miners during the Gold Rush, thanks in part Navarro has long term contracts with five family-owned to the hard working Italian vineyards planted between 1930 and 1969 on well drained Americans that ran boarding hillsides; the warm climate is moderated by the Russian houses. More than a century River allowing the grapes to ripen without excess raisining. and a half later, the world still All the vines are goblet trained without trellising thereby loves Zin. The number of limiting yield. The wine was California wineries producing Harvested Sept.28-Oct.10,‘07 fermented in open top tanks, serious Zinfandel has prolifer- Sugars at harvest 27.5° Brix punched down by hand, and ated. Hillside vineyards are Bottled Aug. 22&25, 2008 aged ten months in seasoned perfect because of the well Cases produced 2460 French oak barrels. Break out drained soil. Warm viticultural Alcohol 14.7% the salumi and spicy meatballs. areas, rather than hot climates, Titratable Acidity 6.5 g/L This hot shot winner tastes of have been sought to avoid pH 3.82 wild blackberry and cassis with raisins and excess alcohol. Price (750 ml) $19.00 a background of toasty oak. Viticulturalists have started Gold Medal winner. 2006 Syrah Mendocino

We ferment Syrah in open-top stainless steel fermentors and punch down by hand. For the first several days, we prevent fermentation by chilling the de- stemmed grapes. This extends the time, allowing This 2006 Syrah us to press before the ferment- has a splash of ing must is high in alcohol. added Elevated alcohol can cause which is traditional bitter seed tannin extraction. in the Rhone valley; it adds plum-like aromas and mid- Nothing simple palate flavors.

aking Syrah has never been simple at Navarro. previous vintages of Syrah and decided There are two popular styles of Syrah being the 2006 would really benefit from Mproduced in California. The first style is based another year in the bottle; good for the on the rich, complex wines of the Rhone and like the taste buds but bad for the cost account- wines from the Côte Rôtie, they are big and powerful and ing. Then things got complicated: one meant to age. The second style is an import from Australia grower ditched us for a winery with and our mates on the opposite side of the globe like their deeper pockets and a smaller grower Shiraz imbibed young when jammy fruit flavors dominate. experienced diminished yields and We started making Syrah in pulled out his vines. A limited grape 2001 and emulated the old Harvested Oct.20-Nov.6,’06 supply means that 2007 marks the end world style. The first criterion Sugars at harvest 25.0° Brix of Navarro being able produce a Rhone was finding good vineyards: Bottled August 16, 2007 style Syrah in all but tiny quantities. a moderate climate, highly Cases produced 1067 This dark beauty tastes of white pepper, regarded clones, mature vines, Alcohol 13.7% plum, and leather with a rich, chocolate well drained soils, and a Titratable Acidity 5.8 g/L laden finish. There is nothing simple conscientious grower willing pH 3.93 about the flavors and aromas of this to limit yields. At the begin- Price (750 ml) $25.00 multifaceted red. Gold Medal winner. ning of 2008, we tasted our Best of Show. 2007 Riesling Cluster Select Late Harvest Anderson Valley, Mendocino

Due to 19 days of frost protection in the spring, we had barely enough water to irrigate in sum- mer. We certainly didn’t Botrytis mold may have enough water to look funky but it is frost protect in October the magical ingredient 2008; the leaves were for an exceptional burnt off the vine and . we were forced to pick leaving no Late Harvest wines for 2008.

Sweet success

ast year we released two wine in all 18 major wine com- 2007 ; one was petitions. The result: sixteen Gold Lour dry Anderson Valley Medals and two Silvers; three times Best of Show bottling and the other was a and four times Best of Class. Rarely has any wine so consistently botrytis kissed Late Harvest cuvée. dominated wine tastings. In fact, one wine garnering this number An early October frost dashed of top wine awards is an exceptional event. Barely 7,100 bottles of our hopes of producing any wines this beauty were created so only a select few will get to taste this affected by the in 2008 exciting wine. Riesling’s ripe apple-peach flavors were fully devel- so we decided to hold back this oped by 23° Brix, then botrytis concen- 2007 Cluster Select bottling for an Harvested Oct. 25-26, 2007 trates the sugars, acids and flavors by extra year as a contingency plan. Sugars at harvest 36.0° Brix dehydration of the berries to 36° Brix. We figured we could release this Bottled April 15, 2008 The real magic is that in addition to stunner at its peak in a year when Cases produced 592 concentrating the grape flavors by 50%, we had no other sweet wines to Alcohol 11.0% the noble rot overlays the Riesling fruit offer. We generally enter Navarro Residual Sugars 20.1% with flavors of pineapple, apricot and wines in a narrow selection of Titratable Acidity 12.2 g/L honey. Anderson Valley’s cold climate wine competitions since we tend allows Riesling to ripen and still retain This wine is the winner pH 3.17 of sixteen Gold Medals. to sell out before the wines are Price (750 ml) $59.00 taut acidity, the element that keeps this judged more than a couple of Price (375 ml) $29.00 wine bright and lingering. Gold Medal times. We entered this luscious winner. Best of Show. Non-Alcoholic Wine-Grape Juice 2009 Gewürztraminer (white) 2009 Pinot Noir (red) 2009 Verjus (green juice from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir)

Family style

e like to make something special for everyone who visits Navarro’s tast- W ing room. If you have ever read the additives on the side of a soda pop bottle, you can guess why we decided to make our own grape juices when our children were young. We now Try the GVspritzer: 20% chilled Verjus, have served it to generations of kids and adults 20% Gewürztraminer Juice, alike and it never fails to delight with its fresh, and 60% sparkling water. unadulterated flavors. We chose varieties that The fresh Gewürztra- we grow right here in our own backyard. The miner flavor dominates, Fresh, ripe varietal Gewürztraminer juice is floral and golden and the Verjus adds a citrusy wine grapes grown in tart finish, and the one of California’s best will make you think you have a honeysuckle bubbles make it worthy appellations are the blossom in the glass. The Pinot Noir juice is a of a celebration. main reason Navarro’s striking garnet color and reminds us of rhubarb- juice tastes so delicious. strawberry pie. They are both fruit-sweet but We cold filter to retain sufficiently tart so they don’t cloy. Serve over ice freshness and varietal flavors. with a sprig of mint for a holiday treat or consider freezing it for a sorbet. The Verjus has its origins in the Middle Ages where tart green grape juice was used as a condiment, not unlike lemon juice. Juice Samplers It was particularly useful 6 Bottle Sampler if you lived in Northern 3 each Gewürztraminer Europe and couldn’t 2 each Pinot Noir grow citrus. We like to 1 each Verjus + Verjus cookbook deglaze pans with the $59.00 Save $7.00 Verjus, especially for fish To ensure stability we and poultry, and make 12 Bottle Sampler will release the 2009 a sauce from the drip- 6 each Gewürztraminer juices after December 1; until then we will ship pings. Juices are bottled 5 each Pinot Noir the 2008 . in 750 ml bottles and 1 each Verjus + Verjus cookbook are $11.00. $111.00 Save $21.00 © 2009 Navarro Vineyards. Design: Ross Carron Design, Sebastopol, CA