To our wine-der-ful email mailing list,

Typing this while enjoying a glass of our 2011 Traminette.  Yes, the 2011 Traminette and it's counterpart, the Sweet Tortuga, have hit the list.  For our traminette fans, our 2011 really takes off with a luscious lychee note, topped by a nice citrus finish.  This year, our Traminette finally rebounded from a 2-4D herbicide drift, sprayed from a nearby farmer, road crew or perhaps someone else.  My neighbors, and the county, know how dangerous a simple drift of 2-4D can be to grapes as they kill the fruiting part of next year's bud.  They know not to spray 2-4D.  The problem is 4 parts per billion have an effect on traminette, and with the proper atmospheric conditions, it can volatilize out of the ground after spraying and drift -- even more than a mile!  I wince every time I go to a hardware type or farm supply store and see containers of this broadleaf herbicide available to the public.  Anyway, we had such a bountiful harvest this year, that I was able to cold soak crushed grapes overnight and extract some very delicious flavors from the skins.  Seeing the looks on people's faces thus far who have tried the wine, I know this is the best way to make traminette and "Sweet T".  In our industry, cold soaking, the process of soaking the juice on the skins, for whites is always a much debated subject (bitter flavors, astringency, and color are main areas of concern from the white skins), but traminette seems to offer the complete package of good flavors in the skins, which is highly unusual for white grapes.  Cheers to the traminette!

The new 2011 Catherine's Blend rivals the mythical 2010 vintage, with its stellar tropical and apple frui overtones. It's very full bodied aftertaste was achieved by cold filtering during fermentation the vignoles portion of the wine, which balanced perfectly with the nice apple notes from it's chardonel partner.  Blue My Mind 2011 is also back on the list, but with a deeper and more velvety strawberry note to round out the blueberry, grape and cherry overtones.  And on Thanksgiving Saturday, as tradition around here allows, we blended Pop's Port #8, a smashingly delicious blend of corot noir, sangiovese, syrah and chambourcin.  Thanks to the Brann family for assisting with your taste buds as we  crafted another wonderful ruby, in line with the mythical Pop's #5. 

And of course, bottled in November as well were the Chambourcin 2010 and the Chambourcin NV, which I wrote about in the last email.  Perhaps it was the NV, with it's generous helping of five year barrel aged 2006, that caused my fingers type like I came from "The Valley" in California.  Your responses from my "for sure, for sure" and "gag me with a spoon" typing were hilarious! 


Want to take a shot at coming up with the next Max's Small Batch Red? Send me a note as to what flavors you'd like to see in the next Max's.  We'll compile the styles and what's chosen the most is the style we'll blend!  Should we go with a succulent fruit bomb, intrepid yet velvety?  Or perhaps subtle yet sublime with a nuanced dash of complex spicy peppery notes overflowing with refined tannins?  Or perhaps, should it be a power-packed tongue torcher with nutron smashing tannins that sucks the moisture out your mouth kind of red?  Or how about jam filled cherry bomb coated with a rich, decadent layers of vanilla, spicy toffee-mocha, intertwined with generous but delicate tannins?  Or???  Anyways, let me know, or I'll have Max design his first wine!

Upcoming Events:

Spirit of Christmas: The Indiana Uplands Wine Trail is rolling out a new wonderful Christmas and Holiday event this weekend, the 10th and 11th:  Hop on the trail and enjoy the Spirit of Christmas, in which each Indiana Upland Wine Trail winery will offer a favorite holiday treat. And when we say favorite, we mean favorite!  We're diving into the tastebud archives to bring to you some of our favorite Christmas treats that our family has enjoyed for many years.  With 9 wineries participating, what a great way to enjoy a weekend of delicious wines and oh, so delicious goodies! Don't forget to bring your passports! And, as a bonus, there is no charge for this event.

Wine Appreciation Class: Our last session for our fabulously well received Wine Appreciation Class will occur on the evening of the 16th at Turtle Run.  Whether you're an expert on all things wine or a novice, there is plenty to learn as we explore in-depth analysis of all subject matter in wine tasting and enjoyment.  The last class explored California Cult Cabernets among other wines.  With dinner included, and a low price of $45 per person, and handouts galore of insightful knowledge about wine, this class is a must if you are into wine!

Winter Wine Walk:  Join us and 14 other wineries as we set up shop in various stores throughout downtown Corydon.  Laura will be conducting tastings in Colokial, perhaps the most unique store for home accessories, unique gifts, fashions, etc anywhere!  Sandra shops the world over to find some of the neatest handmade items around.  It's just off the main square up Indiana 62.  We will not be selling any wines at this event, but locally, you can easily walk to Holiday Liquors or First Capitol Liquors.  Simply put, we want to support the stores that carry our wines, and second, we just don't feel comfortable selling wines in someone else's store.

Looking for a uniquely you gift this Christmas and Holiday season?  Ask the staff to design you a custom wine label, a popular, inexpensive and extremely unique, thoughtful and personalized way for gifts this season.  Send us an email, or give us a call at 812-952-2650 and we'll be glad to help!

Additionally, thanks to your help, a lot of stores are now carrying Turtle Run Winery wines!  Please go to http://www.turtlerunwinery.com/retail-store-locator to find the nearest store to you!  Thank you Payless Liquors in Indianapolis for picking up Turtle Run Winery wines!

Also, we will continue with our normal hours of operation, noon to 6:00 every day through the winter.  We will be closed for Christmas to spend time with our families.

Lastly, Laura, the staff, and I want to thank you for a successful 2011!  

Cheers,

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