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Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/10/2008 09:07 PM Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/13/2008 03:22 PM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
:

Twisted Oak is Having Another Contest Already?!~By Jeff Stai

Vallecito, CA...It is Murphys Irish Day This Saturday and Twisted Oak is having another contest already?! Stop by their Murphys Tasting Room on Main Street and say "ello!" Yes, Another Contest! It's already Spring bottling time and we need help writing one of our back labels. If your entry is chosen as the best, you'll earn a full case of 2007 Ruben's Blend (Ruben is my personal Rubber Chicken.) The deadline for entry is March 18th, so get your pencils warmed up! All of the details can be found on El Bloggo Torcido (The Twisted Blog.)....



Write on Ruben's Backside

Long-time denizens of El Bloggo Torcido will remember that around this time last year we were running a contest called "Write This Rhone_white_web", in which you (said denizens) were encouraged to write the back label of our next release of our white Rhone-style blend.

Well, what better way to end one contest than to start another one right away?

This probably violates every Marketing 101 rule, but at least this contest also has rubber chicken-related content, and the wine biz waits for no one - especially bottling day! Working backwards from bottling day in late April, we have like two weeks to finalize all of our label designs: that's final artwork, government approval, send to Bergin Glass Impressions for printing, and back in time to be bottled.

Just like last year we will (as usual) take the hard way out and let you (the denizen) write one of our back labels. So sharpen your word processors! Here are the rules (which will look uncannily similar to last year's rules):

1. Write up to about 100 words for the back label of the Twisted Oak 2007 Sierra Foothills "Rubens Blend". (It's our white Rhone-style blend that used to be called Rhone_white_web - more on that later.)

2. You can write about anything, but it should at least have something vaguely to do with Twisted Oak and Ruben the Rubber Chicken. It'll certainly help your chances - but feel free to surprise us!

3. Submit your words by email to tastingroom@twistedoak.com by March 18, 2008. (Yes, it's a short deadline - why should you have any more time than we do? Besides, deadlines build character!) Be sure to include your mailing address and a daytime phone number.

4. You may enter as many times as you can stand to. All entries become the property of Twisted Oak Winery. Twisted Oak also reserves the right to make edits to the winning entry for any reason, especially for that government compliance thing.

5. Decisions of the Twisted Judges will be final, and possibly be capricious. (Actually, it's pretty certain. This year, we're hardened pros.)

6. The winning entry will be announced on El Bloggo Torcido (that would be here) on March 20, 2008. Probably not in the morning. You know how it is.

7. If no entry is deemed rubbery enough, no Grand Prize will be given. Yes, that would suck.

8. We will ship El Prize-o Grande to any state we can legally ship to. We will make every effort to get it to you. However, if you live in a restricted state we may have to "get creative". (Put another way, having an Aunt Edna in the state next door could be very helpful.) If we are unable to deliver it due to state or local restrictions, we reserve the right to substitute another prize of similar value.

9. Everyone who enters at least once will receive one of those now-popular coupons for $5 off on your next purchase from Twisted Oak Winery (by internet, phone, or fax.) Limit one coupon per person (if you enter a hundred times, you won't get a hundred coupons - but you may earn our admiration or loathing...!) The coupons will be delivered after the contest completes.

10. Offer void where prohibited, immoral, or fattening.

Oh yeah - there's a GRAND PRIZE! If your back label is selected, you'll receive in compensation for your efforts a case of the 2007 Sierra Foothills Ruben's Blend upon its release this summer. And every bottle will have your back label on it! How Rhone-ing cool is that?

Visit this post for the technical details you may choose to use (or not use) to help write your back label. Good luck!!

It might surprise some of you (denizens) to hear that we are changing the name of our Rhone_white_web to "Ruben's Blend." There is no doubt that it is cool to have a white Rhone_white_webto go with our red Rhone, but a lot of people had trouble differentiating Rhoneand Rhone_white_web and were never sure if they were asking for the white Rhone_white_webor the red Rhone And while it was great fun to refer to our good Rhone 'n Rhone_white_web, we can see that it is time to move on.

Please rest assured we will continue with the red Rhone (You might say that no one minds if a Rhone_white_web is finished quickly, but no one likes a short Rhone Or you might not...)

Reuben_skagway300 It occurred to us that by renaming our white Rhone-style blend, we finally had the chance to bring the rubber chicken back to the label. "Ruben's Blend" is named after our own traveling rubber chicken Ruben. Ruben has been with us on several journeys, seen here on a trip to Alaska a couple years ago. (You can see more of Ruben here, here, and even here.)

So, when you are writing your entry for Ruben's Backside, you may want to tell a story about his travels. Just a suggestion. Or, you may want to talk about the gory technical details...

2007 Sierra Foothills "Ruben's Blend"

Tasting Notes

Aromas - Pear and apple with a slight mushroomy character. Flavors - lemon and citrus, nutty flavors too. Mouthfeel - medium-bodied, some crispness still but with a touch of creaminess. Finishes long with melon and lemon flavors.

In the Vineyard

The fruit for this wine is grown at two different vineyards. The Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado brings us the Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. Elevation at the vineyard is 2800 feet. These vines are planted on a steep West-Northwestern slope on a ridge banked by a pine forest on the morning/east side, making it one of the cooler spots in an otherwise warm climate region. The vines are on a Vertical Shoot Positioned trellis system (VSP) in order to maximize sun exposure to the leaf canopy. Soils at the site are sandy loam with moderate nutrient levels. The second is the Tanner vineyard here in Calaveras. From the Tanner vineyard comes the much more rare Rolle varietal, also known as Vermentino. Brothers Dick and Ron Tanner, along with their sister Judie Block and their families, are extremely committed to learning from their vineyard and tweaking wherever necessary each and every year.

In the Winery

Upon reaching the winery, the fruit was gently crushed and then allowed to soak on the skins for a short time (1 hour) in order to gain some complexity. After an hour, the fruit was pressed to remove the clear juice from the skins and seeds. After pressing, the wines were inoculated with a Rhone yeast strain and the yeast monitored throughout fermentation to ensure optimal yeast viability. The Viognier and Roussanne were barrel fermented in 25% new French oak which adds to the mouthfeel and completes the nutty flavors. The Marsanne and Rolle were fermented slowly at a temperature of 58 degrees. After the end of primary fermentation, we began stirring the lees in the barrels vigorously every week to enhance mouthfeel, for an additional 8 weeks and the wine was bottled after a full 6 months in wood.

The Really Geeky Details

Varietals/Vineyards:

46% Marsanne from the Sumu Kaw Vineyard
23% Roussanne from the Sumu Kaw Vineyard
21% Rolle from Tanner Vineyard
10% Viognier from Sumu Kaw Vineyard

Harvest Dates: 9/5 (Viognier), 9/12 (Rolle), 10/15 (Marsanne/Roussanne)

Oak Program: 25% new French oak, 55% neutral oak, 20% stainless steel

Stats

RS = .03%
TA = .56 g/100ml
VA = .051 g/100ml
pH = 3.55
Alc = 13.1%
Brix range at harvest = 22.8 - 24.6
Age before bottling = 7 months"


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