A dreary day in Boston can be made great by little things that mean a lot. The Red Sox beat the crap out of Atlanta (we don't talk about the night game), the Provost and his wife opened up their house and pantry to us and made us a part of their family, the cab driver got turned on to sfogliatella which he has never had hot or cold (you must eat it hot!) and we had a terrific (fantastic) meal at Troquet and tasted some terrific wines. The food was superb, I had veal cheeks in a wine reduction sauce that was more tender than spring buds, a cavatelli with mushroom and truffle appetizer that surrounded the sinuses with aroma, and my wife had the roasted suckling pig plate that knocked her socks off! Good food with new friends, a selection of both pinots and syrahs that complemented the foods in a big way, and late night walks back to the hotel to NOT worry about work the next day. Good happens, doesn't it?

I'm traveling thru upstate New York right now, enroute from Toronto to Rochester and points beyond. It is mid May and in California the days are warm and the evenings still chilly, not yet the idle days of summers when boys play with their puppies in streambeds and bring home salamanders to their moms, but warm enough that the heat of the midafternoon soaks deep into the chest and thaws the last splinter of ice packed deep into your breathing through the cold, wet winter days. In California, budbreak has already set and the vineyard managers are starting their first pruning and watching closely for flower set and the first indication of the strength of the harvest. The head cordon grenache pictured above was from May's beginning, two weeks ago and a bit. So far so good so far, is all a farmer will admit to the fates.

In New York it looks as if the frayed threads of winter's corpse have just blown off and the trees are shaking out their leaves, finally! A stiff and steady wind blows past my window, remnants of a passing storm, a steady thumping that encourages the trees and bushes to grip their toes harder, rasping more dirt and rocks just to hang on. The vineyards I passed on my way look tentative, not as willing to put out its tender knobby green tufts and trust that the ice and snow are fully gone. More sun, more rays, more comeraderie from the trees and bushes, more new grass brushing at its ankles, more blue luminescent skies, more kilocalories, more coaxing, more life!

I wonder do the boys and puppies wait just as patiently?

Gold, Silver and Bronze in 2 Recent Wine Competitions!





San Sakana took in a total of 7 medals in recent competitions, including a UNANIMOUS GOLD MEDAL for our 2005 White Hawk Vineyard Syrah!





Pacific Rim International Wine Competition


As one of the largest and most respected wine competitions in the west, the Pacific Rim International received entries from over 2200 entries this year from wineries spanning the globe from the U.S., to Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. We are THRILLED to have been recognized by this very prestigious event. Our medals this year as follows -

• GOLD MEDAL for 2005 White Hawk Syrah
  
• SILVER MEDAL for 2005 Las Madres Syrah


• SILVER MEDAL for 2005 Broken Leg Viognier


• BRONZE MEDAL for 2005 Catie's Corner Viognier
  

West Coast Wine Competition

The 25th West Coast Wine Competition was held on April 20th in Santa Rosa, CA with a field of over 1700 entries spanning wineries from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Baja California, British Columbia, Australia and New Zealand.

Our medals

• GOLD MEDAL for 2005 White Hawk Syrah
• SILVER MEDAL for 2005 Las Madres Syrah

If you'd like to try some of these award winning wines, please order soon. Demand is STRONG due to the competition buzz!

Thanks again - Bettina