Why We're Rosé Snobs

In Tavel they make rosé like they mean it. In Bandol they make rosé like they mean it. In America, not so much. At Cornerstone Cellars we mean it too. Single vineyard Napa Valley syrah, fermented bone-dry and aged in oak for almost six months is a statement. We're serious about rosé. Serious rosé is not cheap and it's worth every dime. Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Corallina Napa Valley Syrah Rosé is such a wine. You can buy cheaper pink wines, but if you want flavor, not just color, it costs both of us just a bit more.

 
We confess to being rosé snobs. Corallina Syrah Rosé is a real rosé. That means it's not the leftovers of someone trying to beef up their red wine. In a warm climate like California making rosé by saigneé, or "bleeding" juice out of a red wine fermenter to concentrate that wine, means low-acid, flabby and sweet with those nasty fake watermelon flavors. We're not fans of watermelon candy.

Corallina Syrah Rosé starts in the vineyard as the first step is selecting a single block of syrah vines destined to become Corallina. Conceived as a rosé from the beginning, every farming choice throughout the year is made with only one goal in mind - rosé worth thinking about. Harvest is timed solely around the complexity of fruit flavors as we don't need to worry about ripening the skin tannins. The beautiful Napa Valley climate provides us with luscious fruit with more than enough color so no other skin contact is necessary than the three hours or so it takes the fruit to be gently pressed. After fermentation Corallina Syrah Rosé rests for five months in mature French oak barrels, where the flavors grow rounder, richer and more complex.

Corallina Syrah Rosé is lifted, bright and floral, laced with aromatics redolent of fresh wild herb and spices and touches of wild strawberries and white peaches. It is mouthwatering, refreshing and irresistible. Second glasses are unavoidable.

There is so much joy, pleasure and sunshine in Corallina Syrah Rosé that we had to seek out a label that reflected that energy. In "Wine Dance" by artist Janet Ekholm we found just such an image as the brilliant colors and intermingling of subject, landscape and sky into a harmonious whole is the perfect reflection of our vision for Corallina Syrah Rosé.

Outdoor living in the Napa Valley

Wine flows like water and fine cheese can become a daily occurance. We are always eager to try our friends newest releases or the special library wine that was selected from the cellar for the eventing. New restaurants are opening up monthly. Established favorites are constantly tweaking and rotating their menus as the seasons change. We try them. We try them all.

Staying active can become a challenge. We are lucky that in addition to the Napa Valley being the premier wine and food destination in the nation, it also boasts some incredible outdoor activities. The roads seem endless for cyclists. Napa plays host to a number of charity rides, such as Cycle for Sight and The Tour de Cure. We have even been a part of the Tour of California. These same roads are also exceptional for runners. The Silverado Trail has wide shoulders and is probably safer than roads within the city of Napa limits. Most crossroad loops are around 10 miles with many shorter routes available. The Napa Valley does play host to a marathon annually, which I can only imagine is the most beautiful marathon in the country. Its a perfect starter marathon for any runner looking to hit 26.2. A few rolling hills in the beginning, miles of gently declining flats, and a pace that lets take in the splendor of the region.

While I have yet to complete a marathon, here are a few of my choice runs.

11 miles- Yountville-Oakville Loop: Start at Cornerstone Cellars and head north to Washington, slight right on Yount St. Right on Yountville Cross. Left on Silverado Trail. Left on Oakville Cross. Left on 29. Left on Washington until you get back to Cornerstone.

2.2 miles- Napa River Trail, by the Nob Hill parking lot

4 miles- Yountville Cross Road out and back, from Yount St.

For cycling, the Silverado trail is perfect. From Napa, its about 10 miles to Yountville, 20 to St. Helena, and 30 to Calistoga.

On your next trip to the Napa Valley, check out a few of the local bike shops for rentals and be sure to pack your runners!

Winemaker Dinner at Porterhouse in San Mateo

Join Jeff Keene on Thursday, April 4 at 6:00pm as we celebrate the arrival of spring in style with a Winemaker Dinner at Porterhouse San Mateo! The dinner will feature four delicious courses masterfully paired with our fantastic Cornerstone and Stepping Stone wines, and we will be enjoying beef prepared in PorterHouse’s brand new Dry Aging Window.

Reservations are required and space is limited, so please call Porterhouse at 650-579-5911 to register for the event. Cost is $85 per person, with a special discount price of $70 for Cornerstone Cellars Wine Club members. Cornerstone Club members email Alex Crown, alexc@cornerstonecellars.com

60 East 3rd Ave.San Mateo, CA 94401.

650-579-5911

See you there on April 4th at 6pm!

The menu

Stepping Stone White Rocks

1st Course

Roasted Tomato Soup, grilled cheese, basil

Cornerstone Cellars 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

 

2nd Course

Crab Cake

sweet corn risotto, red beet beurre blanc, fine herb salad

Stepping Stone by Cornersone 2011 Napa Valley Corallina Rosé of Syrah

 

~ Raspberry Sorbet ~

3rd Course 

Roasted Fillet of Wild King Salmon, butter and herb rice pilaf, grape tomatoes, dill oil

Stepping Stone by Cornerstone 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc

~ White Peach Sorbet ~

4th Course

Seared Filet of Beef, truffle whip potatoes, kale, roasted shallot jus

Cornerstone Cellars 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

or

 

Dry Aged Bone-In NY Strip, truffle whip potatoes, kale, roasted shallot jus

Cornerstone Cellars 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

 

~ White Peach Sorbet ~

 

Cheese Plate

brie, pineapple vanilla compote, blue cheese, candied walnuts, manchego, caramelized honey and black pepper

Stepping Stone by Cornerstone 2010 Napa Valley Riesling

Great Wine for a Great Cause

Announcing our event with Cellar Angels starting today! Cellar Angels is featuring a pre-release of our 2010 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Napa Valley Cabernet Franc at a special discount. A portion of each purchase supports a charitable cause of your choice. 

To participate in this exciting event and take advantage of the exclusive pricing, you must first register for free at www.cellarangels.com. 

Let's help others reach for a brighter day. We hope you will participate and we thank you for your support!

2012 Vintage Report

With the New Year off to a great start and the winter rains holding off to reveal beautiful, sunny winter days with clear blue skies, I can sit back and reflect on a fantastic 2012 harvest. Mother Nature bestowed one of the widest grins she could muster in 2012 upon the Napa Valley, blessing us with absolutely fantastic growing and ripening conditions. 

It was a classic vintage, picture perfect, where it seemed every aspect of the season was in harmony. A steady parade of glorious, warm, sunny days and cool nights allowed the fruit to enjoy long, even ripening to develop optimally ripe aromas and flavors with perfect balance and elegance.The only real challenge was finding tank space for the bumper crop of grapes bestowed upon us, but that just means we’ll be making more of these delicious wines, filled with wonderful varietal expressions for you to enjoy. But now for the winemaker, the season changes, which means I need to stop daydreaming and focus on the next seasonal task: bottling.

It has been an absolute joy to smell and taste the evolution of all the Cornerstone 2012 wines in the cellar. Even after these three quickly flying months, the whites are showing their balance and diverse, full and bright flavors of luscious tropical fruits with mouthwatering acidity and minerality leaping out of the wines in the barrels. The Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Corallina Napa Valley Syrah Rosé is showing off its delicate salmon hues while lifting aromatics along with flavors of strawberry, rose petals and cream. The reds from syrah, merlot and cabernet franc to the cabernets are showing the classic Cornerstone characteristics: fantastic color, dark fruit, elegance, complexity and restrained power with that all important lifting acidity.

The first wines of this special vintage for you to enjoy will be the Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Corallina Syrah Rosé and the Stepping Stone by Cornerstone White and Red Rocks!. These wines were bottled last week and we anticipate an April release. 

This year’s bottling year adds extra excitement for me. Not only are we showcasing our usual favorites from this fantastic vintage; the Cornerstone Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Sauvignon Blanc Musqué and Riesling, along with our prized Corallina Syrah Rosé, not to mention the fun and intriguing Rocks! collection, but I am also excited to introduce to you two new wines under the Stepping Stone by Cornerstone label, a pinot gris from the hallowed appellation of Oakville and a very special, limited production chenin blanc from the beautiful Oak Knoll appellation, which features aromas and rich flavors of baked apple, pear and honeysuckle with a well-balanced minerality on the finish.

But wait there is more! To add further excitement to this bottling year we have completely changed and improved the Stepping Stone by Cornerstone labels. I won’t give too much away now, but I think you will enjoy not only the aromas and flavors of the wines but the beautiful artist’s series labels themselves!

Here’s to a fantastic 2013, I look forward to catching up with you at the Cornerstone Cellars tasting room in Yountville.

Jeff Keene

Haven Restaurant, Houston. A Wine Dinner with Michael Dragutsky!

Join Cornerstone Cellars founder Michael Dragutsky at Haven Restaurant in Houston, Texas on Febuary 27th 2013! Mike is flying in from Memphis just for this dinner and looks forward to dining, sharing our wines and our history with you.

Haven on Facebook

Cornerstone Cellars with founder Dr. Michael Dragutsky
February 27, 2013 6:30 PM, $125++, Cornerstone Wine Club, $100++

• 2502 Algerian way, Houston Texas
• 713.581.6101 for reservations

Cornerstone Wine Club Members $100, plus tax and tip: Contact Alex Crown alexc@cornerstonecellars.com for your reservation

First
OKTAPODI KRASATO
marinated young octopus/olive oil/ red wine vinegar/ thyme/ oregano
Stepping Stone North Coast White Rocks! ‘11

Second
gulf fish, celeriac puree, fennel slaw
Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ‘10

Third
grilled quail, roasted brussel sprouts, marcona almonds, duck bacon
Cornerstone Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ‘09

Fourth
44 farms smoked new york strip, caramelized maduros, chimichurri
Stepping Stone Napa Valley Cabernet Franc‘09

Fifth
fudge cake, candied beet powder, saba caramel
Cornerstone Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ‘09

Ruth's Chris San Francisco Winemaker Dinner 2/26/13

Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon. The Napa Valley wine for the San Francisco Steak House

Join Cornerstone Cellars winemaker Jeff Keene and director of sales Alex Crown at Ruth's Chris Steak House in San Francisco on Tuesday, 2/26/13 for our winemaker dinner!

Four courses by chef Yusef Kocabiyik , five wines paired by Laura Karaliute (Jeff and I keep a few tricks up our sleeves too) and the chance to talk with Jeff about his winemaking philosophy, viticulture practices, and what exactly makes Napa Valley's Cabernet Sauvignons so special. Jeff will also be available to speak in depth on cricket and rugby. Me? I'm a hockey and jai alai kinda guy.

The details:

Cost: $95 plus tax & gratuity. Cornerstone Wine Club Members: $75 plus tax & gratuity.

This event WILL fill up fast as we only have 30 seats available.

We will be having special pricing on our wines and free shipping on 6+ bottles during this event.

Date/Time: Tuesday, 2/26/13 6:30 PM

Location: Ruth's Chris Steak House. 1601 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109

Reservations: (415) 673 – 0557, sanfrancisco@ruthschris.com

Cornerstone Club Member reservations: alexc@cornerstonecellars.com

Menu:

First Course
Potato Gnocchi with Fresh Mozzarella and Blue Cheese
-Cornerstone Cellars, 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Second Course
Wild Mushrooms over Cheesy Polenta Cake
-Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Oregon 2010 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Entrée
Filet, The most tender cut of corn-fed Midwestern beef
Or
Ribeye, Well marbled for peak flavor
-Stepping Stone by Cornerstone 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
-Stepping Stone by Cornerstone 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc

Accompaniments, Served Family Style to Share
Cream Spinach
Mashed Potatoes

Dessert
-Dark Chocolate bark with Hawaiian Sea Salt
Cornerstone Cellars 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Cellar update: winemaker Jeff Keene

Alex on the Road: Memphis part 2

And now the conclusion of my Memphis trip!

The following night I was fortunate enough to meet with more of the Memphis based partners of Cornerstone. Everyone came from diverse backgrounds, but all had one common passion: compelling and intriguing wines from California and Oregon. For this meal together I wanted to focus on the future of Cornerstone’s wines from both states. We sipped on both red and white wines from 2011, 2010, and 2009. I was excited to try some of the 2010 Stepping Stone reds as the last time I tasted them was just days after their bottling. Their elegance, flavor, aroma, and texture is readily apparent. The partners had many questions as well, wanting to hear more about my travels and where Cornerstone was in the cities they traveled to. Fortunately, these were conversations I had recently with a number of our distributors and was able to point them in the right direction for their next destination.

A few days later after visiting accounts with our distributor, Mike, Beni, and I all had an evening free to do dinner. Rarely do I have access to such a beautiful and well stocked kitchen. I insisted that instead of the three of us going out we instead stay in and I cook dinner. Beni’s ears perked up when I said that as she is a great chef with a killer rack of lamb recipe. Wine is to be had with any proper meal and prior to coming up with a dinner plan Mike and I headed to the cellar. I just as well should have walked into a time portal. In half of the cellar very Cornerstone vintage was elegantly displayed. The other half held wines from friend’s California and Oregon as well as an impressive array of older Bordeaux  and Burgundies. Relying on a staple pairing, red with red, I cooked rib eyes with Farro and Brussels sprouts.

On my last evening in Memphis, Mike and I went to Folks Folly restaurant to provide the staff with a Cornerstone tasting of their own. Attending the Friday night pre-shift fifteen servers and managers listened to Mike tell the history of Cornerstone while I poured them the 2007 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that they carry on their list. Even though I waited tables for years in the Napa Valley, it was rare that I would get the chance to taste wines with the owner of a winery during pre-shift. Many of them knew Mike already from the Memphis community. Being that this was a very rare and special treat, we decided to pull out a library selection for the staff thus allowing them to see all of Cornerstone’s storied past. As Mike is talking about our 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet, I see a few servers eyes light up as I reach into the wine bag and pull out a bottle of 1996 Cornerstone Cellars Howell Mountain Beaty Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. I love being able to try older, rarer wines. This group was no different and one could see how much they enjoyed the wine. Be sure treat yourself and stop by Folks Folly on your next trip to Memphis.

My four days with Mike and Beni were very memorable. The meals, the stories, the history, the wine and oh yes, the fun. It was not all business on this trip. I did make it to Graceland.