We’re super excited at Burrell School now that the 49ers have marched past the Saints and will be marching on to confront the Giants this coming Sunday! In honor, Anne will make popcorn to munch while you sample through the wine selection. All the tasting room staff will be wearing red and gold in support of the home team, so show your colors!

On Saturday, since it’s Passport, you’ll be able to take home a Passport Pack of four wines for $89 – great value! Also, stock up on January wine specials, as these vintages are running low!

January Wine Specials: Get ‘Em While They Last!! Going, going, gone!!

2008 Old School Cabernet, $24 (20% discount)
2007 Chardonnay, $20 (30% discount)
2006 Pinot Noir, $30.80 (30% discount)

If you’re feeling crabby on Sunday and not in a football mood,maybe you want to visit the four restaurant locations in Santa Cruz that are participating in the SCMA Crab and Wine Tasteoff, from 1pm til 4pm. For $49, you can visit two locations taste a crab dish and sip some wine. Make sure you visit Paradise Beach Grill in Capitola, where Burrell School will be pouring alongside Bargetto, Fernwood Cellars and Savannah-Chanelle.

Don’t feel all that crabby? Want to hang out on the Summit instead of Santa Cruz? Come have some popcorn, then go visit our sister wineries, MJA, Poetic Cellars and Loma Prieta, who will all be offering crab dishes for purchase, $5 each, on Sunday.

Some other parts of the country may be dealing with snow and blow, but that’s not so at Burrell School Vineyards!

The sun is brightly shining and the warm breezes are blowing, so grab a picnic or a sandwich at The Summit Store and come spend a lazy afternoon enjoying some fine wine, good company and incomparable views of the vineyard, where fall color is still brilliantly glowing.

Hurry! There are only two days left in 2011 to stock up on Burrell School wines for the upcoming holiday parties. Don’t forget those New Year’s Day dinners: wouldn’t a bottle each of Burrell School Chardonnay and Pinot Noir be the perfect accompaniment to any gathering, from the casual cookout on the deck to the multi-course gourmet feast.

Come, salute another journey around the sun and raise a glass to the Santa Cruz Mountains, one of the most beautiful places on earth! Lucky us!

We’ll see you in the New Year, and thanks, as always, for your loyal support.

December is the month to follow the Christmas Tree Wine Trail up to Burrell School Vineyards.  Cut a live tree for your holiday celebration and then visit Burrell School to stock up on wines to keep the good times flowing.  We’ll have special holiday pricing on some of our most popular wines.

And don’t forget about those less fortunate—we’re accepting cash donations for Second Harvest Food Bank and will reward your generosity with a special pour.

December Events

It’s a busy month!

Santana Row Holiday Wine and Dine on Tuesdays, December 6^th, 13^th and 20^th.  Shop, enjoy and give to the Second Harvest Food Bank.   www.santanarow.com

Fireside Fridays at Hotel Los Gatos,  December 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd.  $15 for a flight of wines from the Summit to Sea wineries with cheese and nibbles.  Take a break and relax in the beautifully decorated lobby at Hotel Los Gatos on Fridays from 5 to 6:30 pm.

Celebrate A Mountain Holiday on December 10^th and 11^th with THE Summit Wineries.  Here at Burrell School, we will be featuring the wine-friendly chocolates of Truffle Gateau, live music and special pricing on holiday wines.  www.thesummitwineries.com

Tasting Room Extended Opening

Burrell School will be open every day from December 20^th through December 30^th from 11 to 5pm (except Christmas Day).

Wine Specials

2006 Deportment Zinfandel-Port is $24 per bottle (20% discount)

2007 Chardonnay “Teacher’s Pet” is $20 per bottle (30% discount)

2006 Pinot Noir is $30.80 per bottle (30% discount)

Holiday  Four Pack, just $89: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel & Syrah – this is the best gift pack deal in town! put one under the tree for your favorite Santa!

Don’t forget Burrell School cork ornaments for stocking stuffers.

Visit Burrell School daily, Dec 20th thru Dec 31st!

Happy Holidays from all the elves at Burrell School!

The harvest of 2011 could well be classified as an interminable wait, punctuated by frenetic bouts of picking activity, followed by yet more interminable waiting, nail biting, some pleas to heaven for abatement of rain, and abundance of sun, followed by thankful, hurried blitzkriegs of picking in advance of yet more grey, gloomy, ill-portending storm clouds.

Many regions suffered dramatic crop shortages and loss due to rot and botrytis: most areas of the state were down in terms of overall production. Nature has a way of evening things out: after big boom crops in the middle of the previous decade, things are approaching some level of balance. Growers are getting a bit more per ton: they just have a lot less of it to capitalize on.

Here at Burrell School, Thanksgiving was a heartfelt occasion of true gratitude: most of all, for the bounty of family, with which the Moulton’s have been well-blessed, and for the wider bounty of the Wine Club family to which many of you belong. Thanks go out to you, as always, for your support. We are always trying to earn it.

Many thanks were also given for the relatively fruitful and tasty harvest, both from the estate vineyards and from those vineyards where Burrell School sources fruit, mostly in the Santa Clara Valley and in the hills of Saratoga. Old Vine Carignane was a delight, from the Blake Vineyard, and will be part of Class Reunion.

Here’s a summary of harvest activity here at the Schoolhouse:

Picking began on September 9th with Estate Pinot Noir, clones 667 and 777, followed by a hiatus, then came the Chardonnay, along with more Pinot. Then Merlot, Syrah, Cab Franc and Cab Sauv from the Estate Pichon Vineyard. Finally, the estate Merlot came in, and the last was the Petit Verdot, as per usual.

In the always worth waiting for category, the last grapes picked were Cabernet Sauvignon on 11-3 from the

Luchessi Vineyard in Saratoga. This gem of a vineyard is located in one of the sweet spots in the hills that were categorized by Paul Masson and Martin Ray as the “Chaine d’Or,” or chain of gold: this referred to sunny places where warmth made possible the ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape that likes more heat than most of the Santa Cruz Mountains can muster.
Overall, the total tonnage was 42.75 tons, about 72% of what was expected. The yields were somewhat low, but the flavors rank high on the scale, and everyone shares the sweet anticipation of a truly delicious crop of new wines for the 2011 vintage.
Winemaker Dave says “Super flavors!’ But he does have a few barrels left over, as do most winemakers here in the mountains.
The final day of harvest activity on the crush pad occurred right before Thanksgiving, when the  Luchessi Cabernet Sauvignon was pressed off , followed by a load of Crignane, and finishing with a press load of old vine Mataro.

Now begins the long winter of waiting, as the barrels rest in the cellar, and the process of malolactic fermentation begins: when the malic acid is converted to the softer, rounder lactic acid, giving the resulting wines a creamier, smoother mouthfeel.

Here’s to another year in the life of the grapevine: they will slowly shed their gorgeous gold and chestnut livery and will stand, bare and stark in the low winter’s light, awaiting the lifegiving rains that will help them put forth in green glory anew come the Spring of 2012.

May your holidays be filled with warmth, friendship and the bonds that are formed over a bottle of wine: truly one of the most symbolic emblems of the cycle of life here on earth. We are all truly blessed to be part of this amazing web of life, labor, love and devotion.

At Burrell School Vineyards, there’s the sound of corks popping in celebration of the end of harvest. There’s also the quiet sighs of relief after what has been a nail-biting season, with overall reduced yields. Anne and Dave are very grateful to their Santa Clara vineyard partners for supplying them with Cabernet a-plenty for the Old School wine. Not to mention the old vine Mataro and Carignane that will go into Class Reunion, a perennial fave.  Here’s Dave’s homework assignment: testing the brix on the Blake Vineyard Carignane.

Friday, Nov 4, was a marathon day of picking at both Luchessi, in the Saratoga Hills, and the Blake Vineyard, in Morgan Hill. With rain imminent, it was do or die! Those grapes were not going to weather another spell of wet and cold. It was time to pick!

Anne’s yeast prep chores are done for the season, while much work still remains to be done in the cellar, with punchdowns, then pressing and putting the last of the wine into barrels.

Here’s what Burrell School brought in from Halloween thru November 4:
Mataro from Machado Creek, .7 ton
DellaMaggiore Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.3 tons
DellaMaggiore Petite Sirah, 1.1 tons
Luchessi Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.2 tons
Blake Carignane (old vine), 4.5 tons

Huge congratulations to Mark and crew for providing us with high quality fruit here at the school house and at the Pichon Vineyard in a very challenging year.  And more thanks for collaborating with our outside growers after the October rains in order to bring in clean, quality fruit.
Dave is especially happy with the Brix and chemistry #s for the Luchessi Cab. Hooray! Great stuff.
Overall, the total tonnage is down 30% of expectations.  Lots of new barrels unfilled and a whole lot of yeast to store until next year.
All the fermenting bins are in the cellar rather than out on the crush pad.  All wine gone through fermentation at this point has finished dry.
But, as Anne always notes at this time of year, just because all the grapes have been picked doesn’t mean harvest is over.  “We’re done when every last drop of new wine is stored in barrels,” she says. And that’s a ways off yet.

Here’s to the finale of a very trying, down-to-the-wire harvest, but a good one, nonetheless.

The early and persistent rains have slowed harvest down, but not after a feverish push to bring in all the grapes that were ready for the crusher. Chardonnay is safely in barrel! The Merlot on the estate is still hanging out and the Petit Verdot will be a while in coming around to ripeness, but there’s great weather on the horizon, so patience will hopefully be well rewarded! Meanwhile, there’s plenty going on at Burrell School, both at the winery and out in the field!

October 12^th, 2011  Santana Stroll, 6:30pm til 8:30pm.  Burrell School will be pouring at Anubee Children’s Boutique at trendy Santana Row from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Wine tasting and savory nibbles to benefit the Silicon Valley Education Fund.   www.santanarow.com/event

October 22^nd, Roaming the Rhônes with the Summit To Sea Wineries. Taste our mountain-grown Rhône varietals paired with small plates of specially chosen charcuterie. Delicious and decadent fun!  www.summit2seawinetrail.com

October 23^rd, Pinot on the River in Healdsburg. Join Burrell School and 9 other Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir producers for this Pinot only grand tasting.  We will present a Santa Cruz Mountains only Pinot tasting and seminar that morning before the Grand Tasting.  Over 80 wineries plus artisan cheesemakers.  www.pinotfestival.com

Are you passionate about Pinot?  For a 10% discount offer, use promotion code pinotenvy2011

October 29^th and 30^th.  Trick or Treat!! Come celebrate Halloween at Burrell School.  Our staff will be decked out in their ghoulish best and guests in costume will receive a special treat.

Harvest 2011 Update!!

The Burrell School Estate “Principal’s Choice” Pinot is all safely pressed off into barrels, and resting comfortably, while the wood goes to work. There was a wee bit of a break with the cooler weather of the past weekend, but things are amping up in the heat index, and the grapes on the estate vineyard sites are ramping up in the sugar levels as well. (BTW, that’s winemaker Dave with all his new barrels, waiting for the Merlot and Syrah, left)

At this point, the current sugar levels on the ripest Chardonnay is 24.8. This bodes well for a very nicely balanced Chardonnay that should exhibit delicious apple and citrus flavors, with a leaner profile than in warmer years. It should remind one a bit of Burgundian style Chardonnay – something that will cellar nicely and continue to please for years to come….but first, we’ve got to pick it!

Consequently, the busy bees at Burrell School plan on picking 3 bins of Chardonnay (south facing only) today, Wednesday, Sept 28.  If Dave Moulton, winemaker, and Mark Siefert, the vineyard manager extraordinaire, like the flavors and sugar levels, they will pick another 3 bins for press load #2 and an additional 3 bins for press load #3. Vine Mistress Anne, who planted all the Chardonnay vines in the early 1990s, will be watching with great pride. This is always her moment to smile in anticipation of yet another well-schooled class of Chardonnay students!

Looks like the north-facing Chardonnay is another 4-5 days away, depending upon what Mother Nature throws our way. Anne celebrates a birthday on October 3rd, so maybe some more of her “Teacher’s Pets” will be ready to reel in about then.

Regardless of what Mother Nature brings, it’s going to be lovely weather for visiting the winery and checking out the crushpad action, so stop by the Summit Store and pick up a picnic and come on over and enjoy the views, the sights, the sounds, the unforgettable aromas and the non-stop action of Harvest! And pick up some wine for your cellar. There are some beauties to choose from: there’s a specially priced Harvest 4-pack of current releases, and some extra special cellar treasures as well. In fact, our spectacularly smart student, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon “Dean’s List,” is on sale with the following pricing:

$49 for 1 bottle

$99 for 3 bottles

$179 for 6 bottles

$329 for 12 bottles

It’s a great deal with limited quantities available.  Email Elena@burrellschool.com if you’d like us to ship to you.

Barrels for sale. Our high-quality, gently-used barrels are available for purchase.  Whole barrels are $40 and half barrels are $25.  Red wine stains are complimentary!  Limited quantities, perfect for home-winemaking, quality furniture and superb seasonal planters.

Bottle Renew reminder—We welcome your empty wine bottles (full cases only).  Recycle=good.  Renew=the best!!  www.winebottlerenew.com

And, it’s Fall for Our Mountains! time at the Summit to Sea Wineries – 2 for 1 tasting, great wine discounts, fabulous fall-themed chocolates from local Chocolatier, Chocolate Visions, and specials on sandwiches at the Summit Store.  what’s not to love? Come, Fall for Our Mountains, during the best time of year!

September is in full swing up at the school house.  The grapes are coming in! They picked 2.5 precious tons of Pinot Noir on Friday, Sept 9, mostly clone 667. It’s been fermenting nicely.

Dave and Anne were planning on bringing in clone 115 this past week, but the thick marine layer abated the ripening process.

However, this week looks to be in the 90′s all the way, so the rest of that Pinot is likely to be ready for the picking bins! Sugar levels are rising at the Pichon Vineyard with Merlot heading the harvest count-down at 21° Brix.  With Mother Nature’s co-operation, they’re planning on a late September pick date.

Vineyard Manager Mark took sugars Thursday at all the off-site vineyards and readings are mostly high 18′s with Della Maggiore Cabernet Sauvignon at 19.2 and Stan Moniz’s Zin at 20 even.
Pichon Cab Franc is right around 18.5 and Merlot is 20.9.  Syrah has a pretty heavy crop and is in the high 18′s to 19.

Katarina and Jennifer poured at the 8th annual Grazing on the Green cancer benefit in Aptos park yesterday and it was a glorious day! Excellent food and wine, music and general merriment while raising funds for the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group. Tabitha’s Friend in Cheeses Jam Company was sampling their amazing carrot marmalade – a must!

Check  out her cool delivery truck!

A rousing success!
Other news is that 10 of the Santa Cruz Mtns. wineries (including Burrell School) will be pouring at Pinot on the River in Healdsburg on October 23rd and will be doing the morning seminar with exclusively SCMtn Pinots.  Go to pinotfestival.com for details.

We love this time of year at the old schoolhouse, as everyone eagerly anticipates the arrival of the Class of 2011. With the recent heat, the grapes are actually getting riper, the reds are all pretty much turned and their colors are deepening. Take a look at this Pinot! It’s spectacular, and we are testing sugars and sampling for flavors as we get the crush pad ready for its return to duty. We anticipate our first grapes to arrive within the next 10 days, if the heat continues.

With afternoon temperatures well into the mid 90s, this is perfect ripening weather. The Pinot is already netted, as the birds have begun to peck holes in the grapes: they don’t care whether they are ripe or not! And now, they taste extra scrumptious, come on up and taste for yourself!

Field Trips

September 10 and 11: Capitola Art and Wine Festival – the biggest wine, food, music and art fest on the coast

September 10 & 11: Lake Tahoe Food and Wine Festival. Burrell School Pinot is featured as part of a first ever Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Introspective!

September 17: Grazing on the Green – in Aptos. You’ve never tasted food like this, or had so many good wines! All for a great cause – this is the big fundraiser for Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit and Jacob’s Heart.

September 23: Autumn begins. Time for “Fall For Our Mountains!” a perfect time to visit all the Summit to Sea Wineries. Enjoy two for one tasting and get special discounts on wines you’ll be sure to fall for! Stock up on 06 Pinot before it’s all gone!

September 24: Los Gatos Wine Walk

September 28: Campbell Wine Walk

All month long – September is California Wine Month - drink California wine, celebrate the harvest of 2011 and take a moment to thank everyone who works so hard in the fields, in the vineyards, in the cellar, on the crushpad – and let’s not forget the breweries, because it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine!

It’s back to school time here at the big red schoolhouse! We love this time of year at the schoolhouse, as everyone eagerly anticipates the arrival of the Class of 2011. The grapes are actually getting riper, the reds are all turning color, with the Pinot nearly 100% in veraison, and the Chardonnay (below) has begun to turn its translucent gold color, reminiscent of stained glass windows in European cathedrals.

With afternoon temperatures well into the high 80s, this is perfect ripening weather. The Pinot is already netted, as the birds have begun to peck holes in the grapes: they don’t care whether they are ripe or not!

Wine, Women & Chocolate! what fun is that!

Make Burrell School one of your stops on tomorrow’s Chocolate Candyland Tour! Taste the gourmet goodness of handcrafted Luis Moro chocolates paired with our handcrafted fruity reds. We have raspberry and ollalieberry flavors from this artisan chocolatier located in Scotts Valley.

These truly artisan chocolates are handmade from locally sourced fruits and celebrate the very essence of summer, so come on out and indulge! Each of the Summit to Sea wineries will offer chocolates to pair with wines. Here at Burrell School, $5 gets you a taste of two flavors paired with our favorite selections. Luis Moro chocolates will also be available to take home, so bring a cooler if you are planning to make wine purchases along the S2S trail. Remember, wine and chocolate like to be kept on ice in the hot summer sun.

Then, it’s the bi-annual LRC party on Sunday with the Mighty Class of 2005, including the stellar 2005 Merlot ( a model of Merlotness), 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (one of the best!), 2005 Cabernet Franc (frankly my dear, fabulous) and 2005 Valedictorian  (stalwart and resolute).  Not a Library Reserve Club member? Contact us right away. These massive, well-built wines require pairing with foods like bison meatballs with feta and spinach on grilled polenta, along with a summer tomato tart. Come enjoy these amazing, dwindling in supply wines, Sunday from 1pm til 5pm.

Mark your calendars: Burrell School will be open all three days of the upcoming Labor Day weekend, so come out and enjoy the beautiful vineyard views. And check out the beautifully ripening Pinot – you can begin to smell the fruit flavors developing in the late summer sun.