Gold Medal Wine Club Newsletter: Vol. 11 No. 8 Presidio ... Ynez Winery and Sunstone were “With...

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Gold Medal Wine Club Newsletter: Vol. 11 No. 8 Presidio Winery Edition

1-800-266-8888 Gold Medal Wine Club • 3463 State Street # 280 • Santa Barbara • California • 93105

PRESIDIO

WINERY

Page 1

THIS MONTH’SWINES

Page 2

SPOTLIGHT PROFILES

Page 3

WINE WIZARD

Page 4

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Page 6

JUDGE-THE-WINES

Page 7

REORDERS

Page 8

An excellent case could be made that

Santa Barbara’s Presidio Winery is the

Samuel Adams of the wine industry, at

least from the conceptualization of the

project. Its formation and development

have followed the basic outlines of the

beer giant and Presidio’s owners are

pleased with the natural reference to the

highly successful beer industry model.

Presidio Winery’s actual existence

is the product of careful planning and a

backdoor policy of development and

growth. Its founder, president and

winemaker, Douglas Braun, was a full

time consultant to a number of wineries

when the vision of Presidio Winery came

to him in 1991. Two of his top clients,

Santa Ynez Winery and Sunstone were

“With Gold Medal Wine Club,The Road to Great Wine

Begins at Your Door.”

www.goldmedalwine.com

PRESIDIO WINERY GROWTH FUELED

BY DESIRE AND ATTENTION TO QUALITYPRESIDIO WINERY GROWTH FUELED

BY DESIRE AND ATTENTION TO QUALITY

In ThisIssue

Presidio’s new 30-acre vineyard is located between Buellton and Lompoc in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley.

Continued on page 4

1999 MERLOTThis Santa Barbara 1999 Merlot from Presidio

Winery is well formed and neatly defined in the nose withlots of succulent ripe-cherry fruit. A weighty, well-filledyoungster that is loaded with ripe, black cherry fruit andrich plum flavors with hints of rich oak, cassis and loamyspice. Its theme of black cherries keep on track throughoutthe middle and finish. A mouthfilling wine with clean andbright aromas and flavors. Moderately full and nicely supplein texture. Ready to be enjoyed for its youthful vitality butwill be even more appealing in three to five years. Try itpaired with lamb chops or well-seasoned pork roast. ABordeaux blend of 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc.

2000 SAUVIGNON BLANCYou can’t beat a good Sauvignon Blanc on a warm

summer’s evening, sitting on the water’s edge, enjoying acrisp shrimp salad or perhaps a grilled fillet of fresh halibutor mahi-mahi. Sauvignon Blanc clearly remains a bargainpremium white wine in an era of escalating prices for itspopular and rich uncle, Chardonnay. The 2000 vintagePresidio Sauvignon Blanc fits the bill both in quality andprice. This delightful wine manages to marry creamy oakand crisp melon and pear fruit flavors while still maintaininga sense of varietal herb and grassiness. Showing a fine senseof balance, the wine finishes gracefully with a lengthy aftertaste of fruit and minerals. 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

1-800-266-8888 Gold Medal Wine Club

Gold Medal Wine Club features two wines each month from only the best small wineries of California. Featured wines include those which have earnedmedals in the top wine-industry competitions or have been highly rated by a respected national wine publication. On occasion we feature a wine which is

of high medal-quality, but due to its very limited availability or by preference of the wine producer, may not be submitted to these venues for review.Each and every selection is a superb wine made in small quantities and with limited distribution. There are over 1,000 wineries in California producing

thousands of different wines. Only wines fitting the above criteria are considered in choosing the featured selections each month.

pH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.35Total Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 g/100 mlsAlcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.0%Aged in French Oak . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MonthsCases Produced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,000Drink Now or Up to Year . . . . . . . . 2007+

Just the facts:

pH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.41Total Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 g/100 mlsAlcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.0%Aged in French Oak . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MonthsCases Produced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500Drink Now or Up to Year . . . . . . . 2003+

Just the facts:

WINE CREDENTIAL HIGHLIGHTS

1999 VINTAGE: Gold Medal Special Selection—Not enteredinto competitions due to low production and extremelylimited availability. Distribution is allocated to select specialty wine shops but can also be found in a number of southern California restaurants.LEGACY: One of the original Presidio varietals producedsince in 1991.

2000 VINTAGE: Gold Medal Wine Club exclusive offering.Available only through the Club and at the winery tasting room for a limited time only. Not entered intocompetitions.LEGACY: Made by Presidio since 1997 but may be the lastvintage due to declining volume of Sauvignon Blanc vines.

Douglas Braun put himself

through school and eventually

emerged with degrees from both

of California’s top viticultural

institutions. He received an Enology

degree from Fresno State and a

viticultural degree from UC Davis

that provided a great deal of

direction for his career and life.

While in undergraduate school,

Braun worked in a number of

food service industry jobs that

imparted the inspiration that

eventually caused him to return

to school and ultimately led to

the establishment of Presidio

Winery in 1992.

During his formative years

Braun worked for such giants as

the Central Valley Cribari where

he served as quality control

manager. There he was exposed to

the winery’s elaborate laboratories

and their dedication to analysis

and identical production. He later

was introduced to a winemaker

named Don Blackburn when he

worked at Eliston Winery’s incredible

hewn-stone mansion in Sunol. The

facility dated back to the mid-1800’s

and was the former residence of the

Sheriff of San Francisco. Blackburn

was a graduate of the France’s

Montpelier University and a classi-

cally trained Burgundian winemaker.

Blackburn’s influence and the zany

innovativeness of the mid-1980s had

a profound effect on Douglas Braun.

“People were just getting into

non-filtering and lees contact,”

Braun explained, “and things were

kind of crazy. It was sometime

around 1987 that I began consulting

on a full-time basis and started to

realize the tremendous potential that

existed in Santa Barbara as far as a

growing region and destination spot.

My closest associate for the past two

years was a Burgundian who really

taught me a lot.”

Douglas Braun’s next few years

were spent familiarizing himself with

the area that he was convinced

would become the location for

California’s next vineyard gold rush.

Braun reveled in Santa Barbara’s

lush lowlands and varied soils and

determined that his future lay

within its confines.

By 1991 he felt he knew

enough to venture into the

business on his own and he

formed the basis of Presidio

Winery Inc. Braun and his family

own over 50% of the business and

have several long time partners

that have helped with various

aspects of the business.

With barely enough money

to get his venture started, Douglas

Braun chose a practical and

patient road to success. He paid

homage to California’s early

Spanish history by utilizing the

name Presidio for his winery and

slowly developed his concept. He

bought fruit from growers outside

his consulting ring and utilized

facilities wherever he found them

to minimize costs. He produced

superior products and always kept an

eye on value, a lesson learned from

his early days in the business. He set

achievable goals and managed to

make the numbers whenever it really


Doug Braun

GOLD MEDAL SPOTLIGHTGOLD MEDAL SPOTLIGHT

Winery owner, Doug Braun inspecting a newly planted Pinot Noir vine.


located in Santa Barbara County

when the area was just beginning its

emergence as a top level wine

producing area. Doug Braun is

something of a visualist and perceived

the opportunity to have his project

on the ground level of Santa Barbara’s

exciting era of development.

By utilizing much of the

facilities at hand, Braun and his

partners were able to produce their

first vintages in 1992 that amounted

to about 1,000 cases. Since money

was a premium and Braun was smart

enough not to saddle his enterprise

with huge amounts of debt, he

developed a work plan that called for

slow, decisive growth. In other

words, his initial five to six years

were a real struggle for survival.

Braun was able to call on his

earlier experiences at other wineries

and his innate sense of what the

public was actually interested in to

help Presidio through the tough

times of its infancy. He counted on

the fact that the Santa Barbara

growing area was still relatively

unhewn and raw in terms of vines

planted and wineries located. He was

convinced the natural environment

and proximity to population areas

would provide an excellent venue for

the future and he determined to

persevere in his efforts.

When Presidio’s production

reached the 6-7,000 case level,

Braun concluded his consulting

commitments and devoted all his

efforts to the winery’s development.

After nearly a decade into its

existence, Douglas Braun and his

family and partners were able to

start construction on their first

winery complex. The present facility

was completed in 2000 and represents

an affordable approach to the

complexities of modern winemaking

and production.

Presidio Winery contains

30,000 gallons of stainless tanks

and somewhere between 500 and

600 barrels, making it capable of

producing between 10,000 to 20,000

cases. This year’s production will

exceed 10,000 cases but the thought

doesn’t excite Douglas Braun as

much as his plans for Presidio’s

future development.

The focus of his energy at this

time is a 100-acre site located midway

between Buellton and Lompoc on

the road that now houses Babcock

Winery and Foley Winery among

others. It is a prime piece of land

that will soon be home to thirty

planted acres and will also serve as

the site for a new winery that Braun

plans to begin work on as soon as

Santa Barbara County officials give

him the green light.

The new location is about a mile

from the present winery and in close

proximity to La Purisima Conception,

a huge working mission that annually

draws a large number of visitors.

Braun’s eyes literally light up with

the prospects for Presidio’s new

winery. He explains that the place

will be somewhat Opus-like in that

the new planting will be vertically

short positioned, only 20 inches off

the ground, much like its famous

Napa inspiration. The new site

will also house a larger winery

production building and a number

of improvements that were not

possible at the existing location.

WINEWIZARD1) Why has oak become

the traditional aging container for wines?

2) What are the differencesbetween French oak andAmerican oak used in winemaking?

3) True or False: Larger barrelswill impart more oak characterto wines than smaller barrels.

Continued from page 1


ANSWERS TO WINE WIZARD1) Oak has become the traditional wood for aging premium wines because the trees are large enough to make wine containers of

useful sizes, the wood is tight-grained, strong, and resilient and can be worked into the curved shapes needed for barrels, and the

flavors extracted are desirable in wines.

2) There are three main types of oak that are used in winemaking: American white oak; sessile oak; and French oak (sometimes

known as English or Russian oak too). American white oak grows throughout North America. The other two, generally known as

European oak, originates from the United Kingdom and Ireland, through France and Portugal, and all the way into parts of

Russia. There is no consensus on which type of oak is best for winemaking but in general, barrels made from American oak are

thought to impart stronger flavors, with more vanillin and stronger tannins. Barrels made from

European oak have more of a subtle influence. Other factors in both types of oak can influence the

flavors imparted to wine, such as the quality of the cooperage and seasoning of the barrels. France is

the leading producer of European oak thanks to excellent forestry practice. Nevers oak from France’s two

central regions are especially prized for quality and can cost two to three times as much as American oak.

Whether there is truly a significant difference in quality between wines vinified in French versus

American oak is still hotly debated.

3) False. Smaller barrels give wines more oak flavor.

It has taken Douglas

Braun and his partners a

long time to reach the

position they now enjoy.

Presidio’s careful growth

and subsequent success

have provided the impetus

for a favorable future.

During this time, Braun

remained true to his sense

of value and has continued

to produce products that

are marketed at reasonable

levels.This sort of philosophy

makes Gold Medal Wine

Club confident that Presidio

Winery will be enjoyed for

many years to come. This young 14-inch Pinot Noir vine on Presidio’s vineyard will be kept pruned at 22 inches and begin bearing fruit in 2004.


FOOD FOR THOUGHTFOOD FOR THOUGHT

HALIBUT WITH WHITE WINE

REDUCTION SAUCE1 lb. Young green beans4 7-oz Halibut fillets, each approximately 1" thick2 Tbsp. Canola oil1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc2 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice1/2 cup unsalted butter5 scallions, white part only, finely sliced1 Tbsp. Capers, drained and rinsed1 large, ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch diceSalt and white pepper to taste

In a pot of boiling salted water over high heat, cook the green beansfor 3-4 minutes, until tender. Drain and place them in the center of alarge, warm serving platter. Cover and keep warm.Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inchsauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the fish forabout 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn, reduce the heat tomedium, and cook about 4 minutes longer, until the fish is opaque in the center and browned on both sides. Put fish on platter withbeans and cover.Pour off any oil in the pan and add the wine and lemon juice. Raisethe heat to high. Cook until the sauce reduces by half, about two minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the butter. Add scallions, capers,and tomato. Season with salt and pepper and pour over fish on platter.

PRIME RIB WITH MERLOT JUS2 bottles Merlot4 cups beef stock2 cups Ruby Port3 large garlic cloves, peeled1 large shallot, peeled, halved2 bay leaves3 teaspoons dried thyme1 Boneless prime rib roast-6 lb.4 large garlic cloves, pressedFresh parsley sprigs

Combine first six ingredients and one teaspoon thyme in largenon-aluminum saucepan. Boil until reduced to two cups, aboutone hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place beef, fat side up, in heavy 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Rub beef all over withpressed garlic and remaining two teaspoons thyme. Season beefgenerously with salt and pepper. Roast one hour. Tent beef withfoil. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted intocenter registers 118 degrees for rare, about 35 minutes. Transfer to platter and let stand 20 minutes.Pour off all fat from roasting pan. Place pan over medium-highheat. Add Merlot mixture to pan and bring to boil. Season totaste with salt and pepper. Pour jus into serving dish. Garnish.Carve prime rib and serve. Serves 8.

counted. Presidio’s sales grew and

finally topped the 10,000 case

plateau goal in the year 1998.

Last year he completed his first

winery building and immediately

started to plan for the future. A

prime 100-acre site amongst several

imposing wineries and adjacent

to a major mission that had caught

his eye and was acquired. Braun

immediately began planting the first

thirty acres and will start construction

on a new winery when permits are

obtained. He is excited, yet patient

in the actual execution of his dream.

He has waited a long time and

survived in a business when many

fail or exist marginally.

His dedication to Santa Barbara

County is unyielding and should

reap huge rewards. He acknowledges

subtle differences in certain

microclimates and intends to

exploit these to his advantage. He

also recognizes the fact that his

travails at Presidio are something

akin to the early California pioneers

whom suffered and toiled for many

years before their efforts reached

fruition.

Continued from page 3


In this section we publish the cumulative, on-going tallies of the Judge-the-Wines Scoresheets which are provided in each delivery of wine andmailed back in by Club members. We believe it is fun as well as educational to think about and record the different characteristics of the wines you

sample. No matter how acute you think your palate is, the person next to you will probably have a different thought or opinion about a certaincharacteristic of the wine you are sampling. It can also prove beneficial to record your impressions of the wine for reference at a later date.

Below are the most recent tallies of the Scoresheets returned. Gold Medal Wine Club specializes in featuring small-sized wineries and small-production wines. Depending on availability from the winery, all members may not receive every wine that is listed below. The Scoresheet

results which are printed in green indicate the wine selections that as of press time are still available for reorder.

JUDGE-THE-WINES RESULTSJUDGE-THE-WINES RESULTS

Indicates wine is still available

MEDALS: GOLD SILVER BRONZE

RESULTS: 96% 3% 1%

Monte Volpe—1997 Sangiovese


RESULTS: 94% 5% 1%

Buffalo Ridge—1998 Zinfandel


RESULTS: 91% 6% 3%

Monte Volpe—1998 Tocai Friulano


RESULTS: 94% 4% 2%

Armida—1997 Merlot


RESULTS: 93% 4% 3%

Buffalo Ridge—1999 Chardonnay


RESULTS: 93% 6% 1%

Armida—1998 Chardonnay


RESULTS: 91% 6% 3%

Curtis—1997 Syrah


RESULTS: 90% 9% 1%

Curtis—1999 Heritage Blanc

“This will wreck your palate,this will wreck your budget.”

Through all this, Douglas Braun has

also been able to maintain his sense of

humor and a spirit and love for the wine

industry that is charmingly apparent. He

will soon realize his lifelong dream of

completing a winery surrounded by vari-

etals that he has chosen for their correct-

ness, quality and pertinence to his ongoing

plan. Presidio Winery will continue its

growth and quality aspirations and its con-

sumer base will most definitely continue to

appreciate its efforts.

The above wines were recently featured. Due to space limitations the entire list of available wines is not listed—please call to inquire about other previous favorites.

1-800-266-8888 Gold Medal Wine Club • 3463 State Street # 280 • Santa Barbara • California • 93105

R E O R D E RA taste of Santa Barbara County! Presidio Winery is among the dozens of new, small, high-quality wineries to emerge in thisimportant growing region within the last decade. Enjoy these two special, limited-availability selections.

Retail Price Club Price Club PricePRESIDIO WINERY Winery-Direct 2-Bottle Members 4-Bottle Members

1999 Merlot* Half Case-6 $108 $85 (21% Off ) $80 (26% Off )Santa Barbara County Full Case-12 $216 $158 (27% Off ) $145 (33% Off )

2000 Sauvignon Blanc* Half Case-6 $84 $67 (20% Off ) $62 (26% Off )Santa Barbara County Full Case-12 $168 $126 (25% Off ) $110 (35% Off )

Reorder Hotline: 1-800-266-8888Reorder Faxline: 1-800-266-8889

www.goldmedalwine.com*Availability is extremely limited. Note: Tax & shipping are not included in the above prices. Call for details.

T HE GRAPEVINET HE GRAPEVINE Comments from us and Club members

It’s coming next month! The wild and crazy, absolutely stupendous, CHAMPAGNE MONTH!!!For the edification of you newcomers, champagne month comes once a year in September.Every year we discover an exquisitely unique, deliciously fun, dry (never sweet) sparkling winefrom a great small California winery. Then we discount it up to 45% off of winery direct pricesand watch it blow out the door. We get a big kick out of it and so do our members! It’s a greatopportunity to stock up on the bubbly for the holidays.

As fun and popular as it is, we realize that some of you do not prefer to receive champagne.If you are one of those no-champagne drinkers, give us a call and we’ll double up on the tripleGold Medal winning Cabernet Sauvignon that we are featuring with the champagne.

[The 1997 Monte Volpe Sangiovese wasan] Awesome wine! Four stars! I loveit! More, more, more! That’s Italian!

—Erin DiPaolo, Score 52

[The 1997 Monte Volpe Sangiovese was a] Very good easy drinking wine,great taste-really like the hint of blackcherry flavor!

—June & Gerald Stewart, Score 52

The sweet and spicy sensation on mytongue of this excellent [1998 MonteVolpe Tocai Friulano] made it a mostmemorable experience!

—Irene Luttmer, Score 55

[The 1998 Buffalo Ridge Zinfandelwas] Excellent; full-bodied texture and taste-enjoyed very much!

—Bonnie Stupner, Score 49

[The 1997 Monte Volpe Sangiovese]What a wonderful wine! The best yet!

—Kenneth J. Carifa, Score 55

This is the first time I have tasted thisvariety [the 1998 Monte Volpe TocaiFriulano]. I like the fresh acidity andfull body!

—Jerold Malina, Score 49

Maximum score is 55. Members who send in their wine ratings on the provided Scoresheets are eligible toreceive a bonus half-case of any Gold Medal Series wine that is in stock if your name is drawn. Drawings are held4 times a year at the end of each quarter. (Maximum of one Scoresheet per wine per membership)…GMWC

Gold Medal Wine Club Newsletter: Vol. 11 No. 8 Presidio ... Ynez Winery and Sunstone were “With...

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