Meanwhile In The Vineyard...

Look at these beautiful beasts in the vineyard! From the top down we have our stunning Sauvignon Blanc grapes, some rich and black Petite Sirah grapes, and a full head-pruned Petite Sirah vine.

We're now two years into our organic farming practices at the vineyard. You'll notice the mulch we've piled around our Petite Sirah vines which provides natural protection from invasive weeds and encourages nutrient breakdown and moisture control.

The older vines on the property are dry-farmed, which is a process where we do not water them at all during the growing season, allowing the vines to stretch their roots down deep to find water. We do this to increase the vines' hardiness and drought tolerance, but it has an added benefit of producing more robust and concentrated flavors. 

With our younger vines, we do need to give them a little water throughout the season until they develop larger root systems. But once they can make it on their own through the summer heat, they're on their own.

Stay tuned, the harvest is coming right up!

Reasons to Drink More Wine

You know I love wine and I'm always looking for a new occasion to enjoy another fabulous bottle. So with summer almost upon us, I thought it would be a great time to tell you about a personal favorite of mine—a glorious white wine that drinks like a red—2014 Stolpman L'Avion. This luscious white wine delivers the robust flavors of my favorite winter reds, but with a bright and joyous golden glimmer that screams, summertime fun!

L'Avion is made from 100% Roussanne, one of the most aromatic grapes of the Rhone Valley. The wine is aged in French oak for 20 months, giving it bright notes of pear and warm baking spices with swirls of caramel and rich tropical fruit—it's decadent and wonderful without being too overpowering. With an alcohol content of 13.5%, L'Avion moves like a voluptuous red wine in your glass. It's sure to keep your guests smiling and happy!

If I get to drink this wine through the whole month of June, I'll be a very happy lady! You should try it too! I have no doubt it'll soon become one of your favorites as well. 

Lucky for you, you can now have Stolpman Vineyards ship this baby to your door. Yay internets! 

Also, here's an article by my friend Jen about the REAL health benefits of drinking wine. Check it out! https://www.jenreviews.com/wine/

The Bee's Knees

When we lived in Los Angeles, the girls and I watched a documentary about honey bees called, Vanishing Of The Bees.  After watching the movie, we decided that we're just the people to get some hives and do our share for the bee population, which has been plummeting in recent years. I had a line on some hives last year, but it fell through after the beekeeper had a massive bee die-off from the varroa mite. The mite weakens the honey bee and leaves them susceptible to diseases. 

This year, I joined the backyard beekeeping club and I've been attending classes. It's been fun meeting lots of super experienced bee people. My package of glorious bees arrived on April 1st. While we waited for them, we picked up our hives, painted them and found the perfect spot to keep them in the vineyard. I can't wait to fill you in on their progress! 

Oh God, You Gotta Try This

This wine is stupid good, I'm not kidding. Run, don't walk to Kermit Lynch and buy some for that perfect spring evening. This wine has juicy cherries and licorice with some green herbs and a touch of tobacco. I love this super-balanced yummy wine and can't wait to get more! Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2013 - go now!

I feel like there will be a lot of fancy moments coming up in the next year. Let's spend some time making some magic happen!

Bekie (pictured above) has a shoulder length haircut and we managed to give her this beautiful style for the evening. I gave her a quick blow dry with Oribe Maximista applied at the roots for a good foundation. I then used Oribe Superfine Hairspray while working on the style and finished it off with Oribe Superfine Strong to make sure it held all night. I added some backcombing to her crown and pinned it at the bottom with some blond bobby pins. 

Presto! Ready for a glamorous night!

So You Wanna Be Startin' Something

And we're off!

I spent a few hours at the beginning of this year taking the first steps toward the micro-winery. I went to the planning department, building department and the agriculture department of Eldorado County. I'm getting the paperwork together so we can possibly take a shot at keeping our precious bounty and make our own wine with the harvest this year. In the meantime, we are still mulching our faces off out in the vineyard.

The mulch piles we made last year with the wood chips and horse manure have aged and are ready to be put between the grapes. Now that spring is looming, we are about to begin pruning. I'm also working on getting bees for the herbs and berries we planted last year so they can help attract beneficial insects.

There's still plenty of work ahead of us, but I'm hoping to have the tedious work behind me by harvest. With any luck I'll have my first barrel of wine to sell by 2019! Whoop Whoop!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I am putting my best foot forward for 2017. There is a bunch of amazingly beautiful wine and hair to be had, and I can't wait to be a part of it! Let's do this 2017!

Let's Keep Everyone Tipsy On Thanksgiving

Château Guiraud Sauternes

Thanksgiving this year at my house is going to be AMAZING. I plan on keeping everyone toasty warm and slightly tipsy. I have a few favorite wines that I plan to share, to spread some much-needed cheer. 

Here are some yummy wine ideas which will liven up your Thanksgiving:

Start off the pre-meal with some refreshing Prosecco. This year, I've chosen Bivio Prosecco — it has plenty of nice, tiny bubbles and a well-balanced acidity. It's a great way to get the food-and-wine ball rolling, for the day.

Next, I chose two white wines and two red wines for the actual meal. All of these wines are perfect companions for your turkey, ham, and all the trimmings.

First, I'll start with a Meyer-Fonné Riesling. I happen to LOVE Riesling. Meyer-Fonné is always a solid choice. I noticed that the Meyer-Fonné Riesling pictured above is already sold out, so I've got another solid choice for you to try — 2013 Meyer-Fonné Grand Cru "Schoenenbourg" Riesling. This is a dry Riesling, which is unbelievably intense — its flavors of honeysuckle and peach, pair wonderfully with food.

Then, we come to the Heidi Schröck Weissburgunder Pinot Blanc. This wine was suggested by my friend Lucre over at Robber Barron, in San Francisco. Its charming flavors of juicy fruit, expertly mesh with earthy minerals, which makes it a perfect match for all of the turkey that's about to go down. Plus, it's made by a kick-ass lady winemaker!

Next, I really like pairing Foxen's 2013 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir with poultry. Foxen makes an excellent Pinot Noir, that among other things, will perfectly compliment your smoked meats. So, if you're planning on smoking your bird, drink this! I love the complexity of this wine — its smoky tobacco flavors swirl around your nose, with delicious, floral, red berries — I want some right now!

For the last red to pair with dinner, Lucre chose a 2009 Sesti Brunello Di Montalcino. This is a wine made from Sangiovese grapes, with a spicy, aromatic nose. It has a gentle fruit body with a great, distinctive earthiness, and it pairs well with rustic foods. This is a beautiful wine, for a beautiful meal with friends and family.

Now, it's time for a little something to serve with dessert! I've been on a Sauternes kick lately. I really enjoy a little something after dinner to top off a great meal. Sauternes are a perfectly sweet and lusciously-textured wine to serve with blue cheese, nuts, dried fruit, or PUMPKIN PIE after dinner. I love the 2011 Chateâu Guiraud Sauternes — this wine has a magical, velvety mouthfeel, with flavors of slightly spicy orange, juicy pears, and fresh almonds. You and your guests will love it!

I hope you enjoy these food and wine pairings! My best advice this Thanksgiving — include lots of wine and plenty of great food, made with love — and please steer clear of any political discussions! Bon appétit!

Super Secret To Shiny Color-Treated Hair

The best shine maker for your color-treated hair, is actually a take-home product from Oribe, called Glaze for Beautiful Color. Apply this super-easy glaze once a week to towel dried hair for five minutes, in place of your favorite conditioner. I am totally addicted to this product and I can't wait for you to be too!

The Modern Restaurant NYC

While In NYC for work last month, I had a really delicious meal with excellent wine pairings at The Modern Restaurant. This is a picture of my beet salad, paired with two different wines. I couldn't decide between the 2013 Château De Brézé Clos David from Saumur, France or a 2012 Meyer-Fonné Riesling from Alsace. The Sommelier was nice enough to let me have a half of a glass of each! I also had a tiny glass of Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champange, a beautiful crisp rosé with tons of red berries and clean minerality. I also want to note that The Modern Restaurant is in The Wine Spectator Magazine, for the top 100 best wine lists. Next time you are in NYC, go check out the Modern Museum and then take in a nice meal at The Modern restaurant. 

My delish meal at The Modern Restaurant in NYC

This Is A Test, This Is Only A Test

Before harvest, you have to take a field sample of the grapes you want to pick. Taking a field sample is taking a few grapes from a bunch of different parts of the vineyard. The goal of this process is to see what the acid, sugar (Brix) and pH of the whole vineyard would be if you picked it all together. The grapes pictured are Petite Verdot, a minor Bordeaux varietal used mostly for blending but occasionally made as a solo varietal here in California. This grape adds great rich color with some beautiful violet aromas to your wine after blending.

The Twice Daily Punch Down

Twice a day, while the red wine is fermenting, you have to do a punch down with the must. The punch down involves using a paddle-like tool to push down the skins so more flavor and color can be extracted from them into the wine.

Sauvignon Blanc Harvest

Harvest time is here! We managed to pick a TON of grapes, literally. We're a small vineyard, so a ton is pretty good for us on this block of the vineyard. Pictured above are the gorgeous Sauvignon Blanc grapes just after harvest and a picture after they've been pressed for wine. 

Whew, It's been busy

The picture above on the left is a gorgeous bunch of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from our old vines (30+ years old). On the right is a picture of our juicy grapes waiting in line to be crushed.

This last month has been a crazy one. At the end of August, we picked and pressed the Sauvignon Blanc, followed by a staggered harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cabernet Franc, which lasted for several weeks. We're still waiting for last bit of Petite Sirah to ripen and then our 2016 harvest will officially be over!

We had a great crop this year — there were even enough grapes left over, after taking care of our buyers, to make some wine for ourselves. The Sauvignon Blanc has already finished it's fermentation and it's now resting. The Cabernet Sauvignon has also finished fermenting, but we're leaving it on its skins (extended maceration) to extract a little more color and tannins. I'm waiting for the Cabernet Franc to finish fermenting so we can take the skins off, but for now, I just watch and wait for the wine to do it's thing. 

I'm super proud of our grapes this year. My family and I spent a ton of extra time and loving energy in the vineyard and it feels so good to see the fruition (I had to) of our labors!

Anytime Is The Right Time For Bubbly

So, I'm happy to report that my recent sparkling wine tasting at robberbarron in San Francisco was a smashing success! We managed to work our way through several bottles of Proseco, some yummy Cava and a few different types of Champagne — all of which were delicious. But the wine that really made my taste buds sing was a NV (non-Vintage) Rosé Brut 1ER Cru from J. Lassalle. This wine was really fresh and bright, with a softness that made it easy to sip and enjoy all night!

I love J. Lassalle — maybe even a little more because the winery is run by three generations of bad-ass chicks! You can check out their NV Rosé Brut 1ER Cru at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, or head over to robberbarron and grab a glass tonight!

Oh God, You've Gotta Try This

I picked up this bottle of Moulin de la Gardette La Cuvée Ventabren Gigondas 2013 while I was in Los Angeles at K&L Wines on Vine St. I'm a huge fan of Grenache Noir grapes and this one is Fantastic! I loved how many herbs (lavender/rosemary) and pepper came on the cherry/strawberry train. This is a perfect example of a super balanced, easy to drink wine. I'm running to K&L Wines in San Francisco to pick up a few more bottles! Yum!

Inspiring Up-Dos

Being at Barrow Salon never feels like work. After a hectic month of traveling, I always feel inspired by the positive energy there — and I love that the girls are always ready to model for a quick up-do! Here is a few examples of quick, fun up-do's for the fall season.

Another version of the twist.

Both of these styles took less than 15 minutes to put together. They're super fun to wear, very versatile and easy to do.

I used a liberal application of Bumble and Bumble Does It All Spray on their dry hair at the root. After  some quick backcombing and brushing, I pushed their hair into style and pinned it in place. Both styles I used twisting methods, careful not to be too precious about them. After I was satisfied, I finished these two beauties off with a spray with Bumble and Bumble Classic Hair Spray and I was done!

The next time you're in need of a quick hair fix, try these out!

Downtown Healdsburg

Wandering around downtown Healdsburg, it's hard not to notice how much everything's changed from my first visit 10 years ago. On my first trip, I was there to style hair for a wedding and I absolutely loved it! It was super cute and old-timey, with a slow, vintage California feel. Now, don't get me wrong — it's still super cute and obviously, I totally love it there — but Healdsburg's seen a huge transformation in the last decade. There's a part of me that's sad to see some of the rustic charm polished away as the town grows, but it's a wonderful place that I visit pretty often.

Today, downtown Healdsburg is very comfortable and it's full of amazing shops, specialty grocery stores and restaurants. There are numerous cafes, spas, wine tasting rooms and wine bars for the ever-growing wine tourists — and while I miss some of the old historic feel of the place, it's great to see that business is booming. There's still that small town feel, but it's a lot more modern now and the town has more of a boutique aesthetic. Although I enjoy the newer amenities, I can't help but miss some of the untouched charm. I love downtown Healdsburg and I hope it can stay adorable and charming forever.

This last visit, I stopped into my favorite store, Oakville Grocery, to grab a few things before heading over to Banshee Wines to meet a friend. Banshee has a beautiful tasting room with a super-relaxing atmosphere and lovely mid-century decor. I adore their great taste in furniture, with dark wood, leather and brass accents, as well as their clean and simple marble fireplace. They've created a really pretty space that's comfortable and inviting — it's a fantastic place to spend the afternoon.

I ordered some snacks and stayed there awhile to sample some of their wines. Out of all of them, my favorite was their 2014 Cabernet. It was rich and delicious — a perfect lift before heading out to explore more of the town. The next time you're in downtown Healdsburg, grab yourself a glass of wine and spend awhile shopping or lounging around the plaza. Take some time to enjoy the sun and cool off on the grass beneath the tall trees as they sway in the breeze. It's life, uncomplicated — something that we seem to lose as time goes on — but still can be found in beautiful gems like this.

Hooker Creek

I've been hearing about Ridge Vineyards for years, but I'd never had a chance to check out their tasting room before recently. My friend Lucre at robberbarron in SF, loves the Ridge Vineyards Zinfandels. On her good advice, I decided to pay them a visit.

Ridge Vineyards has a huge array of wines, so I decided to try their tasting menu. I also added a few extra Zinfandels to the mix, which I've been dying to try. In short, their Zins were awesome! My favorite was the Hooker Creek 2014 Zinfandel. This wine is from their Sonoma property, Hooker Creek, in Healdsberg Ca. It's a really special wine that's made from a blend of all of the varieties of grape in a field. In this case, the Hooker Creek 2014 Zin is 2% Alicante Bouschet and 2% Petite Sirah — the rest is the glorious Zinfandel.

One of the things I loved about the Hooker Creek 2014 Zin, is Ridge's use of American oak.  While French oak has more typical flavors of baking spices (cinnamon, clove and nutmeg,) American oak tends to add flavors of vanilla, coconut, cream soda and sometimes, a hint of dill — uncommon flavors for this type of wine, but something unusual and special. I really like American Oak and I was happy to hear that Ridge is bold enough to use it!

This wine was still young, but it had very impressive flavors, and a fantastic, creamy mouth feel. The 2014 Zin is a juicy mix of black cherry, dark plum and dried herbs. I brought home three bottles and I can't believe I already drank two!

Please check out Ridge Vineyards — go for a tasting or find a few bottles to sample on their website — you won't be disappointed!

Healdsburg Wine Tasting!

The girls and I were in Healdsburg, California for a week this summer, and I took the opportunity to check out a few wineries that I was curious about. Today, I want to share with you one of my favorites from the trip.

Porter Creek is a charming little winery is on a beautiful stretch of Westside Rd. Their tasting room is just a tiny shack on the edge of their property, but I really enjoyed the simplicity of their set-up. One of the things I loved was their biodynamic garden, which is right next the tasting room. I totally loved their Chardonnays — nicely balanced, with some mineral and citrus, as well as a tiny bit of oak. Delish! 

One of the interesting things at Porter Creek, is an old vine Carignan. It's really unusual to find this grape bottled as a single varietal, instead of part of a blend. The winner for me was their 2012 Syrah — aromatic and soft, with a well-rounded mouth feel. This wine is really something special. 

Stop by Porter Creek and enjoy their chill vibe and their yummy wines!