COATES VINEYARDS NOTES

Find us on the Vin Organica app

2010-12-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

You can find Coates Vineyards on Vin Organica, a new app (available at the Apple Store). It's a handy guide to organic, no-sulfites wines and vineyards in California. It includes slide shows, tasting room hours, nearby restaurants and lodging, prices, maps and directions.

2010 Harvest and Crush

2010-12-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Luckily Coates Vineyards had some wonderful help from our local bears in cleaning off all the grapes that we hadn't harvested ourselves this season. Rain came the 3rd weekend in September just before we started the pick. We left hanging the rain damaged Syrah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese grapes to be pruned off later with the canes. The bear in the photo had decided that the grapes were fine enough for fresh eating and is systematically working down the row, enjoying a lovely, peaceful Syrah afternoon.

The Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Trebbiano ripened well and their thicker skins withstood splitting and subsequent molding. We finished the harvest and crush with 70 new barrels of 2010 wines.

Why am I so special?

2007-12-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

Good question, why am I so special? Let's see.

Organic 2004 Merlot wine, from very rich and flavorful certified organic, estate grown, hand picked grapes for a starter.
Fermented with tender loving care without the addition of sulfites, and thus capturing all the delicate flavor essences developed from the long summer season of ripening the merlot grapes.
The 3 years of aging in beautiful Nadalie French and American oak barrels.
Unfiltered, unfined, delivering its true, natural flavors and silky texture. Certified Vegan.
A perfect wine to celebrate the end of a Great 2007. Happy New Year from all of us at Coates Vineyards!

Red Cap Reserve

2007-05-26T07:41:00.001-07:00

The Red Cap Red label has finally been revived but as the Reserve. Long live the freedom fighters! Try drinking a bottle of the Red Cap Reserve and see what kind of freedom fighting expression you may exhibit. With 20% alcohol and being a Port style wine, there is nothing reserved about the bouquet of flavors and gorgeous ruby glow.

70 Cases of 750ml bottles produced

Release Date- July 2007

2003 Zinfandel Release

2007-01-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

175 cases produced
Total SO2-none detected, Vinquiry-TTB Certified Laboratory

The 2003 Zinfandel hits the glass a fiery red and settles to a deep garnet. Initial nose is of big, purple baking cherries with undertones of driftwood. It is dry and very spicey from the new American oak. The spiciness is liken to a bit of clove. A wine perfectly suited to popular American taste. What rounds the wine out best is the unique terroir of the Klamath River bottom, rich with minerals imparting an almost flinty dryness to the finish.

2003 Merlot Release

2007-01-29T08:53:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to present our next series of Organic Wines, barrel aged for more than 3 years to perfection.

150 cases produced

Total SO2-none detected-Vinquiry,Inc.-TTB Certified Laboratory

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Release

2007-01-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

250 cases produced

Total SO2- none detected-Vinquiry-TTB Certified Laboratory

Feliz Navidad Coates Lovers!

2006-12-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonder Vineland

2006-12-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

A rare wintery scene from last January, but appropriate for the beginning of this new year. The vines are resting, pruning has begun, and the holiday season is upon us. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Hand Picked and Hand Shoveled

2006-12-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

These are some of the methods we use to make high quality wine from organically grown grapes without the use of sulfites. We selectively hand harvest the grapes and then shovel them into the destemmer and get the fermentation started immediately in clean stainless steel closed fermentation tanks. With the addition of yeasts the fermentation begins developing a layer of CO2 gas over the must and protecting the juice from oxidation and harmful bacteria. The resulting wine is then handled very carefully through all its stages of storage and oak barrel aging until it is ready to drink and bottle.

There is an end in sight, thank you 2006!!!

2006-11-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

Petite Sirah Reigns

2006-11-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

The new undisputed champion, Petite Sirah, stands tall and ready for harvest on the last day of October. This grape has it all. We are very happy that all the grapes are harvested and in safe keeping, the 2006 crush is completed. Let the rains begin!!!

The Majestic Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-10-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

It's still standing when all the others have bowed out. The Cab can even out last most of the leaves.

The Cabernet Sauvignon brings on the smiles

2006-10-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

Either our vineyard helpers are happy that it is such a nice day to start the Cab harvest or that the entire effort to nuture the vineyards for 10 months and then to be finishing the last week of harvest is apparant. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a labor of love nevertheless.

Sangiovese Rose is Flowing

2006-10-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

After a 48 hour cold soak, a gorgeous rose appears from the pressing ready for a barrel fermentation.

Que Syrah, Syrah

2006-10-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Though being Friday the 13th of October, there is nothing unlucky about this harvest of Syrah heading for the destemmer.

Baccus is Smiling

2006-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Baccus are smiling from this pool of Merlot forming under the Diemme membrane press. Harvest is a time of Joy.

Happy Harvest Moon

2006-10-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air and after a considerable amount of hangtime, the Zin, Merlot, and Syrah are in the tanks and fermenting.

The Grape Crush Begins

2006-10-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

The 2006 Grape Harvest and Crush has begun with 2 days of Zinfandel and a Saturday pick of Merlot. The sweet smells of yeasts and grape sugars fill the air. Life is like a tank full of grape juice turning into wine!

The Luscious Trebbiano Grape

2006-09-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Though we do not make this white wine to market, the Trebbiano grape is a nice addition to our Sangiovese wine, complimenting its wide range of fruit flavors.

September Bottling before the Crush begins

2006-09-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

As we have a couple of weeks to wait for the grapes to ripen before the crush begins, it's a great time for bottling. Also, before the winery turns into an array of yeast strains populating and digesting grape sugars, it is a safe time to gently bottle some well barrel aged wine that is ready to enjoy. This machine is nitogen sparging, filling, leveling and vacuum corking 25 bottles per minute.

Exquisitely Persian Mulberries

2006-09-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Our passion for Persian Mulberries is rivaled only by peaches and, of course, wine grapes.
While waiting for the grapes to ripen there have been dreams of fermenting these mulberries and making a devine dessert wine. We are still looking for avid mulberry pickers, they ripen one at a time. Meanwhile, it's always a colorful event picking enough for a batch of delicious mulberry ice cream.

Coates Vineyards Persian Mulberry Ice Cream
3 cups fresh picked mulberries
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups organic whole milk
2 3/4 cups organic heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure organic vanilla extract

In a small bowl, maserate berries by hand... touch nothing! Add lemon juice and half cup of the sugar. Stir gently and let sit for as long as you have. Reserve 1 cup of mulberry mixture to add later.
Leave the rest of the mulberries in a medium mixing bowl, and using a hand mixer on low speed combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn on the machine and pour into freezer bowl and let mix until thickened. Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the reserved mulberry mixture and let mix completely. In my machine 25-35 minutes. Makes about 14 1/2 cup servings. Yeah, r-i-g-h-t! The color of this icecream will blow your mind and stain everything in a five foot radius. But it is absolutely worth it!

Buen Provecho!

Bottles on their way to fulfillment

2006-09-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

The bottles are on the move.

Vineyard reflection on the bottling line

2006-09-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

The vineyard enjoys the view of its wine bottling in session.

Nothing like Natural Cork

2006-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the cork hopper above the vacuum corker with the highest quality corks that are available. It only makes sense to use the best cork.

Bottling the 2003 Syrah

2006-09-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

After almost three years of patience, the next generation of COATES wine is going into the bottle. Bottling day is always exhilarating and exhausting trying to keep up with 25 bottles per minute.

2003 Vintage Release

2006-08-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Look for our new Syrah and Sangiovese.

The Merlot grapes are showing

2006-08-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

All the grape varietals are beginning to color and ripen. After nine months of vineyard work, we are hoping for good weather to prevail for September and October and then finish what may be our biggest and best harvest yet. And while we are watching and waiting, the 2003 Syrah and Sangiovese will be bottled and released. They are the first of our Certified Organic Wines. We are very excited about these new wines and all the wines that are coming soon.

Our little Home on the Prairie

2006-07-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday Afternoon, back from a fruit and veggie delivery, the fire is moving down further into Perch Creek. Keeping our fingers crossed for everyone.

Fire on the Mountain

2006-07-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

The volcano in Orleans Mountain has erupted again!!! Not really, the lightning on last Monday afternoon hit a few places around Orleans and this one was left to burn until Friday, July 29 when it had grown into a serious threat. By Saturday afternoon it was twice the size. Coates Vineyards are a mile in back from where this photo was taken and not in danger at the moment. Friends live directly below the fire and are getting ready for evacuation. All we can do is hope that the fire can be stopped before it gets any closer.