2016 Brooks Note Pinot Blanc, Mendocino County - Wine of the Day

2016 Brooks Note Pinot Blanc, Mendocino County

$24

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Our Pinot Blanc is a beautiful corn silk yellow. It begins with citrus, lemon flower, and stone fruit aromas. It has a bright entry, with lemon, apricot, and honeysuckle flavors. It lingers with a long citrus and stone fruit finish. It’s supported by balanced acidity and smooth texture.  It’s perfect for warm summer days.

The 2016 Pinot Blanc comes from Schrader Ranch Vineyard in Mendocino County, just south of Ukiah. In 2016 the long, mild summer with late rains meant the grapes could hang on the vine longer, building beautiful ripe fruit flavors while maintaining their acidity.

2016 Brooks Note Rosé - Wine of the Day

2016 Brooks Note Rosé

$24

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Our dry Rosé is a beautiful salmon pink. It begins with strawberry, floral, and citrus aromas. It has a bright entry, with ripe strawberry, grapefruit, lemon, and honey suckle flavors. It lingers with a long strawberry finish. It’s supported by balanced acidity and smooth texture.  It is perfect for warm summer  days.

The 2016 Rosé comes from our 4 Pinot Noir Vineyards: Azaya Ranch and Chileno Valley Vineyard in Marin (50%), a small corner of Monroe Vineyard (25%) on the Sonoma Coast, and Weir Vineyard in the Yorkville Highlands (25%). In 2016 the long, mild summer with late rains meant the grapes at all three sites could hang on the vine longer, building beautiful ripe fruit flavors while maintaining their acidity.

2016 Brooks Note Pinot Blanc, Mendocino County - Wine of the Day

2016 Brooks Note Pinot Blanc, Mendocino County

$24

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Our Pinot Blanc is a beautiful corn silk yellow. It begins with citrus, lemon flower, and stone fruit aromas. It has a bright entry, with lemon, apricot, and honeysuckle flavors. It lingers with a long citrus and stone fruit finish. It’s supported by balanced acidity and smooth texture.  It’s perfect for warm summer days.

They picked the Pinot Blanc by hand on September 9th. The fruit was pressed immediately, allowed to settle, then racked off the lees the next day. It was fermented in stainless steel at 55 degrees. Once the wine was below 2% residual sugar, the tank was allowed to come up to 60 degrees to ensure the wine finished bone dry. The wine was bottled on March 10, 2017.

The 2016 Pinot Blanc comes from Schrader Ranch Vineyard in Mendocino County, just south of Ukiah. In 2016 the long, mild summer with late rains meant the grapes could hang on the vine longer, building beautiful ripe fruit flavors while maintaining their acidity.

Brooks Note Weir Pinot Noir - Product Of The Day

2013 BROOKS NOTE WEIR PINOT NOIR

$ 44.00

7.5% DISCOUNT OFF THE PURCHASE OF A CASE

$0.01 SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 4 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED TO CALIFORNIA

$15.00 SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 6 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA

Tasting Notes

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This offering from Brooks Note is an elegant ruby color typical of Weir vineyard. Aromatically, it offers notes of blackberry, cherry, raspberry, leather, and black tea with a hint of jasmine.  As it opens up, there’s a touch of clove and herbs de Provence. In the mouth, it has a lovely smooth entry, structured tannins and balanced acidity with flavors of cranberries, tart cherries, blackberries and anise. The silky texture continues through the palate with nice weight. It has a long, finish of cranberries, dark cherries and bright licorice. The cherry lingers quite a while once the wine is gone.

Taste With Winemaker Garry Brooks! 

THE VINEYARDS AND VINTAGE

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Weir Vineyard is in the Yorkville Highlands, about 7 miles south of Boonville. It sits between 900 and 1000 feet, on a south facing slope with well drained, rocky soil. The lower, eastern portion of the vineyard was planted in 1992. The slightly higher, western portion was planted in 2000. During the growing season, there is a 40-50 degree temperature shift between day and night. Both the elevation and the coastal air moving down the Anderson Valley provide cooling for the vineyard. We use Rochioli and 2A clones from the lower, eastern blocks and RC clone from the western blocks. In 2013, heavy fruit set meant that we needed to drop lots of grapes prior to veraison to maintain flavor intensity in the finished wines. Our mild summer with late rains meant the grapes could hang on the vines longer, building beautiful ripe fruit flavors and silky tannins, without higher alcohol.

WINEMAKING

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The vineyard was hand-picked well before sunrise the morning of September 20th. A small amount (about 10%) of the Pinot Noir fruit was left on the stems, while the remainder was sorted and de-stemmed (but not crushed) into 1 and 1.5 ton fermenters.  The wine was allowed to cold soak for 3 days, and then warmed in the sun. Fermentation began from native yeast, and finished within 2 weeks. Wines from the three different clones were kept separate and blended just before bottling. We used two new Remond barrels. All the others were neutral French oak. The wine was bottled in March of 2015. 

APPELLATION:  Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County
VINEYARD:  Weir Vineyard
ALCOHOL: 13.9%
pH/TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 3.67 / 7.1 g/l
WINEMAKING:  Open top 1 and 1.5 ton fermenters, cold soak, native yeast start, punch down
BARREL AGING: Aged 16 months in French oak (33% new barrels)
WINEMAKER: Garry Brooks

LIMITED PRODUCTION - 140 CASES 

This wine is not sold in stores and is exclusively available for residents of California, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC or those with a California based wine locker.

Qorkz Kitchen

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Welcome to Qorkz Kitchen! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and in anticipation we have put together some of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes which would be welcome at any Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy them while celebrating the season with your family this holiday season.

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Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 Bag (1 Pound) of Cranberries
1/3 Cup of Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 1/4 Cups of Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Grapefruit Zest & Juice

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Directions

Mix the water and sugar together in a put and stir to incorporate. Then bring to a simmer over medium high heat. 

Once the sugar is incorporated add the cranberries and stir to combine. Next, add the cinnamon stick, reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer together for ten minutes. 

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Wine Pairing

Cranberries are a common red fruit flavor detected in Pinot Noir, making it the perfect match for this dish. Looking for a Pinot Noir full of red fruit flavors for your Thanksgiving table? Try the Brooks Note Marin Pinot Noir $36.  

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Use a microplane or zester to zest the outside of the grapefruit. Then cut the grapefruit in half and extract the juice using a reamer or a press. 

Combine the juice, nutmeg, allspice, and the zest with the simmering cranberries. Cook over medium heat for another two minutes. 

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Finish The Dish 

Cranberries are full of pectin which will help firm up the cranberry sauce as it cools. Take the cranberries off the heat and let them cool for twenty minutes prior to serving.

Thanksgiving Is 12 Days Away

Thanksgiving is 12 days away, are you ready? In the lead up to Thanksgiving we will be putting together some wine suggestions for your Thanksgiving meal that you can have delivered right to your door. Place your orders soon to ensure your wine arrives onetime for the holiday! 

Brooks Note Collection 

What do you need for Thanksgiving? Really great Pinot Noir. Look no further than Brooks Note for all of your Thanksgiving needs.

Winemaker Garry Brooks is pleased to offer you his Marin County Pinot Noir. This 90 point wine has big flavors of cherries and cranberries and with a sassafras finish, this wine would be perfect with your meal.

Looking for an elegant wine to pair with Thanksgiving? Try the Brooks Note Weir Pinot Noir. This 93 point wine has a balanced acidity with flavors of cranberries, tart cherries, blackberries and anise. The silky texture continues through the palate with nice weight. It has a long, finish of cranberries, dark cherries and bright licorice. 

Brooks Note Marin Pinot Noir $36                                                  Brooks Note Weir Pinot Noir $44

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Shipping 

$0.01 Shipping on orders of 4 bottles or more shipped to California. 
$0.01 Shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more shipped outside of California. 

Shipping on 2 Bottles to California: $19.09
Shipping on 2 Bottles to Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. , New York, and Minnesota $32.80
Shipping on 4 Bottles to Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. , New York, and Minnesota $35.51

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This wine is exclusively available for residents of California, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. , New York, and Minnesota or to those with a California based wine locker. 

Book Club

We love book club. In fact, for us it is mostly a wine drinking social club where we not only talk about the book, but we also use the time to catch up with our friends. When it's our turn to select the book, we pick from one of the myriad of books about wine that are on the shelves today. In the Book Club feature, we will share some of our favorite wine based books that we have read here at Qorkz, and we hope you enjoy them as well.

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A Very Good Year: The Journey of a California Wine From Vine to Table

Situated amidst the lush soils of Sonoma County in the heart of California’s wine country, the Ferrari-Carano Vineyards produce some of the best-loved wines in America. Founded by casino mogul Don Carano and his wife Rhonda just over twenty years ago, the winemaker has won praise from consumers and connoisseurs alike for its affordably priced premium bottles, particularly its Fumé Blanc. In A Very Good Year, award-winning journalist Mike Weiss goes behind the scenes at this renowned winemaker to tell the story of how a bottle of this wine is created, from the first grapes picked by the hands of Mexican migrant workers to the vintage’s initial public tasting at the Four Seasons in New York

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Wine Pairing For This Book 

What you get in this book is the story of a bottle of wine made with love and care by someone who took great pride in their wine. The story vividly describes Sonoma from the cool foggy mornings to the hot afternoons. Want a wine from that terroir while you contemplate the region? Look no further than the Weir Pinot Noir from Brooks Note. The warm days help ripen the grapes while the cool evenings let the grapes ripen slowly and develop tremendous balance.  We know you'll love it. And with 1 cent shipping on orders of 4 or more to California it's that much easier to love! 

Movie Night

Having a Friday night in? We recommend a movie, a bottle of wine, and some popcorn. What type of movie? One about wine of course! There are many movies about wine out there to choose from and on Fridays we will share one with you that we have seen and enjoyed. You get the popcorn and let Qorkz send you the wine! 

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Bottle Shock

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In 1976, Steven Spurrier, a sommelier in Paris, comes to the Napa Valley to take the best he can find to Paris for a blind taste test against French wine. He meets Jim Barrett, whose Chateau Montelena is mortgaged to the hilt as Jim perfects his chardonnay. There's strain in Jim's relations with his hippie son Bo and his foreman Gustavo, a Mexican farmworker's son secretly making his own wine. Plus, there's Sam, a UC Davis graduate student and free spirit, mutually attracted to both Gustavo and Bo. As Spurrier organizes the "Judgment of Paris," Jim doesn't want to participate while Bo knows it's their only chance. Barrett's chardonnay has buttery notes and a Smithsonian finish.

Available To Stream On Netflix

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Film Critic

This movie strikes close to our heart because it follows the core message of Qorkz: Good wine is good wine no matter where it's grown. It also champions the cause of small producers and the care and craftsmanship they put into their wine. The winning Chateau Montelena wine only produced 500 cases. This movie highlights the blessing and the curse of small production wines. One minute they are near bankruptcy and struggling to sell this tremendous product and the next, the world discovers how great it is, and you will struggle to get your hands on another bottle.  I love that last scene of everyone desperately trying to find a bottle of it. The takeaway? Don't wait until its too late. 

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Why We Love It 

"Wine is sunlight held together by water" I mean, how do you not love that? Bottle Shock is a great film for all of us who love wine because it allows us to live the struggle of the winemaker. The highs and the lows. It's an emotional struggle from start to finish. It's also the classic underdog story. It's a multitiered challenge of youth v. the establishment and not just with Napa against France either. You have the free wheeling hippie son against his father, and natives to the Napa wine industry v. newcomers seeking to make wine, who challenge established ideas at every turn. Everyone can find their underdog to root for in this film, and it's why it's one of our favorites.  

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Wine Pairings For This Film 

Looking for that wine that has yet to be discovered that you can still get your hands on? That wine that will be impossible to find once the public truly finds out how great it is? That small player doing everything the right way and cutting no corners?  If so then we have two wines for you. 

2010 Anthem Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon

$95.00

This wine is phenomenal. It has all the makings of a cult wine and only 300 cases were produced with about 60 cases remaining. Will you be one of the lucky ones to have said, "oh yeah, I tried that!" 

$0.01 cent shipping on orders of 3 or more. 

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Brooks Note Weir Pinot Noir

$44

You know that scene in the film where Jim Barrett wants to rack the wine again because he knows that extra effort will make all the difference? That's Garry Brooks in a nutshell.  That level of care and driven perfectionism is present in every sip of his Weir Pinot Noir. You have to try this stuff, it's phenomenal. 

$0.01 shipping on orders of 4 bottles or more shipped to California. 

$0.01 shipping on orders of 6 bottles of more shipped outside of California.

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Movie Trailer 

Product Of The Day

2013 BROOKS NOTE MARIN COUNTY PINOT NOIR

$36.00

2013 VINTAGE RECEIVED A 90 POINT RATING FROM THE PINOTFILE

7.5% DISCOUNT OFF THE PURCHASE OF A CASE

$0.01 SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 4 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED TO CALIFORNIA

$0.01 SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 6 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA

APPELLATION: Marin County, Petaluma Wind Gap
VINEYARDS: Chileno Valley Vineyard (46%) & Azaya Ranch Vineyard (54%)
ALCOHOL: 13.9%
pH/TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 3.60/6.9 g/l
WINEMAKING: Open top 1 and 1.5 ton fermenters, cold soak, native yeast start, punch down
BARREL AGING: Aged 10 months in French oak (27% new barrels, 27% once filled barrels, 46% neutral)
WINEMAKER: Garry Brooks

LIMITED PRODUCTION - 250 CASES

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Tasting Notes

In the glass: Deep burgundy color.
Aroma: Abundant dark cherry, with notes of black pepper, sassafras and a hint of oak.  As it opens up, there’s a touch of clove and cinnamon.
In the Mouth: Lovely round mouth feel, with structured tannins and flavors of cranberries, tart cherries, blackberries, and a hint of wild sage.
Finish: Nice long finish of cranberries, tart cherries and wet stone.

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The Vineyards & Vintage

The 2013 Brooks Note Marin County Pinot is a blend from two vineyards. Both are on the Marin side of the Petaluma Gap. Azaya Ranch is closest to the coast, just north of Stafford Lake on Hicks Valley Rd. It sits on a south facing, well drained slope.   Cool wind from the coast ensures thick skins, great color, and beautiful texture in our clones 2a and 777. Chileno Valley Vineyard sits on a bench facing north east into Sonoma. Because it is dry farmed, the vines struggle to produce small, intensely flavored berries. Clone 828 contributes a burst of raspberry and cherry. The site, with its cold nights and warm days, provides great acidity and a subtle earthiness typical of Marin. In 2013 the long, mild summer with late rains meant the grapes at both sites could hang on the vine longer, building beautiful ripe fruit flavors and silky tannins, without higher alcohol. The warm spring, particularly during fruit set, meant that we needed to drop quite a bit of fruit during the summer, and just after veraison.

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Winemaking 

Azaya Ranch was hand-picked before sunrise the morning of September 20. Chileno valley vineyard was picked just after sunrise on September 23rd. A small amount (about 10%) of the fruit was left on the stems, while the remainder was sorted and de-stemmed (but not crushed) into 1 and 1.5 ton fermenters.  A small amount of juice was removed 24 hours after destemming. The wine was allowed to cold soak for 3 days, and then warmed in the sun. Fermentation began from native yeasts, and finished within 2 weeks. Wines from the 2 vineyards were kept separate and blended just before bottling. We used two new Remond and one new Gamba barrels, along with 3 once filled barrels. The remainder was neutral French oak. The wine was bottled in September 2014 and released April 6th2015.

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Taste With Winemaker Garry Brooks 

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Taste With Qorkz Sommelier Ryan Evans

Product Of The Day

2013 BROOKS NOTE WEIR PINOT NOIR

$ 44.00

7.5% DISCOUNT OFF THE PURCHASE OF A CASE

$0.01 SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 4 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED TO CALIFORNIA

$0.01 SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 6 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA

Wine Details  

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APPELLATION:  Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County
VINEYARD:  Weir Vineyard
ALCOHOL: 13.9%
pH/TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 3.67 / 7.1 g/l
WINEMAKING:  Open top 1 and 1.5 ton fermenters, cold soak, native yeast start, punch down
BARREL AGING: Aged 16 months in French oak (33% new barrels)
WINEMAKER: Garry Brooks

LIMITED PRODUCTION - 140 CASES 

THE VINEYARDS AND VINTAGE

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Weir Vineyard is in the Yorkville Highlands, about 7 miles south of Boonville. It sits between 900 and 1000 feet, on a south facing slope with well drained, rocky soil. The lower, eastern portion of the vineyard was planted in 1992. The slightly higher, western portion was planted in 2000. During the growing season, there is a 40-50 degree temperature shift between day and night. Both the elevation and the coastal air moving down the Anderson Valley provide cooling for the vineyard. We use Rochioli and 2A clones from the lower, eastern blocks and RC clone from the western blocks. In 2013, heavy fruit set meant that we needed to drop lots of grapes prior to veraison to maintain flavor intensity in the finished wines. Our mild summer with late rains meant the grapes could hang on the vines longer, building beautiful ripe fruit flavors and silky tannins, without higher alcohol.

WINEMAKING

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The vineyard was hand-picked well before sunrise the morning of September 20th. A small amount (about 10%) of the Pinot Noir fruit was left on the stems, while the remainder was sorted and de-stemmed (but not crushed) into 1 and 1.5 ton fermenters.  The wine was allowed to cold soak for 3 days, and then warmed in the sun. Fermentation began from native yeast, and finished within 2 weeks. Wines from the three different clones were kept separate and blended just before bottling. We used two new Remond barrels. All the others were neutral French oak. The wine was bottled in March of 2015. 

THE WINE

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This offering from Brooks Note is an elegant ruby color typical of Weir vineyard. Aromatically, it offers notes of blackberry, cherry, raspberry, leather, and black tea with a hint of jasmine.  As it opens up, there’s a touch of clove and herbs de Provence. In the mouth, it has a lovely smooth entry, structured tannins and balanced acidity with flavors of cranberries, tart cherries, blackberries and anise. The silky texture continues through the palate with nice weight. It has a long, finish of cranberries, dark cherries and bright licorice. The cherry lingers quite a while once the wine is gone.

Taste With Winemaker Garry Brooks

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Movie Night

Having a Friday night in? We recommend a movie, a bottle of wine, and some popcorn. What type of movie? One about wine of course! There are many movies about wine out there to choose from and on Fridays we will share one with you that we have seen and enjoyed. You get the popcorn and let Qorkz send you the wine! 

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Sideways

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Miles is a failed writer living a meager existence in San Diego as an English teacher. With his career seemingly fading and the fate of a book hinging on a publisher's decision, Miles is depressed with himself and what he hasn't achieved. Jack is a television actor whom some recognize but not many do, as if he were a minor actor who got a taste of success. With his best friend Miles, the two embark on a road trip through California's wine country. Miles wants to give his friend a nice sendoff before married life, while Jack simply wants to have a fling beforehand. As they're both nearing middle age with not much to show for it, the two will explore the vineyards while ultimately searching for their identities. - IMDB.com 

Movie Critic 

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We know, we know. You're not drinking any more F-ing Merlot. Well, maybe you should be! Chances are that since this movie, you have been one of the thousands who have said "Oh I'll pass, I don't like Merlot." Thanks to one of the most widely misinterpreted scenes in movie history, one of our favorite varietals was almost killed off entirely. In the movie, the main character Miles yells that he "isn't drinking any more F-ing Merlot" outside of the restaurant. This was widely interpreted as the wine expert dislikes Merlot, or Merlot is somehow a bad wine. Nothing could be further from the truth! In the original story from the book, Miles won't drink Merlot because it's his ex-wife's favorite. That's it. That little omission from the movie is the reason Merlot was nearly pulled from all the vineyards across America. In the years since,  Merlot has been making quite a comeback and should work it's way back into your regular rotation to be recognized as the delicious varietal that it is. 

Why We Love It

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If ever there was a movie that waxed poetically about wine, this is it. Pinot Noir and Syrah get the grand treatment from the main character Miles during his trek through the Santa Barbara wine region centered around the town of Solvang. You can tour this region yourself consisting of AVAs Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Ballard Canyon, and the Santa Maria Valley  When asked Why he loves Pinot Noir so much Miles says: 

“Uh, I don’t know, I don’t know. Um, it’s a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It’s uh, it’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s, you know, it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it’s neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot’s potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet.”

— Miles Raymond - Sideways

How could you not want a glass of Pinot Noir after hearing that? In fact, we have a few more recommendations that go with Sideways. 

Wine Pairings 

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Merlot

2010 ANTHEM MT. VEEDER ESTATE MERLOT

We're betting if any Merlot can win you back, this one can.  In fact, it was rated the second best Merlot in the world by Wine Spectator. Stocks of this one are dwindling, so if you have wanted to try it, here's your chance. 

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Pinot Noir 

2013 BROOKS NOTE MARIN COUNTY PINOT NOIR

Pinot Noir, because, well, you just have to with this movie. We're fans of the Brooks Note Marin because it has big fruit flavors and a long finish. If you put this glass down to watch a few scenes the odds are good you will still be tasting it when you're ready to take your next sip.  

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Syrah

2012 CORUCE SYRAH

Syrah was Miles second love in Sideways but received none of the publicity bump or fame of Pinot Noir. We think it should have garnered rockstar status years ago for its depth and complexity. Sip on this Coruce Syrah to truly experience the depth of the varietal that made Miles fall so hard. 

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Movie Trailer 

Varietal Of The Week

Pinot Noir

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THE GRAPE

A native of Burgundy, Pinot Noir is a black-skinned grape known for elegance and difficulty to produce. The grapes-have very thin skins and grow in tight clusters that make them very susceptible to rot and mildew and leads to much lower yields. Pinot Noir prefers to be cultivated in cooler regions that allow for long growing periods producing a medium bodied low tannin wine. While most famously grown in Burgundy, California produces great Pinot Noir in the Sonoma Coast, Mendocino, Carneros, and Central Coast. Pinot Noir is widely produced in Oregon's Willamette Valley, New Zealand, and South Africa.

THE WINE

Pinot Noir is a red wine that exhibits a fruit-forward character with notes of blackberry, cherry, strawberry and raspberry. Pinot Noir has notable herbal or earthy qualities of leather, musk and mushroom, along with spice notes of cinnamon, clove, smoke, and tobacco. Depending on where it's grown, Pinot Noir can have a dryness and tannin structure ranging from moderate to mild. Pinot Noir's known for it's silky, elegant mouthfeel and bright complex flavor.

PERFECT PAIRINGS

Pinot Noir is terrific on it's own, but it also pairs well with cured meats, grilled vegetables, and antipasti. Manchego and Pecorino cheeses are also delightful pairings.

SHOP PINOT NOIR WINES IN THE QORKZ MARKETPLACE

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