Neyers Vineyards Bruce's Journal
Neyers 2021 Sage Canyon Red
By Bruce Neyers
Friday 26th April, 2024
Neyers 2021 Sage Canyon Red is a Hit with Wine Enthusiast
We were obviously delighted a week or so ago when we heard from ‘Wine Enthusiast’ magazine that they had singled out our 2021 Sage Canyon Red for some recognition, awarding it a score of 92 POINTS. Here’s what they had to say:
“This wine is dense opulent deep purple garnet with aromas of ripe blueberry, huckleberry, fresh fine herbs, potpourri on the nose. The midpalate is fresh blackberry, green olive, dried bay leaf, blood orange zest, transmitting into toasty vanilla cream chocolate with a dry finish. Enjoy with hearty dishes.
92 POINTS”
-Tonya Pitts
As a kid growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, I ate well. This was largely due to my maternal grandmother, who lived on a farm in the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She cooked three meals a day, for her husband, her brother and her father — all of whom worked the farm – and for her two daughters. I spent many summer days on that farm, and dinner with my ‘farm family’ was one of my treats.
The 2021 harvest was a classic year for us, with a cool autumn and late ripening fruit from all of our vineyards supplying grapes for the Sage Canyon Red. The blend is 30% Carignan, 30% Mourvèdre, 25% Cinsault, and 15% Grenache. The Cinsault, from Lomo Del Rio Ranch in King City, was harvested on October 21.
Barbara loves to make this Chicken with Rice soup during the chilly weather of early spring, and it’s a perfect match with our Sage Canyon Red Wine.
Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts shredded into bite-size pieces
- 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup jasmine rice
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
Preparation
- In a large pot, cook the rice in the chicken broth over medium heat. As the rice cooks, it may begin to break down and lose its shape.
- While the rice is cooking, finely chop the parsley leaves and combine with the lemon zest. Set aside.
- Approximately 3 minutes before the rice has finished cooking, add the sliced celery.
- Once the celery has softened, add the shredded chicken.
- Stir in the lemon juice a little at a time to brighten the soup.
- Serve the soup topped with the parsley lemon mixture.
The Evangelho Vineyard in Oakley is home to some of the oldest vines in California. This block of old-vine Carignan was planted in the 1880’s, and still yields a small crop of fruit that is intensely flavored and complex. They fit perfectly into the Neyers Sage Canyon Red.
Barbara loves to make this Chicken with Rice soup during the chilly weather of early spring, and it’s a perfect match with our Sage Canyon Red Wine.
Neyers Vineyards Sage Canyon California Red Wine label
It’s springtime in the Napa Valley, and we begin the new growing season by pruning the wood growth from last year. We then mow the cover crop, which in some places has grown to be three-feet or so in height. The cover crop normally consists of seeded growth of nutrient replacement vegetation, which this year included Purple Vetch, Common Vetch, Peas, and Oats. A week or so after mowing, we’ll come back to the vineyard and disc the mowed vegetation into the soil, where it will replace the nutrients used up by the vine’s normal seasonal growth. Photo by Lizzie Neyers Mix
| Few flowers say ‘Spring’ as effectively as the Star Magnolia. This one grows along the walkway leading to the entrance to our house. Photo by Lizzie Neyers Mix |
