Posted on December 28, 2008 - by napavalleybath

New Harvest Report Email

WOW….ANOTHER GREAT HARVEST YEAR FOR THE NAPA VALLEY…AND OUR PORTFOLIO CONTINUES TO GROW! I GOT A CALL LAST WEDNESDAY FROM A MAN WHO WONDERED WHAT HE SHOULD DO WITH HIS 100+ TREES LOADED WITH OLIVES ON HIS PROPERTY IN THE RUTHERFORD BENCH….SO, I WENT OUT ON FRIDAY…..WE WALKED HIS PROPERTY AND TALKED ABOUT AN OVERALL STRATEGY…HIS TREES ARE ABOUT 8 YEARS OLD…..LOOKED LIKE MAINLY SPANISH VARIETALS WITH SOME ITALIAN SCATTERED ABOUT….IN GREAT SHAPE…HE’LL PROBABLY GET ABOUT 10 GALLONS THIS YEAR BUT ONCE HE STARTS A ROUTINE OF CARE, HIS TREES COULD END OF YIELDING UP TO 30 GALLONS OR SO…I’LL KEEP YOU POSTED!

AS FOR THIS YEAR’S RELEASES…THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK….STAGECOACH VINEYARDS…..WOW….BEST OF BOTH WORLDS….THEY HAD BOTH ITALIAN VARIETAL TREES AND ARBEQUINA (SPANISH) VARIETAL. WE DECIDED TO PRESS THEM IN TWO LOTS….KEEPING THE ARBEQUINA A 100% VARIETAL EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL….THE ONLY ONE IN THE NAPA VALLEY I DO BELIEVE.

WE USED A STONE INSTEAD OF THE HAMMERMILL PRESS FOR BOTH LOTS. THE STONE PRESS TAKES A BIT OF THE BITTERNESS OFF AND IS PREFERABLE IF YOUR OLIVES ARE REAL GREEN….THE YIELD IS LESS SO MOST PEOPLE OPT FOR THE HAMMERMILL….BUT, WE THOUGHT WE’D RISK YIELD FOR QUALITY……IT PAID OFF! BOTH OILS HAVE A BUTTERY FINISH….WHICH IS RARE FOR A NAPA VALLEY OIL….BUT DON’T BE FOOLED…THEY BOTH WILL STILL MAKE YOU GRIMACE!

STAGECOACH ARBEQUINA EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL:
THE COMBINATION OF THE ARBEQUINA VARIETAL AND THE STONE PRESS RESULTED IN OUR MILDEST NAPA VALLEY EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL THIS YEAR….STILL BIG BY MOST STANDARDS….BUT SOFT….ALMOST AS IF SOMEONE MUTED THE BITTERNESS WHICH ALLOWED THE FRUITINESS TO TAKE THE FRONT SEAT…..AND THAT SEAT BEING MADE OF BUTTER….NOW THOSE AREN’T TECHNICAL TERMS….BUT HOPEFULLY YOU GET IT!

THE STAGECOACH ITALIAN BLEND:
AGAIN….THE BITTERNESS IS SLIGHTLY MUTED DUE TO THE STONE PRESSING…..BUT, UNLIKE THE ARBEQUINA, IT PACKS THAT ITALIAN PUNGENCY!
THIS MORNING I TOASTED A BAGUETTE, DRIZZLED THE STAGECOACH ITALIAN BLEND ON IT AND THEN SPOONED ON HOME MADE RASPBERRY JAM…THE INTENSE FRUITINESS WAS THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT TO THE SWEETNESS OF THE JAM….BROUGHT ME STRAIGHT BACK TO PANZANO WHERE I LEARNED TO PUT EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL ON MY TOAST….AND TOAST WAS ALWAYS A BAGUETTE….