Kinkead Ridge Vineyard and an Estate Winery Weblog

Kinkead Ridge in the Spring

It's gorgeous. Ron is pruning. Logan, Anna and Randy are pulling brush. The pussy willow and the star magnolia are blooming. Here's a shot of the star magnolia with the vineyard in the background.

In the meantime, Nancy, with time on her hands, has been experimenting with hats and scarves for wine bottles. (Potential free gift with case purchase!). Here's the knit one.

Here's the crochet one.

Just a reminder, this extraordinary vineyard is for sale (and winery)... see http://www.kinkeadridge.com/forsale.htm. It will probably be listed with Sothebys International Realty at the end of March but is for sale by owner until then, at a less expensive price, and a commitment for Ron and my consulting for 12 months.

Nancy

Your friendly wine blogger.

 

More accolades for Kinkead Ridge wine, and 2012 Wine Releases

This morning I received an email from Barolo, the Giovanni Rosso estate...

"Ciao from Barolo,

I am just sending you a quick e-mail because while on a trip to Cincinnati to sell our wines recently, I bought a bottle of your 2010 Riesling.
I opened it on Thursday with the cellar-masters from Marchesi di Gresy and La Spinetta in Barbaresco, and finished it yesterday with our UK importer and several other producers here in Piemonte, including Bartolo Mascarello, Mauro Mascarello, Sarotto, Cornarea, Fratelli Alessandria, Mario Fontana, La Colombera and Cascina Luisin.
The universal opinion of the wine was that it was very good - yesterday with our importer and the other producers, we tried it after a line-up of 16 Loire Valley whites, including the likes of Huet and Cotat, and your Riesling was in the same class (though quite a bit cheaper!).
Complimenti on a lovely bottle - keep up the good work!

Best wishes,

Evan Byrne.
Azienda Agricola Giovanni Rosso."

From Brian Kirby, http://www.theother46.com

"I'm fortunate to try some of the best local wines produced each year. I'm well aware, at least in most cases, several of the wines I feature are near impossible to purchase. Blame it on shipping laws, limited production or small marketing budgets, at the end of the day, most of the wines I write about are not going to make it into your glass.

This is never more evident than with Kinkead Ridge Winery. Located in Ripley, Ohio, Kinkead Ridge has garnered more awards and acclaim than most wineries from the other 46. But plagued by difficult shipping laws, low production wines and pending retirement, most will never have the opportunity to try their outstanding lineup of wines. Which is all the more reason for locals and visitors to jump on the Ohio wine trail and pay them a visit. Trust me, you'll thank me afterwards."

2012 Wine Releases. Click here. Quality is excellent, quantities are small.

Kinkead Ridge Winery and Vineyard are for sale. We are retiring to North Carolina. See http://www.kinkeadridge.com/forsale.htm

Here's an aerial shot of the property.

2011 Vintage Report from Kinkead Ridge Estate Winery

From Ron Barrett: Winegrower

Every vintage is different. Every winegrowing region has its variable challenges and certainly many growers in California, Oregon and the East Coast were devastated by the weather in 2011. While it was no picnic here, at least we dodged many of the bullets.

For us, the 2011 vintage started out wet, continued wet and stayed relatively cool throughout. As such, we were delayed in ripening, but this is not necessarily bad for early varieties. The cooler temperatures preserve white wine aromas and protect color pigment development in red varieties. Crop load was adequate and was successfully balanced by shoot/cluster thinning in the vineyard. Given dry weather, we were poised for a substantial, moderate alcohol, nuanced vintage. Well, the rain moderated but did not end and cooling temperatures at the end of October limited maturities in late varieties.

So where did we end up? We dropped substantial crop due to rot and ended up with some very well balanced, complex white wines. I actually prefer them to the 2010s. Except for Traminette, all will be Kinkead Ridge (first label).

Probably due to having thicker skins, red wines show deeper initial color than they did in the hot 2010 vintage. Alcohols are more restrained and the flavors more complex and subtle. It's a long road to bottling and release, but I'm confident that both the 2010 and the 2011 vintages will yield some remarkably good Kinkead Ridge wines.

In summary, we have some interesting wine in the pipeline and though I am somewhat disappointed by the quantity,  overall the quality of the 2011 vintage may surprise you.

Ron and Logan with 2011 fruit

We plan on retiring to North Carolina, and consequently Kinkead Ridge Winery and Vineyard are for sale. For details on the properties, click http://www.kinkeadridge.com/forsale.htm. We can send you more information if you are interested.

1000 Great Everyday Wines from the World's Best Wineries ... continued

Only TWO pages of this 351 page book are dedicated to "The rest of the U.S." (i.e. outside the west coast). Here are the wineries honored (and only two have photos of their labels including KR).

Chateau LaFayette Reneau        New York        Riesling
Dr. Konstantin Frank                  New York        Riesling
Gruet Winery                            New Mexico    Sparkling Wine
Kinkead Ridge                           Ohio               Cabernet Franc and Viognier/Roussanne
Left Food Charley                     Michigan         Pinot Blanc and Riesling
Macari Vineyards                      New York         Sauvignon Blanc, Sette blend (Merlot/Cabernet Franc)
McPherson Cellars                    Texas              Tre Colore (blend of Carignan, Syrah and Viognier)
Stone Hill                                Missouri           Norton and Dry Vignoles
Wolffer Estate                         New York         Rose

Please note: Only 3 of the 9 have two wines listed. Only 3 are honored for red wines or blends.

Here's what they say.

"Among the more than 100 wineries in Ohio, Kinkead Ridge is one of the state's most compelling. Unlike the offerings of so many of its peers, Kinkead wines are never thin or insignificant, but have rich, varietal character and great balance. Owner Ron Barrett's gentle touch with Cabernet Franc has produced a full-bodied, richly complex wine with fragrant aromas of violet and black cherry, and enticing notes of spice, plum and red berries. It is an outstanding offering at a very modest price. The floral, honeyed Viognier/Roussanne is delicious too. Its elegant mix of orange blossom and tropical fruit flavors is set off by sharper notes of kiwi and guava. A crisp, acidic finish makes for a truly satisfying experience."

 

Your friendly wine blogger,

Nancy Bentley

More international accolades!

More international press! Two Kinkead Ridge wines are featured in the recently published "1000 Great Everyday Wines from the World’s Best Wineries" (DK Publishing, 337 pp.; $25). Former Wine Spectator editor Jim Gordon and his team of writers/tasters identify a range of good and affordable wines (which he equates with “the price of an entrée at a good restaurant”) from around the world with character that reflects their origin. France gets the most ink, followed by Italy, Spain, Germany, California and other wine-producing regions. “The rest of the U.S.,” which is everywhere but the West Coast, gets a mere two pages. Ohio merits a mention of Kinkead Ridge Winery for its Cabernet Franc and Viognier-Roussanne, long lauded by an enthusiastic fan base for their high quality. Interspersed among the recommended wines are charts on how to read labels, profiles of grape varieties, tips on doing a home tasting, and many other useful tidbits for the wine enthusiast.

 

Your friendly wine blogger,

Nancy Bentley, Owner/Managing Partner

P.S. Want to live the vineyard dream? We will be sellling out and retiring within the next two years. See this link for details on the vineyard and winery. We have experienced crews for the transition and Ron is willing to stay on and mentor a new owner for one year.

Sixth annual barrel tasting!

Big day! We barrel tasted the 2010 Cabernet Franc, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Syrah and 2010 Petit Verdot. Comments were excellent! Our guests were excited about this release next September.

Yesterday when I was prepping the 2011 Kinkead Ridge Christmas ornament, I took this photo and thought to myself... chess set??? These would be the pawns! I know, I'm nuts. I should have worked for Martha Stewart.

The last bottle of white Revelation, autographed by the winegrower, leaves with Sean and Cat

The last bottle of Viognier/Roussanne, autographed by the winegrower, leaves with Angela, http://www.wine-girl.net

The staff today, the Farrell girls, Megan and Anna and me!

Your friendly wine blogger
Nancy Bentley, Owner/Managing Partner, Kinkead Ridge

One Harvest Left in 2011

The Petit Verdot will probably be picked this Monday and then we're done!

It took 12 people until late in the day to pick the Cabernet Sauvignon, almost five tons. Here are some pictures.

Start of the day

Logan and Ron weighing grapes.

Gretchen's sister Emilee

Nancy

Fall Cabernet leaf

Logan in the winery pre-crush

Your friendly wine blogger

Nancy, Owner/Managing Partner, Delivery Driver

The Cadillac of Picking Buckets

Note this photo. Because of our vertical shoot positioned (VSP) trellis, the grapes are at an awkward height for harvesting, resulting in kneeling or stooping... until I hit on the idea of sitting on five gallon buckets.

We started with plain buckets, but they have an uncomfortable rim edge.

Then I hit on the idea of bar stool cushions. But these are awkward and slip off. And if they break up in the washing machine it's like a goose feather pillow fight.

Today, I hit on the Cadillac solution and had a local carpet store glue in a thick remnant! Should be comfy!

Your friendly wine blogger,

Nancy Bentley, Owner/Managing Partner, Kinkead Ridge

 

What's New at Kinkead Ridge

Yes! The five bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon that were ordered by Todd Kinkead in New South Wales, Penrith Australia, finally arrived. A hefty price tag, but Todd looks happy. $100 worth of wine; $260 shipping; $130 duty. Resulting in a price of about $100/bottle.

First harvest day today September 20. We picked what will go into the 2011 Revelation blend, including Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Albarino! Our first pick of Albarino from the experimental block, the fruit was beautiful. The other grapes had some botrytis, the good rot for Sauternes, so we may have a very interesting Revelation next May. The albarino has the same translucent quality as
Roussanne but the berries are smaller.

Labor Day Weekend for the 2009 wine release and annual vineyard tour was crazy! We probably had 40 people in the winery all day long from around Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and further.

 

New shopping bag! One of our best customers, Dorothy Lane in Dayton, put us on their shopping bag! They really support local growers.

Gretchen has worked for us for over 10 years; and we also hire her two sisters, Emilee and Courtnee and her brother Logan is now our Cellarmaster. This is Gretchen's first baby Zane. He is the most happy little guy, beyond adorable!

Your friendly wine blogger

Nancy Bentley

Owner/Managing Partner Kinkead Ridge

What's New at Kinkead Ridge Vineyard

Ron is dropping crop in the Petit Verdot. Many other varieties to follow. This optimizes the quality of the remaining grapes.

The winery opens September 3 and 5 for the release of the 2009 red wines and the annual vineyard tour.

Update on the shipment of five bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon to Todd Kinkead in Penrith Australia, what a saga! He clearly is very proud of his family name! This wine won a Gold Medal at the Finger Lakes New York competition.

From Todd Kinkead:
"Yay I have it! Thanks sooooo much! Every bottle is in immaculate condition & will stay that way for years to come. I'll get a few photos when I see my girlfriend on Friday night. My father and brother will get their bottles at Xmas time & that's when we will finally open one."

Australia customs called me; the customs form said five bottles of wine. They had to know was it red, white, sparkling, still, ABV and cost per ml (2-1/2 cents!)

Australian customs charged Todd Kinkead $120 for duty on five bottles of wine. So his five bottles of wine topped out at $99.75 for the wine, $263 for the shipping and $120 for duty. Shocking. An astonishing total of $96.75 per bottle.

Great revisit of the 2004 Cab Franc, the double gold medal winner at American Wine Society from www.dogswine.blogspot.com...

 

"Last night I opened a bottle, my next to last, of the 2004 Cabernet Franc.

"The problem with the wines from Kinkead Ridge is that they are so easy and good to drink that it takes a lot of willpower to let them age. This bottle was stashed away in an odd location so it did get some bottle age to it.

"The aroma was wonderful, full of black raspberries and bright cherries and clean earth. Those aromas had mellowed into a wonderful bouquet. The wine was medium weight in the mouth and the flavors were soft and appealing. Both the cherries and raspberries were there, along with a touch of cinnamon and some subtle hints of vanilla."

"The acid was still wonderful in this wine and there was just enough tannin to complete the package. The wine was fully mature, lean, svelte, and all the parts were completely harmonized. This wasn't a loud, brash teenager, this was a mature woman with a few discreet stories to tell. They were stories I bought into, and they were just about perfect with the filet and the sauce. Wonderful bottle of wine."

Could be a big release weekend. I even had inquiries from Canton, Ohio, 4 hours from Ripley.

Your friendly wine blogger,

Nancy Bentley

Owner/Managing Partner

Kinkead Ridge