Rosenblum: It’s All About the People
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
Tuesday after work, we had a baby shower for Sean and his wife, Jolie. They are expecting their first baby May 23, though Jolie and the doctor think little Harper may come into the world a bit early. I attended, despite my unjust depiction as one who does not like children. We had wine (of course) and cheese while the two opened gifts, including preciously cute socks, onesie’s (not for their cat), and four months of diaper service from the tasting room staff. Way to go, being environmentally conscious you guys!
If you’re a club member or other Rosenblum customer reading this, be sure to wish Sean good luck when you see him next.
Other tasting room news. One of our most talkative hospitality representatives, Paul, is now a certified sommelier! He went back home to Texas (a fellow southerner— that warms my heart and thickens my drawl) to take the introductory level class test a little over a month ago. Then Sunday before last, he took the certification, which included a test, service, and blind tasting, and passed.
Congrats to both these guys. Cheers!
Around six years ago, Rockpile was recognized as its own AVA. Before that it was grouped in with the other areas of Dry Creek Valley, but it became obvious that the nature of the geography and wines produced there deserved distinction. Mountain vineyards throughout the new AVA have differences but tend to make the most of the rocky soils, cooler days and warmer nights. Despite their variations, they have one thing in common: good, often monster, wines.
And one of them needs your vote! Twisted Oak Winery is holding a contest to see whose chicken reigns supreme. Please show your loyalty to the words and birds of this Rosenblum themed blog.
…in the Rosenblum Cellars tasting room. Last week we met the funniest little lady. When calling to find out how to get to the winery, she said to Samantha, who answered the phone, “Are you the one from Sex and the City?” And after getting the instructions, she said, “With all those directions this better be some damn good wine.” Luckily, she decided it was. What spunk, that one. And she and Kenny G became fast friends, sharing stories about New York. Sadly, I didn’t get her name. Or the gentleman next to her, who himself was a bit of a dancer. But when I told her quickly before they left that I might post the picture on my blog, she gave a little cackle and comment about adult sites.
We’ve always said we were a 
This past Saturday morning found me in the kitchen before going in to work. Blueberries were ‘buy one, get one’ at the grocery store two nights prior and I saw muffins in my near future. As I got to thinking about it, I knew two things: A) I would have way too many muffins B) they would probably go tastily with the 
There were ghoulish decorations and bowls of candy everywhere– some of them talking. We poured good wine as usual, including the 2005 Rosenblum Rominger Syrah from Yolo County that recently got 91 points from Wine Spectator. It was from the Advance sneak peak, but I had already put it on this week’s 
I’m not sure who or what Kenny G was, other than amusing, as he wore the wig and hat combo I got at Walgreen’s that morning. My plans to make him dress as the ‘real Kenny G’ didn’t exactly come to fruition. But we all laughed all day, and I think everyone who came in had an especially good time. And some people even got a secret pour (St. Peter’s Church Zinfandel, in honor of it being the eve of All Saints’ Day) if they could guess who I or Meg was. I was surprised at how many people figured out I was Buffy.
Remember how much fun 
Speaking of wine club members…. Meg, Kenny, and I had the best time with a couple from Washington back in August. With their child safely tucked away at camp, Mark and Caroline planned a trip to San Francisco: Rosenblum Cellars being (one of) their main destination(s). As they were taking the ferry over, they could only carry so much wine back. So they came to see us twice. I took them on a tour, we all chatted and laughed and generally had a great time. When Mark called me to say he and a friend were coming back in November specifically for the Open House and wanted to volunteer, I told Andrea she could expect her most enthusiastic helper ever. Except for maybe Caroline, who—in their concern over carting wine to the ferry building and then to their hotel—proclaimed, “I’d crawl on my knees for the Hendry!”
Therefore, we sent them a card that day and took these pictures. You might not be able to tell that bottle in the first one is the Hendry Reserve Zinfandel, but it is. The second picture is just for fun. Cause that’s how it is at Rosenblum Cellars tasting room. Everybody has fun and the wine club is like a family. Cheers!
Here’s a quick and slightly belated birthday cheer for my friend and loyal reader, Doug. One of my oldest and dearest friends, we’ve made the long journey from wine coolers to good wine. He took me on my very first trip to wine country (Santa Barbara) years ago, arranged this 
The other day at work, I continued my experimentation in sangria making. The time before when I made it with pineapple, mango juice, and peaches, I was struck with the urge to give watermelon a go. Turned out to be a pretty good idea, one worth repeating in your own kitchen.
The morning started off correctly when Aura brought in baskets of homemade scones (courtesy of the ever-thoughtful Anne Marie): currant, hibiscus flower & ginger, or the savory ham & cheese. All was right with the world to get the day going with some coffee and nourishment and, of course, a few bottles of bubbly during our staff meeting before the madness began.
Though this is the smallest turnout of the four open houses we have, the crowds were sizable all weekend (somewhere over 2000 people flowed through the doors). Things seemed to go more smoothly on Sunday, and from what I hear, that’s always the case. Maybe practice does make perfect. Don’t get me wrong—people were having a grand time both days. Plus, BK and my Irish friend accepted my invitation to come visit, and they definitely enjoyed themselves. I even got to walk around at the start of each day, tasting just a handful (mainly new releases) of the 51 wines on hand. I know for a fact the food was good stuff because co-workers kindly made sure those of us chained to the registers got a sampling of meat balls, sausage, gnocchi, cheeses, and more. 
This particular table of reserve Zinfandels was definitely one of the most popular and a must-stop on my list. It had the ever-favorite Monte Rosso, the brand new Lyons, and the last-ever vintage of Hendry (and my top pick) to be made by Rosenblum. Many wines were poured by eager volunteers,such as Dee there on the right, although some of the growers travel to pour the wine made from their own grapes. Overall, I think there were seventeen tables, with about sixty volunteers a day.
And of course, the day would not be complete without a taste of ice cream made from Zinfandel and chocolate chunks. Last time they used the Rockpile Zin, but the man serving up scoops didn’t know which wine went into this batch. I tried to figure it out from the taste, but then I was a little too busy saving precious drops from sliding down the cone and onto the pavement….
