I love getting out in the vineyard a few weeks before everyone else and just picking the fruit that is the ripest at that time and going back through maybe three or four times. This allows me the ability to make small lots with different alcohol levels and then to blend those back, making for a truly great wine.
I make wine one bottle at a time. Enjoy!
Michall Pendleton
Owner and Winemaker
Buzzard Red is a winemakers blend of select fruit.10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel, 40% Mourvedre all from Sonoma County. This wine offers very nice blackberry and cherry flavors on the nose. There is a up front fruit eruption with layers of luscious cherries and black berries’ and softer layers with great complexity. Great with food or by it’s self.
Mike Pendleton
I know it is hard to believe that the Dog Days of August are behind us. So what’s exciting to look forward to at the end of summer and the beginning of fall?
September is California Wine Month.
It is time for that road trip. Come see us at Locals and try some of our newly released wines like the 2010 Old Vine Zin and 2010 Port from Eric Ross, the new Cuvee Rose and Buzzard Red from Pendleton Winery, not to mention the whole line up of Kit Fox Winery that Locals recently added to our lineup.
We also have some recent award winners with Praxis Viognier and Lagrein as well. Harvest and Crush are just beginning, the smell of autumn is in the air and leaves are slowly beginning to move to the wonderful colors of fall. Take time to taste the wines. See you soon.
Bill Caruthers
Locals Tasting Room
(707) 857-4900
Hey you Locals fans the Dog Days of summer are here. Time to be sure to get the barbecue out and pair your meats with some heart healthy red wines from Locals. Try The Gunfighter 2009 Zin it’s on sale and will pair great with your Burgers, Steaks and Chops. Gunfighter Zin is 10% off on every bottle, 15% off on ½ case and 20% off on a case or more, get it while it lasts. Another great Zin for your BBQ is Pendleton 2008 Ponzo Vineyard Zin on sale for $20 a bottle. Ponzo Zin is a perfect pairing for those red meats and hearty chops and sausages. Once these are gone they are gone for good, first come first to enjoy the best of Sonoma in their back yards. Cheers.
Bill Caruthers
Locals Tasting Room
(707) 857-4900
For those of you bemoaning the fact that Paso Robles “Hospice Du Rhone” has been cancelled never fear, Locals ever on top of changing winds in the wine industry has Six Rhone style red blends for you to get your Rhone On. Locals also has a variety of wines that are made from grapes commonly known as Rhone style, such as Sirah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Carignane, so drop by and try these or any of the over 50 different wines from eleven great winemakers. 
2009 Pendleton Mourvedre
Bill Caruthers
Locals Tasting Room
(707) 857-4900
For 2011, the hot trend in California wine is in the blends. Customer interest is growing as these savory new ideas come to fruition. Value abounds, as these quality wines typically range $15-$30, and smart consumers are showing their good taste by trading up a notch from the value wines they discovered during the downturn in 2008.
For this post, we focus on Zinfandel as a component of the wine blends here at Locals. Great Zinfandel fruit is still harder to come by than some other varietals, which can sometimes be found with great quality, and more inexpensively, at harvest. Then add the challenge to the winemaker’s muse: to make a new and unique combination that pleases, raises the bar, and sets their brand apart from the rest.
So let Locals begin your blending! First up is the new Bedarra 2009 Bonfire ($25). 
Composed of Sonoma County fruit, it is made of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (30%) and Zinfandel (20%). (This wine follows on the heels of Bedarra’s popular Beachfront white, a satisfyingly cool blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.) Their red blend is fruit forward. Sweet tones arise from the quality oak along with pleasant tannins on finish. Blackberry meets tobacco. With its smooth and satisfying richness, this wine makes a perfect complement to any barbeque, be it on the beach or the backyard.
Second is the Pendleton 2008 Celebration Cuvee ($29).
This is Mike Pendleton’s special blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Zinfandel (25%), Petite Sirah (30%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Petite Verdot (5%). What a yummy mouthful! Long reach across the palate. Drinking with the full voluptuousness of a Bordeaux-style blend, at the same time this savory wine is elevated by just a hint of sweet fruit.
Next we suggest the 2007 Atrea Old Soul Red ($25). 
Here Mendocino County Zinfandel (43%), Petite Sirah (20%), Syrah (19%) and Malbec (18%) are artfully combined in flavorful American oak. A delightfully sweet nose and finish rests on a rich meaty foundation with excellent balance.
This wine is a real crowd pleaser, and also this winery’s biggest seller. 
Still available (!), the delectable 2008 Dark Horse Zinfandel/Cabernet Sauvignon Gunfighter Fifth Notch ($20) is the subject of a separate post, click here to read it.
Finally, the 2008 Peterson Vignobles ($32) 
conveys elegance and finesse. A distinctive blend of Petite Sirah (55%), Old-Vine Carignane (15%), Syrah (15%) and Zinfandel turns the Dry Creek’s Zinfandel paradigm upside down on an artful touch of Zin fruit. Medium-bodied, smoky, fruity, with a touch of dark caramel and pleasant across the palate. Great with ham or prosciutto try it with a PB&J…sliced pears, brie and ham on an artisan roll. Delish!
