Message from Dr Bob page 3
Camp Lucy ... page 4
1840 Custom Case Club Selections page 6
Br anch Clubs and 1840 Clubs Selections ... page 7
Wine Tasting Notes ... pages 8, 9, 10 & 12
Wine Temper atures ... page 11
Summer Media Highlights ... page 11
Har vest Highlights ... page 13
Camp Lucy Offer ... page 15
Tillie's Summer Cantaloupe Prosciutto Salad page 17
Theexceptionally high heat for multiple weeksin a row hasexemplified someof the challengesin developing phenolic maturity in Texas-grown grapes Grapevinephysiology can benegatively impacted by temperaturesof 100 degreesFahrenheit and above Photosynthesisin grapevinesstartsshutting down at around 95-100°Fand at 105°Fthe synthesisof color, flavor compounds, and tanninsisseverely impacted. At Bending Branch, we havethe ability to increase theextraction of grape phenolicswith techniques likeCryo-Maceration and Flash Détente.
TheSeptember 2023club packages contain alarge variety of newly released wines. In thered and white wineclub packages, we?ve included the2022Petit Manseng. Next to Picpoul Blanc, thisisoneof the whitewinegrapevarietiesthat I?ve been most interested in pioneering in Texasbecause of its naturally high acidity Last year, wereleased Texas? first Petit Manseng in the traditional, sweeter style. For the2022vintage, we decided to focuson making adry styleof thewine.
Bending Branch?sfirst bourbon barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon isalso anew release After years of bourbon barrel finisheson Picpoul Blanc and Tannat, I decided it was timefor abourbon barrel finish on another grapevariety During atasting session of 2019vintagewines, therewasastandout Cabernet Sauvignon aging in thecellar It was made at our Californiawinery and transported in barrel to Texas Upon tasting it, thecharacteristicsof the wine seemed likethey would bewell complemented by the flavorsimparted from additional aging in bourbon barrels. After conducting afew tasting trials, the hypothesiswasconfirmed, and we moved forward with thiswine. Thebarrelsthat wereused for the final aging wererecently dumped Bending Branch 1840 Four-Grain bourbon barrels. Thebourbon was 109 proof and it iscomprised of my signaturemash bill: 64%corn, 12%wheat, 12%rye, and 12%malted barley
Thanksto new legislation with TexasSenate Bill 2284, asof September 1, customersmay purchase four 750 milliliter bottles of distilled spiritsper person, per 30-day period at adistillery location. Thisisan increasefrom the prior maximum of two bottlesper day. Wine bottlesalesare very different from liquor bottlesales, and the limitson liquor purchasescan bevery confusing, especially since liquor retailersdo not have thefour bottlelimit If you plan to visit Bending Branch for abourbon tasting sometime soon, we want you to beaware of thechanges.
Thank you
My wifeBrendaand I, along with theentire Bending Branch team, thank you for your club membership Club membersare the backboneof our business, and we arevery grateful for your support.
?BobYoung, M.D., MPH, CEOandExecutiveWinemaker
Since2017, Bending Branch hasworked with Camp Lucy to makewinesfrom their extraordinary vineyard. The2019 red winevintagescomewith a striking changein label design showcasing an artist?srendition of Ian?sChapel at Camp Lucy.
Ian?sChapel iswheremany celebrationstake place, and it isjust oneof the remarkablefacilitiesat thebeautiful Hill Country resort. Thereare now five acresof expertly maintained vineyard planted with four grapevarieties? Malbec, Mourvèdre, Montepulciano, and Petit Verdot
TheSeptember club packagesall have at least one winefrom Camp Lucy Vineyards, and the photography for thisdigital magazine wastaken at Camp Lucy to captureelementsof theresort. Aspart of our collaboration with Camp Lucy, thereisa special offer for club membersto stay at the resort for an exclusiverate Thisisagreat opportunity for a getaway in aluxurioussetting with comfortable accommodations, swimming, accessto craft cocktails, and gourmet food accompanied by wine madefrom thegrapeson their property
Whether going for an overnight retreat or an afternoon adventure, inquire with Camp Lucy about their wine tasting experiencesand wine availability at their gift shop
2019 Malbec
Oneof Bending Branch?smost popular wineshas been Malbec from Camp Lucy Vineyards The2018 vintagesold out quickly and the next release has been highly anticipated The2019 vintage delights with rich notesof plum and dark cherries.
2019 Lucy?s Reser ve
A hallmark wine for Camp Lucy hasbeen the Lucy?sReservered blend. A combination of Malbec, Mourvèdre, and Petit Verdot, thiswine is approachableand versatile for avariety of food pairings
2021Sparkling Mour vèdre Rosé
Thiswine isvery gently sparkling and hasa creaminesson the palate Take it to brunch and pair with fluffy biscuits and strawberry jam.
?Jennifer Cernosek, General Manager
2019 Double Bar rel Tannat Texas
2020 Petit Verdot Newsom Vineyards
2019 Tannat Tallent Vineyards
New! 2022 Sparkling Picpoul Blanc
TexasHigh Plains
New! 2019 Lucy's Reser ve Camp Lucy Vineyard
2021Sparkling Mour vèdre Rosé Camp Lucy Vineyard
New! 2019 Malbec Camp Lucy Vineyard
New! 2022 Petit Manseng Friesen Vineyards
2019 Sagr antino
TexasHigh Plains
New! 2022 Estate Picpoul Blanc
CamledgeVineyard
2020 Petite Sir ah Newsom Vineyards
New! 2019 Double Bar rel Caber net Sauvignon SierraFoothills
New! 2022 Sparkling Picpoul Blanc TexasHigh Plains
New! 2019 Lucy's Reser ve Camp Lucy Vineyard
New! 2022 Sparkling Picpoul Blanc TexasHigh Plains
New! 2019 Malbec Camp Lucy Vineyard
New! 2022 Petit Manseng Friesen Vineyards
New! 2019 Lucy's Reser ve Camp Lucy Vineyard
New! 2019 Double Bar rel Caber net Sauvignon SierraFoothills
New! 2019 Lucy's Reser ve Camp Lucy Vineyard
2019 Double Bar rel Tannat Texas
2019 Tannat Tallent Vineyards
New! 2019 Malbec Camp Lucy Vineyards
2020 Petit Verdot Newsom Vineyards
New! 2019 Lucy's Reser ve Camp Lucy Vineyard
New! 2019 Double Bar rel Caber net Sauvignon SierraFoothills
2022
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AVA
SENSE
lemon curd
tropical fruit
honey
EAT
prosciutto-wrapped melon
fish tacos
tunatartare
CAMLEDGE VINEYARD
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AVA
SENSE
pear
green apple
guava
EAT
smoked pork chops
salmon with buttery capers
crab and avocado salad
Retail $38
BranchClubs$32.30
1840 Clubs$30.40
Retail $34
BranchClubs$28.90
1840 Clubs$27.20
Petit Manseng hassmall, thick-skinned berries, and it can bemadein adry or sweet style. Thisreleaseis dry with flavorsof lemon curd and tropical fruit.
TEXAS HIGH PLAINS AVA
SENSE
jasmine
honeycrisp apple
creamy lemon curd
EAT
shrimp paesano
greek salad
oystersrockefeller
Retail $45
BranchClubs$38.25
1840 Clubs$36
2021SPARKLING MOURVÈDRE ROSÉ CAMP LUCY VINEYARD
TEXAS
SENSE
whitepeach
magnolia
limezest
EAT
garlic buttered grilled prawns shrimp cocktail
savory herbed scones
Retail $18
BranchClubs$15.30
1840 Clubs$14.40
SENSE
buttery vanilla
sweet pepper
roasted coffee
EAT
bourbon braised brisket smoked gouda
jambalaya
Retail $55
BranchClubs$46.75
1840 Clubs$44
SENSE
butterscotch datepuree fresh fig
EAT
bacon-wrapped dates bacon cheeseburger bourbon braised pork
Retail $50 BranchClub$42.50
1840 Clubs$40
After aging in neutral barrels, thiswinespent approximately four moremonthsin Bending Branch 1840 Four-Grain bourbon barrels, giving it the name "Double Barrel"Cabernet Sauvignon. Sense rich notes of buttery vanillaand caramel.
2019
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AVA
SENSE
blackberry rich raspberry eucalyptus
EAT
spaghetti with meatballs
eggplant parmigiana
spring salad with goat cheese
Retail $34 BranchClubs$28.90
1840 Clubs$27.20
2019
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AVA
SENSE
plum
tobacco
dark cherry
EAT
chicken chalupas
cream cheesecrostini
pepper-crusted pork bites
Retail $38 BranchClubs$32.30
1840 Clubs$30.40
TEXAS HIGH PLAINS AVA
SENSE
blackberry bramble
dark cherry
strawberry
EAT
skirt steak grilled flatbread
cedar plank salmon
coffee-crusted braised lamb
Retail $42 BranchClub$35.70
1840 Clubs$33.60
With thehigh heatsthissummer, it?sagood timeto talk about winetemperaturesduring storageand service.
Stor age
For long term wine storage, the goal isto keep wine at aconsistently cool temperature and away from light. Cellar temperature, between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, isideal If awine hasbeen exposed to extremeheat, oftentimesthe first sign will beapushed cork It isvery important not to leavewinein ahot vehicleor outsidein theheat for even ashort period of time
Ser vice
Ultimately, wineshould beenjoyed at thetemperature you likebest Recommendationsvary, but white wines aregenerally recommended to bechilled between 45 and 55°F, with thefuller bodied winescloser to 50-55°F and thelighter bodied winescloser to 45-50°F Sparkling winesshould bewell chilled, generally between 43and 50°F. Many enjoy sparkling winesat an icecold level, aswell Red winesarerecommended to bechilled between 55and 64°F, with medium to full-bodied winesenjoyed closer to 59-64°F If you don? t haveawinerefrigerator, you can alwaysput abottleof red winein therefrigerator 15-20 minutesbefore
service For whitewine, you can pull it out of the refrigerator about 15minutesahead of service Experiment to see what worksbest
A frequently missed opportunity with red wine is serving it with aslight chill or at cellar room temperature If served at ?room temperature?in Texas, it probably isn? t at the preferred 59-64°F. Taking the additional timeto makesurethe wine isat the recommended temperaturewill giveabetter expression of thebalanceof theelementsin thered wine To test it out for yourself, try opening abottleof red wine, pouring acoupleof ouncesin aglass, and then placing therest of the bottlein the refrigerator for 15minutes. After 15minutes, pull it out and pour the same level of wineasyou poured into your first glassinto another glass Tastethe winesside by sideand seewhat you like best. Pleasenotethat if the bottleistoo cold, thewine may come off as lessexpressive, both aromatically and on thepalate.
But remember, the most important rule isto enjoy winethe way you likeit best
?Jennifer Cernosek, General ManagerSENSE
anise
cedar cinnamon
EAT
cream of mushroom soup
flat iron steak
fried cheesecurds
Retail $40 BranchClub$34
1840 Clubs$32
SENSE
pomegranate
forest floor
black olive
EAT
fresh tomato sauces
tangy aged cheese
grilled shellfish
Retail $42
BranchClub$35.70
1840 Clubs$33.60
SENSE
mushroom
ripeblueberry
black currant
EAT
bacon-wrapped pork loin
bison burger
filet mignon
Retail $60 BranchClub$51
1840 Clubs$48
Asof September 8, weare about halfway through harvest, and wehavereceived approximately 280 tonsof grapes
Thefirst harvest of Charbono in Texaswasfrom Tallent Vineyardson August 25, yielding 3.21tons. Charbono that isgrown in theUnited Stateshasthe sameDNA asBonardathat isgrown in Argentina. Bonardaand Charbono are the sameasthe orginal Corbeau grapevariety from theSavoieregion in the French Alps Bonardaisthe second most planted grape variety in Argentinanext to Malbec.
Charbono wasalso widely planted in Californiauntil theJudgment of Parisin 1976, and the successof Cabernet Sauvignon. Many Charbono vineyardswere uprooted to follow thepopularity of Cabernet Sauvignon, but you can still find somewineriesin Calistogaand surrounding areas making fantastic Charbono wines.
Bending Branch hasbeen producing aCharbono from theSierraFoothillsthat ismade at UrsaVineyards in Californiathen transferred in barrelsfor additional aging and bottling in Texas TheCharbono wineshave been alongtimefavoriteof club members, and we?ve been eager to makethis winein Texas Both Charbono and Bonardawereplanted on the original Bending Branch EstateVineyard, in 2014and 2011, respectively The2011planting of Bonardadid not survive becauseof thehottest and driest summer in Texasin acentury Pierce?sDiseasetook the Charbono vinesbeforethere wasaviablecrop, so more vineswerepurchased, and an arrangement wasmadewith Drew Tallent of Tallent Vineyardsto plant them in Mason, at hispremier vineyard
Threesecret wineprojectsare in progress. In the throesof Bending Branch?slargest harvest, Dr Bob had two pioneering ideas(along with aspin-off) that he wanted to explore, all of which are showing promising startsand will havefun storiesto accompany them. Moreto comelater, when thetimeisright
With Winemaker ChrisMissick spearheading the whiteand roséwine programs, his expertisein sparkling wine production using traditional methodsis at good work at Bending Branch with two sparkling projects Within the first week of joining the team, one ton of Picpoul Blanc from CamledgeVineyard was harvested for asmall-lot sparkling wine TheCrimson Cabernet from the Bending Branch Estate Vineyard was also harvested early for arosé, like last year, but this timewith the intention to sparkle.
Wework with many vineyardsthat are multi-generational family operations. When the grapes areharvested, thesense of family ison display when you seeparentsand children working together. It?salso special when thegrandparents and great-grandparents arepart of it, too. Each harvest with familiesand friends participating isahighlight
Thishasbeen an outstanding harvest season so far, and we are thankful for all of thegrowersand harvest volunteersfor their dedication
TheBending Branch Winemaking Team hasbeen doing an incrediblejob, and team membersin every areaof Bending Branch'sbusinesshave been contributing to harvest and production. It takesalot of great peopleworking together to makeexceptional wine. Cheersto the successesduring thefirst half of harvest!
?Jennifer Cernosek, General Manager
7ouncesof prosciutto
2medium cantaloupes(3poundseach)
1medium red onion
1/2cup of spiced pepitas
oliveoil, to coat
sprinkleof chili powder
sprinkleof cayenne
sprinkleof cumin
sprinkleof salt
2ouncesof mint
8 ouncesof mixed greens
4ouncesof arugula
1cup crumbled goat cheese
zest from 2small limes
For thedressing:
2ouncesof oliveoil (80/20)
2tablespoonsof red wine vinegar
2tablespoonsof Bending Branch red wine
1tablespoon of honey
3tablespoonsof lime juice
1teaspoon of coriander and cumin
pinch of chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Wine Pair ing
Servewith awell chilled glassof Bending Branch
Sparkling MourvèdreRosé, Camp Lucy Vineyard
Directions
1 Deep fry all of theprosciutto until extra crispy.
2 Clean all skin off cantaloupe, cut in half, scoop out seeds, and cut into medium-sized squares.
3. Slicered onionsin half-moon shapes, then set aside.
4. Mix pepitaswith asprinkleof oliveoil, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Bake at 350 degreesfor about 10 minutesand let cool.
5 Chiffonademint and set aside
6 To make thedressing, in abowl whisk together all ingredientsuntil combined Adjust salt and spicelevelsto your desire.
7 Combine cantaloupe, mixed greens, arugula, red onion, goat cheese, lime zest, dressing, and mint, in serving bowl.
8. Crown with crispy prosciutto and spiced pepitas. Enjoy!
