Lynmar Estate wood-fired ovens: pre- and post-April 2012.

Last Sunday, we held our first Pinot & Pizza event of the year. This popular wine and food pairing series is entering its sixth season with reason to believe there will be many more ahead. While it has been a recurring event the past five years, 2012 marks a new beginning of sorts for the series.

From Pinot & Pizza 2010

Our original wood-fired oven, an icon to the estate, has been removed and in its place a new oven now stands. For anything that’s been a fond part of your life for several years, it’s difficult to let go. Whether it’s a car you drove across the country in, a pet you watched grow up, or your first home, saying goodbye is hard, but when it’s time, you know it, and are ever thankful you that thing in your life. Such was the case with our original pizza oven. When it was decided last year that we needed to replace it, there was a sadness knowing that it enabled us to give visitors a uniquely intimate epicurean experience. But an opportunity was recognized no less - an opportunity to pass the torch and celebrate the possibilities of the future while honoring the past.

Iron egrets and reeds adorn the sides of the oven, acknowledging the Laguna de Santa Rosa located just to the east.

The new wood-fired oven, completed in April, is truly a remarkable structure, both in what it is capable of producing and its presence in the Redwood Grove. Its design is inspired wholly from its surroundings, fitting in seamlessly on the estate. The roof takes formal cues from two distinct structures on the estate: the arched roof mimics the roof shape over the crush pad on the winery while the corrugated steel layer pays homage to the seed barn. The wood on all four sides of the oven are repurposed redwood planks from old buildings on the property and the brick choice was inspired by the bricks used in Lynn’s childhood home. Along the sides of the oven are painted iron sculptures of egrets walking through tall grasses – a subtle, yet artistic touch acknowledging our proximity an important wetland area, not just to Sonoma County, but internationally significant as well.

The arched roof takes on characteristics of the winery and the seed barn.

The wood comes from repurposed redwood planks of structures no longer standing on the estate.

The result is a structure that will stand for many years whose design and purpose will serve as reminders that what makes this place special is not singularly definable - rather, it is a synergy of multiple ideals that, over time, feed, inform, and inspire one another.

Posted by Anisya Fritz, Proprietor

To My Son,

With your birth, I joined the universe of women who are mothers. I now know what it feels like to have a bond which is so much a part of my being, that I almost cannot remember my life without it. On this Mother’s Day, my thoughts are with mothers who cannot be with their sons and daughters – because they are at war, in jail, in a hospital room or have passed on. I also think of mothers who do not have enough food to feed their children because of famine and poverty.

I want you to know that you are lucky, to be born in this age, at this time, to these parents. With that comes great responsibility to yourself, to your fellow man and to this earth.

I want you to know that truth is the ideal I hold most dear. That you must be true, most of all to yourself, no matter what the cost. That being able to look yourself in the mirror each day is measure of your character.

I want you to respect everyone you encounter. In addition to being the right thing to do, absolute respect of all around you can light your path with goodwill, something that cannot be bought or bartered.

I want you to understand that joy is entirely in your control. While you will most certainly face adversity, your attitude will determine the quality of your journey.

I want you to know that your mind and body are one. Either by itself is incomplete and balance is understanding and nourishing both.

I want you to know the joy of learning new things all the time. Knowledge is one of the few things that cannot be taken away from you.

I want you to know that a core value your father and I share, is to persevere in the face of frustration and hardship. To be the ‘last man standing’ and stay the course you believe in it, even as others abandon it.

I want you to have faith in God, and in the goodness of the universe. Sometimes, faith is all you have.

I want you to know peace from accepting what is.

I know I have to live a life that embodies these values for you to accept them and to talk to you about them every chance I get. I accept this responsibility to partner with you in being a human being that will make our world better. To me this is the highest ideal of love.

Posted by Jason Saling, Vineyard Manager

Micro-Sprinkler

Frost season doesn’t “officially” end until May 15th, although it is not so uncommon to frost well into June around here. In keeping with our commitment to environmental stewardship, our frost protection system is designed to use limited water resources.

We use what are referred to as Micro-Sprinklers. Similar to the type of sprinklers you see in a garden, they each have a small bladder inside that pulsates and emits small blasts of water laterally down the vine rows. Each one uses ~3 gallons per hour, and per acre we use ~15 gallons per minute. Other methods use approximately four times as much water.

Freezing water around the buds and leaves of grapevines protects them from freeze damage because of the heat generated in the freezing process. While small, it is enough to get trapped between the green tissue and the ice and keep the vines protected as long as it doesn’t get too cold (below 28 °F/-2.2 °C on average) or stay cold for too long (more than a few hours).

Also, we only really need to frost protect the lowest portions of our vineyards, because, like water, cold air flows downward. So on cool or cold still nights, cold air flows down from the hillsides and settles at the lowest points in the terrain.

Getting a frost call means waking up, coming to the vineyard and turning on the system. After years of working in the vineyards during frost season, I can safely say that there is nothing quite like seeing that sun come up over the horizon (which is also the coldest time of the morning), but at least, when it does, you know the coffee shop is open and the warming has begun.

Joining us for the 2012 season is Sebastopol photographer Amanda Lane. Amanda specializes in photographing local and sustainable food economies - a perfect fit for capturing the essence Lynmar Estate. In 2009, she created ‘Camera Locavora’, a series of photography exhibits to bring awareness of our local resources to a ‘room full of local eaters’.

We are thrilled to embark on this collaboration and look forward to the breath-taking visuals Amanda will add to future postings as she depicts The Lynmar Life.

Scroll down for a selection of Amanda’s work thus far in 2012.

Amanda’s website: cameralocavora.com

The changing of the seasons always makes a good chef happy. There are new ingredients to cook with, new colors to incorporate into plate design, and exciting, yet familiar, aromas permeating the air. With the changing of winter to spring this year, it is fascinating to see how the landscape changes from season to season. From winter greens (kales, chards), to spring greens (favas, peas, and arugula). From root vegetables (celeriac, parsnip), to baby vegetables (carrots, beets & radishes). As I anticipate what will be ready first, I remain flexibile to accomodate any surprises that may arise (such as a few handfuls of Miner lettuce, a couple of Meyer lemons and/or a basketful of Alpine Strawberries that may come into the kitchen on any given day).

In spring 2012, we are excited to utilize our new wood-burning oven around which we have designed menus that will showcase Lynmar’s bounty as well as the beautiful Redwood Grove picnic area. There will be pizzas, and there will be the Red, White & Wood-fired series featuring regional dishes from particular points of interest in America.

To kick all of this off, we are having a Proprietor’s Dinner on May 5th. My menu below shows what the beginning of Spring in Sonoma County means to me…

Russian River Valley Rose of Pinot Noir, 2011
Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, bing cherry aioli

Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, 2009
Chilled Carrot Soup
Smoked trout, avocado & lime crème fraïche, curry oil

Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2009
Chive & Chervil ‘Beggar’s Purse’
Filled with Laura Chenel Cabecou, confit of olive & roasted pepper with preserved lemon, estate mâche

Kick Ranch Vineyard Syrah, 2009
Herb-Crusted Prime Rib of Local, Organic Lamb
english pea risotto with morels, green garlic & leeks
caramelized spring onion sauce

Toasted Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
Coulis of garden alpine strawberries, candied lavender, mint syrup