Planes, Trains and Stagecoaches

We're off on our summer tour and it's very likely the next few blogs will just have a tiny bit more to do with travel than wine.

Friday we flew out on Southwest from San Jose to Baltimore. Now I actually like Southwest. I know some people hate it, but to me it's an airline that doesn't pretend it's going to treat you nice, it's honest about the service it offers. A bag of peanuts and a seat that's what you get.

The other airlines pretend like they are going to give you more, but in the end, you get a bag of peanuts and a seat. Plus the latest I've ever been on Southwest is 35 minutes. On Northwest I've only had delays of less than four hours about 25% of the time. SO they get me there, it's on time, and they are honest. Good enough for me.

On this last trip though, wedged in the tiny seat, I started to think of all the transportation I've ever taken and where an airplane ranks. I've never been on a camel, or an elephant, but I have been on a horse and a stagecoach. So a plane is definitely less comfortable than a bus or a train. Then I tried to rank it????

It came in at the stagecoach level. Well kind of. Riding on top of a stage coach is not bad, you can see the bumps coming. Inside a stagecoach though is hot, stuffy, small and bumpy. So that's it. A plane is definitely better than taking a stagecoach. At leas if you have to ride inside the stagecoach.

Beta Testing

Last night we went out to dinner at Sent Sovi in Saratoga. The idea was to try all our wines with some good food before we go out visiting people next week. A 'Beta Test'. I wanted to know how everything was doing before I opened it for other people.

The dinner at Sent Sovi was actually very good and service was wonderful. There was a wild mushroom course in particular that was very good.

We opened four wines. I checked in on the 2005 Syrah since it had been over a month since we'd had it. Doing fine and hitting a good spot now. I also opened the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. It needs 30 minutes in a decanter right now. Not yet ready for release, but I think we knew it would be like that. We're not planning on sending out for a few months still. With the decanter time it showed really well and I think everyone will really enjoy this wine next week as we open it for the first time for people.

We also opened two mystery wines to try out. More news on those two wines coming soon, but we were pretty excited by how they tasted.

The staff at Sent Sovi tasted along with us and were very impressed. They asked us to come back and taste through with the owner and see about scheduling a winemakers dinner for us there sometime soon.

We ended up taking almost 4 hours to work through the wines and the courses and our small test group had a great time. I'm feeling really good about showing the wines next week.

Fall Mailers are Upon Us.

Today I got my first two mailers of the 'Fall'. On July 30th. Fall comes earlier than the Christmas season now, at least if your selling wine.

I understand the desire to get them out early. Beat the rush of other mailers that pile up for people is a big consideration I'm sure. The main thing though I think is to get orders and shipping done and taken care of for small operations. The mailers I got were from Loring Wine Company and Copain.

Both are bigger than us of course, but I know both are all hands on deck during the September and October harvest season. With everyone working in the winery crushing grapes and making wine, there will be no one left to answer emails, fix shipping issues, or process credit cards.

Stefania and I will be the same way. During October we won't have much time to tend to the business side of the business, it will be all about making wine. Our Fall Mailer will go out early too. Probably just another few weeks or right around Labor Day. We won't start shipping until after we've wrapped up harvesting, that way we'll have time to deal with any shipping issues, but the gap between taking orders and shipping is a gap we need to get other things done.

We're not pushing it into July, but I can sure understand why Brian Loring and Wells Guthrie want to.

Last Chance 2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah

Stef and I stopped in last night at Unwined just off Almaden Expwy in South San Jose. http://www.unwinedshop.com/ It's a great little wine bar / shop about 4 miles from our home. They always have interesting flights of wine, nice small tapas style plates of food, and 2-3 tv's to watch sports (or Oprah) on.

We had the "Mendocino White's" flight and the "Unusual Red's" flight and a plate of cheese and salami. All very nice.

Unwined still has 4-5 bottles left of our 2005 Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch. We left them with some after our release party, so that I didn't have to carry an open case back to the storage facility. This is the very last available 2005 Syrah, everything else is gone or on restaurant wine lists. Unwined is selling it at release price of $35, so if you'd like to pick up one more bottle, give them a call at 408-323-WINE.

Los Altos Vineyard Update.

Millie, Stef and I completed construction on the Los Altos vineyard project Sunday morning. It's a small project. Eleven rows, about 175 plants on a 1/4 acre, but when combined with the Elandrich vineyard should make enough fruit for 3-4 barrels of wine in 4-5 years.

We're putting in Syrah on a 5 wire trellis system with 6 x 8 spacing. The plants will go in on Friday and Saturday and we'll finish up a few remaining tasks then. The site is about 500 feet from the old Page Mill Winery site and should be a great spot to grow Syrah.

The project was a little rough starting out. We wanted to start in early May, but the homeowner wasn't ready for us. That put a serious kink in the schedule. We have a little gap in Mid May through Mid June when flowering is going on to do construction on new vineyards. As soon as flowering completes though we have to stop whatever is going on and go 'green prune' and tie up the existing vineyards.

So right after getting in the end posts on this project we had to stop for three weeks as we took care of the other vineyards. Last week we were able to get back out and finish up. Stef should have photos soon.

Burgers and Bordeaux

Today we'll be hosting our 5th annual "Burgers and Bordeaux".

It was an idea 5 years ago to de-mystify wine in general and French wine in particular. Bordeaux was the perfect subject. Many new wine drinkers are afraid to try French wines, or find wine naming in general confusing. We work off a simple theme: We taste wines of each of the five grapes used in Bordeaux; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Malbec. Then we taste blends of those grapes from around the world, including many Bordeaux's.

It gives every one a chance to taste each part of the blend on it's own and see what it brings, and how the sum of parts can be greater than the individual grapes. Many people are afraid to get away from varieties they know, and this is a chance to explore blends. It also is an easy environment to learn in and take some of the fluff away from wine.

The "Burgers" portion of the BBQ plays an important part in that. I hate that people obsess over the "perfect pairing". There is no such thing. Time, place, mood, preperation and a hundred other factors make the interplay of wine and food unique each time you do it. Forget about "perfect", go for "fun". What's more fun than burgers on the Forth of July? The burgers also let people know, it's ok to have wine, even great wine, with any food you'd like.

So we'll relax on this 4th of July with a casual BBQ, good friends, and good wine. No fluff, no pretense, no anxiety. Just the way we like wine.

Two Worlds of Wine

Last week Stef and I were guests at a lovely dinner hosted by a local professional organization. They asked us to pair wines with a three course dinner, including our Syrah, and speak about each pairing.

It was a real fun night and the group was very enthusiastic. They had great questions and treated us like celebrities. We chatted away for several hours after the event was supposed to wrap up. It was the type of nice event we're starting to get more often now where people are so excited to meet the winemaker. I had a blast.

Sunday I was out in the hot sun. Me and Millie and a crew of two helpers. We were digging post holes and setting the end posts for the new vineyard in Los Altos Hills. At one point one of the holes was not aligned right and I picked up a shovel and expanded it out, digging down 3 feet in the rough mix of hard clay and rocks.

This is in a little suburban area, so there was lots of foot traffic (and horse traffic) going by as we worked. A couple people stopped, one to ask directions and one to ask if it was a vineyard we were putting in. As I held the shovel, I thought of the Thursday night event. What a totally different world. The glamour of the wine dinner vs. the business end of a shovel on a hot day. I think I'm lucky though, I enjoy doing both.

Here's what I've seen so far. Although I've followed the situation in other areas I've only talked in detail with growers in my area, and Casey Hartlip at Eaglepoint Ranch in Mendocino. Keep that in mind as the situation can be very different in different parts of the state.
So far 2007 has been the easiest year I've seen since I've started in 2001. There actually have been comparisons to 1997, which was also viewed as easy.
So what does easy mean?
It means that there has been a leisurely pace to vineyard work and no unusual actions needed in the vineyard. At this stage in the growing season you're looking at four main themes:
1. disease pressure - mildew2. potential yields3. green growth or vigor4. water stress and situation for the remainder of the growing season.
1. disease pressure. Mildew pressure has been the lowest I've ever seen. Many have cut back their spraying drastically. Casey didn't do his first spraying until May. Only Bradley Brown at Big Basin Vineyards has told be he's seen any pressure this year, and he zapped it early with oil.
Spraying has also been very easy. 2005 in particular and a lesser amount in 2006 were difficult years. The rain patterns often had us out 2-3 times a week. This year we've been able to stay on an every 2 weeks schedule. You have to spray after each rain if you use organics or time your spraying for dry periods with systemics. In 2005 and 2006 the weather drove us nuts. We'd spray, it would rain, then not give enough gap between rain to get another spray to set. To make matters worse there would be calm periods between storms, which lets Powdery Mildew thrive. It meant a lot of work, and some growers still had Powdery Mildew problems in both years, and black rot problems in 2006. It was a challenge and although the best growers brought in good healthy grapes, it was still a lot of work.
This year we've had rain, gone out and sprayed, the wind kicks up (which helps prevent Powdery Mildew) and then relaxed until the next spraying was needed.
The net result? Healthy flowering, fruit set and cluster size. Potential yields look good, and unless something dramatic happens in the summer, we're not worried about mildews and rots.
2. Potential yields - At this point in the season yields look good. Some plants are throwing 3rd clusters, but not many. Flowering is still underway but set appears good and the plants healthy. Good growers will drop 3rd clusters which tend to not catch up, but every thing was very even this year. Plants flowered and set all together, which leads to even ripeness.
3. Green Growth - Vigor. This was the demon in 2005. The rain patterns lead to excessive growth. That encouraged Powdery Mildew, and meant many growers had to increase their farming labor 25-75%. There was a lot of work to do to bring in healthy grapes and balance vines.
This year the plants have been late, 1-2 weeks, but even and controlled in their growth. I've had to do no shoot thinning or lateral removal before flowering. In 2005 I had to make 2 complete passes through the vineyards.
I've also had very little need to remove excess buds or double shoots. The plants have just been balanced and not needed extra fussing. The lateness is not a concern to anyone I've talked with, or myself. We're not pushing things severely like 1998 or 1999, it just looks like 1-2 weeks later than normal, or about the same as last year.
Although we have only seen one heat spike, our degree days seem fine, and the heat is really needed over the 90 days following flowering. The entire summer is ahead of us, and it is possible we'll have lower alcohol, lower pH wines again in 2007, like 2005 and 2006, but that will play out in July and August. No one is concerned on not getting grapes ripe.
4. Water stress and situation for the remainder of the growing season.
It has been a drought year, with rainfall at 30-50% of normal in many locations. I've turned on my drip systems later than I have in the last few years. In 2005 I had them off all season. Still the amount has been small 1/2 gallon per week and precautionary.
Others are doing the same. No one seems particularly worried, just cautious in getting water in the ground. We've seen no drought stress at this time. If things get really hot this summer it could be a concern. Those on reservoir water are worried that they can make it through a hot summer with the water on hand, but thus far it's not been an issue.
So overall? 'Easy'. The year is off to a good start, and for consumers I think it looks particularly good. Both 2005 and 2006 were challenging years. The kind that took hard work in the vineyards and separates the good growers and winemakers from the average. Maybe a little like 2003 in Bordeaux, where some made great wines, and some struggled.
2007 is off to a start like 2000 Bordeaux, the kind of vintage that lifts everyone and makes the average good, and the good great. BUT, the real work and risk is ahead. There's a long summer to get through, and the Fall is always key to quality.

(Also posted on Wine Spectator Forums)

Visit to San Martin

Last summer we got a call from a family south of San Jose in the small town of San Martin. They grow walnuts there, and a few years ago planted about 200 Syrah and Grenache vines. The vines were in trouble and they didn't know what was wrong.

We went down to take a look and found that Powdery Mildew was the main problem. The vineyard was actually in pretty good shape. Most of the time we get a call like that we find a vineyard that has not been properly pruned, suckered and tied up. In those cases the damage to the vine is severe. Grapes are wild aggressive plants, and with improper care, they will grow like a weed. If the trunk and canes have not been kept in shape by suckering, pruning and tying up, it takes three years to restore them. The same amount of time to start over with new plants.

Their experience with the walnut orchard though had served them well. The pruning was good, the trunks suckered and strong, and the plants trained properly. They had just made a few small mistakes. They had watered too much and the vines had gotten to vigorous. It's very common for people to think vines need more water than they really do.

That vigor had created an environment that let Powdery Mildew thrive and they were not sure what, how and when to spray. That's the other common mistake people can make. It was too late to save the grape crop. Once mildew spreads to the grapes, they will never get ripe enough to make wine. They make look ripe, but the mildew prevents sugar development and stunts all flavor.

As we explained all this too them last year the entire family came out to take notes, ask questions and learn all they could. I really enjoyed our time with them. Their enthusiasm to learn was really fun.

This year they followed the watering and spraying schedule I left them with. Calling just once to track down a Powdery Mildew spray I recommended to stop the active spores left from last season.

A few weeks ago though they emailed worried about the vines. They looked 'wild and out of control', and they worried about mildew again. I made sure they didn't do anything right away. Doing anything while the plants flower in late May will ruin the crop, so I assured them: "wait, and we'll be out in a few weeks."

This morning we headed down and spent a few hours with them again. The vines were doing well, still full of vigor so they had gotten very bushy. Stef and I showed them how to thin the shoots, and remove laterals, then tie the vines into the trellis. We worked half a row with them until they had it down, and left them working away. They were happy that the wild vines now looked like the well tended vineyards they had just seen in Paso Robles.

Going down and visiting with them is a trip Stef and I both enjoy. A friendly family, full of cheer and enthusiasm about growing grapes and making wine is a trip that is a lot of fun for us. We'll go back in a month or so and check on them, and I'm sure their little vineyard will be doing great.

2005 Loring Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard

A tasting note? Yeah why not. We had this wine last night with some fresh Salmon and angle hair pasta. The wine had bright cherry flavors. Ripe cherry almost like a cherry soda, and the great silky feel of fine Pinot Noir. It added spicy notes on the finish.

I thought this was the best wine I've ever had from Brian Loring. It was unique to itself. Any attempt to say it tasted like some type of Burgundy would not be accurate. It tasted like a wine from California. But not in the way many are critical of California Pinot Noir, even calling the thick, sweet over-extracted style -Pinot-Zinoir.

This wine was all Pinot Noir, silky, fresh, fruity and spicy, but there was no mistaking it was from California. A great wine, reflecting the effort of Peter Cargasacchi the grower, and Brian Loring the winemaker.

And Brian has been a hero-role model for me for many years. I've followed many of the things he's done. From customer service, to mailing list policies, vineyard sourcing, and probably most importantly, watching how Brian was able to run his wine company and keep his full time high tech job. Next year I think I'll even be switching to his policy of including shipping prices in the price of his wine.

Many people in the wine industry have told me, it's very hard to be both a great business man, and a great winemaker. Drinking Brian's wine last night, was great inspiration and proof, that you can do both.

Flowering

Grape vines, at least those used for wine, are self pollinating. They don't need bees, or birds or any outside help to flower. The flower simply opens up and drops it's pollen on to the seed below. The flowers are tiny, less than 1mm across. The pollinated flowers become the individual grapes in each cluster.

So the success of flowering is very big in determining how big your crop will be each year. The best thing you can do as a farmer to help is -- Nothing. The flowers are so small that it's very easy for the pollen to 'miss' and you end up with a grape pod that won't turn into a grape. These are called 'shot berries'. If you get a lot of shot berries this is called 'shatter'. In that case you end up with a cluster with just a few grapes on it.

So when flowering starts, you want to stop doing anything to the plant. No trimming, no spraying, no shaking the plant in any way. You also hope the wind stays calm, as high wind will cause the pollen to miss, and leads to shatter. Rain or hail is the very worst, it will release the pollen and wash it away.

We've just started to see flowering. So far the weather has been very good, and I've stayed out of the vineyard. I'll have to cut my work back now to things that won't disturb the plants. When flowering is over, we call this 'set'. That means the clusters have set their good berries and the grapes will mature through the summer. Once we have set, I'll return to the vineyards.

Back and Bottled

We wrapped up our 10 days in Oregon and the California Coast on Sunday. Just in time to get to San Francisco on Monday for bottling of our 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Uvas Creek Vineyard.

The wine tasted the best of any of our samples. I think we found a real sweet spot to bottle at. My original plan was to bottle in September, but after the last few tastings I thought sooner was better than later. I didn't want to risk drying it out at all, or loosing any fruit for more wood.

The wine was a little low on free Sulfur, so we added a bit at bottling to bring it up to about 30ppm. Still pretty low, most wine gets bottled with 50ppm or more.

The bottling line went mostly with out issue. We were short a couple bottles, but found another case to finish up. There were enough labeled corks this time, and only 1-2 minor snags that slowed us down. We ended up with 48 cases of 750's and 1 case of magnums. They'll be picked up on Friday and taken to storage until we're ready to release the wine, probably in late September.

The addition of sulfur at bottling usually means it's a good idea to let the bottles 'settle' a little longer before releasing them, so we'll do that. I took home a few cases so I can check on the wine as we get close to release and make sure it's ready to go.

A Little Validation or is it Support?

We're out on the road right now. Mostly vacation, our first week long one in a long time, but we're also visiting a few Pinot Noir makers in Oregon.

We're planning on making a little Pinot Noir this year, and next year we may have up to eight tons to make. So a little research was in order.

I'm picky about Pinot. I don't like Pinot to be heavy or jammy. I like Pinot Noir's that are silky and fragrant, with sexy noses that jump from the glass. I like the wine to finish long and clean with just a hint of oak. Chambolle-Musigny is the village in Burgundy I usually prefer. Noted for it's fragrant silky wines. Light, yet packed with flavor.

So we visited a few places, and wrapped up the day at Belle Pente, Stef's favorite Pinot maker. We quizzed the winemaker on everything he does. His wines are fragrant ans silky and packed with flavor.

Many of his tips, are things we do now or things we've heard from other Pinot Noir makers we like. Use gravity not pumps. Rack the wine as little as possible, don't settle the wine before barrel. 1/3 to 1/2 new oak, medium toast never heavy. It's very good to hear those things from winemakers you think are doing a good job, at least when they have those things in common.

It was also good to get some validation on things we do in the vineyard that not every one agrees with. We don't leaf pull, we remove secondary shoots and laterals. We also don't leave one cluster per shoot. We evaluate each cane and plant and then decide on one cluster or two.

Those things can be controversial, so it was very nice to hear that they do the same things, for the same reasons. A little validation we're on the right track.

Sales Status

Have we sold out yet?

Yes and No. How's that for a straight answer?

We have sold all the wine we allocated for direct sales. There's no more left. So in that sense we are sold out. People who are signing up know for our mailing list are getting a note that says: "Sorry we'll have wine for you at our next release". We're at 239 people on the list now.

There is some wine left though. I set aside four cases for 'stragglers' and shipping errors. So far we've not had any shipping problems, and all the direct shipment wine but 9 bottles have gone out, so I'm feeling pretty ok about those other four cases being available. If you already have an order form, you can still get wine. At least until 3 of those 4 cases are gone.

The wine is also available at Unwind on Almaden Expwy, in San Jose for $35 a bottle. They had 5 bottles as of a week ago. It's also available at Olio in Campbell from the wine list for $53 and Twist Bistro in Campbell. Later this month it will also be available at Baci in Vacaville from their wine list.

Vineyard Update

We spent the weekend out working in our vineyards and getting them in good shape for the Spring.

We suckered, which means doing deep knee bends on each plant and removing growth from the trunk. Stef is still sore. We also did some deer proofing, weed-whacking and sprayed for Powdery Mildew in each vineyard.

Elandrich Vineyard in Portola Valley - Looks just a little slow this year. It's been a cool spring and the plants are a little behind. Not enough to worry, if anything that may be good and flowering will happen a little later when the risk of wind is less. Wind causes the berries to not flower correctly (called shatter) and the bunches to not have full grapes. The drought has meant less weeds in the vineyard and I'll have less weed-whacking this year.

The plants are all healthy though and things look good. We'll focus on shoot thinning next, then try new bird netting this year and see if we can't get 1500-2500 pounds out of here this year.

Morgan Hill Vineyard - Had a severe deer attack. It looks like we've recovered most of the plants, and I've got the owner to close the fencing during the day. We aren't expecting any fruit from this vineyard this year, we're just training the plants. We should have about 500 pounds of Cabernet Sauvignon from here in 2008, and 2-3 tons in 2009.

Llama Vineyard - Bonny Doon - Suckering was actually pretty easy here. We have bunnies! The rabbits eat the suckers of the lower part of the plant, but they can't reach the fruiting part. Bunnies are actually a help once the plants get established. This vineyard looked really amazing. There are some signs of Powdery Mildew, but we're on top of the spraying and not expecting problems. There should be at least 1000 pounds of Merlot this year.

THings look really nice, and we're hoping for a good year!

How Much Wine?

We didn't make a lot of wine in 2005. Just 100 cases total. 50 cases of Syrah and 50 cases of Canernet Sauvignon. In 2006 we made 16 barrels, 400 cases, so four times more. Still not a huge amount. This year we're planning on 23 barrels, about 575 cases of wine.

I big part of this approach was to not make more wine than we could sell 'part time'. Build up slowly, get the wine out there, build a mailing list and some key restaurants and go from there.

I also know I'm making pretty unique wine. I like wine with a great smell, and well balanced. I don't like thick wines, and I don't like wines with brown flavors or jammy flavors, so I don't want to make wines like that. Those are the kinds of wines that are simple crowd favorites and fill up the bottom shelves at the supermarket. That's easy appeal, and nothing wrong with that, but I'm not out to compete with Little Penguin. I knew our wine would have to find a market. People who like elegance over thickness and pretty scent over ultra ripe flavor.

I know those people are out there, and I know they will love our wines. But I also knew that making 2000 cases to start off with would have been a hard search to find them.

We're never going to make 2000 cases of anything is the bottom line. We'll make small amounts of a few wines from special sites that let me get great balance, scent and flavor in a bottle. 100 cases here, 200 cases there, just small amounts. Copain was successful doing this, and Brian Loring, so I think it can be done. I don't want a confusing amount of wines, or wines from all over. Our wines will always be from mountain vineyards that let me make a wine I'll like. I hope enough other people like them too to let us keep making them.

Sorry for the long laps

A bad streak of colds, allergies, computer problems and getting ready for the Release Party have kept me from blogging.

I should be back at it now though. The party went very well with 40 people coming and trying our wine. We've gotten it out to Olio this week and Twist next week to get on thier wine lists, and almost all the orders have gone out.

I'll be catching up in the vineyard this weekend and trying to update everyone on what's going on!.

The Pinot Quest

I've thought a lot about making a Pinot Noir. The hard part for me has been finding fruit to buy that I like. There's not much Pinot Noir available for sale in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I'm also very very picky about the vineyards we'll use and making sure that they are farmed for the highest possible quality.

That's meant for the past two years the only vineyard I've been interested in has been the Schultze Family Vineyard in the Southern Santa Cruz Mountains. The Schultze's make what I think is the best Pinot Noir in the Santa Cruz Mountains from their vineyard under the Windy Oaks name. They also sell their fruit to Thomas Fogarty, David Bruce, Testerossa and Mark Alfaro. Jim Schultze is so dedicated to perfection to his vineyard that this is some of the most sought after fruit around.

Every year I call Jim and Judy and beg for fruit, and every year they call back and say, "Sorry". This year though, Jim said, "Maybe, I can give you 2 tons." So my fingers have been crossed, they'll let me know after fruit sets in June if I have a Pinot source. I ordered my barrels just in case, and then haven't thought much about it.

Then last week, through a series of connections another great source became available to me. The owners of one of the oldest and most sought after vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains called Bradley Brown at Big Basin Vineyards. They were looking for a new winemaker and vineyard manager for their vineyard. Bradley is busy this year planting more Syrah, so he referred them to me.

The vineyard is fantastic, but it was too far away for me to take care of well. At 10 acres it would mean I'd have to dedicate almost 100% of my weekend time to it and I couldn't see doing that with all the other vineyards we have (We're up to 5 we take care of, and 3 we consult at now). So, I started making frantic phone calls.

Yesterday I called back the owners and said, "Yes I think we can do it." Ted at Uvas Creek Vineyards is interested in partnering with us on the project. He's a fantastic farmer and he's about 30 miles closer than I am. We can split up the vineyard work, and then split the fruit. We still need to work out the details, but it looks like we'll have 1-2 tons of Chardonnay and 3-4 tons of Pinot Noir this year.

Shipping to Start on Schedule

Barring some real unusual error over the next day or two, shipping will start on schedule next Monday April 9th. I plan to release all orders, to all states next week. The exceptions will be a few special deliveries that have been requested. Those will go out after the official release of April 21st.

The wine should start to arrive as soon as next Wednesday and Thursday to California addresses. We did send out a small number of late offer letters this week. It looked like we would have 2-3 cases left after first round, so I sent out 18 offers for three packs to the first 18 people who had signed up after the first cut off.

I'll deliver restaurant orders starting the week of April 23rd. Olio in Campbell and Baci in Vacaville are confirmed. We will also likely be at Twist in Campbell as well. That should be confirmed next week.

April 21st Release Party

Our official release day will be Saturday April 21st. We're celebrating with a party at Unwined in San Jose : http://www.unwinedshop.com/index.html from 2 to 5pm. There will be snacks, champagne and our 2005 Stefania Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch by the glass. Unwined will also have a limited number of bottles available for purchase at the store.

If you would like to receive more details please let me know. It looks like we should have about 50 people at the event and it should be a great time.

Unwined will also have their regular selection of by the glass tastes available during the event. We're hoping that we'll have shipments out before that date, I'll update everyone on that in the next blog.