New Releases
Sampler Pack, 10 - pack, Fall, 2024

During the busy harvest season, we often think about how nice it is to relax and enjoy a bottle of dry Rosé. This one was made by directly pressing red grapes harvested at appropriate maturity for the product. We like to think of it as the blood of our grapes, the sweat of our brow, and tears of joy.

This is a rich and complex expression of Chardonnay from the Scherrer Vineyard. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed to French oak cooperage, where primary and malolactic fermentation occurred. All of these elements were allowed to integrate during its more than yearlong residence in wood. It was bottled without fining or filtration to respect both its delicacy and its more substantial qualities.

While grown primarily in the sandy Goldridge soil, which tends to produce Pinot Noir with flavors of red fruits and orange peel, this wine also illustrates some of the deep, brooding black cherry character generally found in the region’s clay soils. It was bottled without fining or filtration, and should age gracefully for a handful of years.

This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir illustrates the pretty, forward characteristics often found in this appellation. This unfined and unfiltered wine exhibits sassafras, cola and red fruit characters with a perky, long finish. It should reach a nice balance between youth and experience at three to five years of age.

My favorite syrahs tend to come from sites where the grapes may not be able to ripen to the same degree every vintage. Calypso Vineyard, perched in a slightly warmer, higher site inside this very cool area, is one of those. It is farmed practically single–handedly by owner Otis Holt, and is truly a labor of love.