Fun Developments at the Winery

CELLAR JOY!

We just bottled the 2019 Pinots on August 4th. As always, once everything is in tank for bottling, Carri tastes through the wines to give her final-final blessing. I always talk about how great her palate is, and she proved it again; tasting blind, she identified 9 of the 11 pinots. But it also confirms the wines reflect their place, which says even more.

The 2019s really got some very special cellar attention. Starting in March, I had a lot of cellar work I needed to do, and Gracie offered to help. It was a surprise because other than walking on grapes a few times and assisting with club events more recently, she has never wanted to work in the cellar. I had modest expectations as I do for all beginners, and to say she exceeded them is an understatement; she blew me away, it was like she had been working in a winery for a long time.

I thought she and Carri were pranking me and that she’d been working somewhere for a friend, and spent the first day veering between shaking my head in disbelief and giggling out loud. She’s been a fixture there since, and the “finished” 2019s are very much the product of her spirit too. She is one of the top “beginner” cellar hands I’ve seen in 23 years of commercial winemaking, and while I’m biased, the kid’s a natural. Now, if I can get her to make a wine this year….

Going Live for a Great Cause

I don’t do a lot of webinars – but this Thursday, August 13 at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST I’m joining Chefs Charlie Palmer and Scott Romano for an Instagram Live Pigs & Pinot Tutorial Series featuring a live cooking demo and wine pairing. All you have to do is check out Charlie’s Instagram @CHEFCHARLIEPALMER. The Pigs & Pinot Tutorial Series supports the Charlie Palmer Collective hourly employees. We’ll be donating 25% of all sales of the 2018 Three Sisters Pinot Noir for the next month for those who want to support the cause; please use the code #pigsandpinot  during checkout so we can track purchases. Restaurant workers have had their livelihoods decimated this year; we’re honored to be able to help Charlie in this effort.

Drink well!
John & Carri

P.S.! We started the wine club just a few years ago, and we’ve reached a milestone of sorts; our club is now fully subscribed. It’s important to us to be sure all club members receive a guaranteed allocation of all wines, and that’s become a real challenge. An extraordinary upcoming release in December brought the point home- we only have enough for one bottle per member- and almost none for ourselves!

So, we’ve started a waiting list for people who want to join the club, but as an existing (“founding”) member you’ll enjoy the same benefits as always (plus anything new we come up with!). We remain grateful to everyone who has supported our little winery, and we hope our wines continue to find a place in your lives, and on your table.