As per email
" We’re very excited to share that our fall release is coming up on Tuesday, July 15.
The release will offer the first wines from the 2024 vintage. Along with mainstays like Old Vine Zinfandel and Evangelho Heritage, we have a number of heritage wines and Zinfandels from Dolinsek, Carlisle, Old Hill Ranch and Katushas’. The release will also feature one of the final Heritage wines from the superb 2023 vintage— Teldeschi Ranch.
We have a few new and unique wines coming up in this release as well: a tiny-production blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc from 2023, lovingly called Tres Bonné after writer Jon Bonné, and our 2020 Calico Syrah, ready to be released into the world after a few extra years in bottle. We will also be releasing our 2024 Bedrock Vineyard Carignan as a celebration of Bedrock Vineyard recently becoming the 24th vineyard in the world to be Regenerative Organic Certified.
On the white wine side, we have the 2023 Bien Nacido Chardonnay along with 2024 Cuvee Karatas and 2024 Compagni Portis.
Also, for the first time ever we are also going to host a release preview tasting featuring almost all of the wines the day after the release opens on July 16th from 4-7 at our General Joseph Hooker House tasting room on the Sonoma Plaza. We would love to see you, please RSVP here if you can make it!
Those who have not yet placed an order will receive the First-Timers Release on Wednesday, July 23.
Any questions please reach out!
Best,
Morgan and Chris"
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Don’t think they’ve done a Chardonnay in a few years (certainly not since I’ve been on the list, admittedly not long). Others with more experience - what’s the house Chard style like? (Or if @Morgan_Twain-Peterson wants to give us a preview…)
On the subject of Chardonnay, I know they are buddies with John Lockwood of Enfield Wine Co. and his recent Bien Nacido Chard (2022 IIRC) is absolutely amazing.
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Got the same email. Not trying to be a noob but what wines are the best known for?
The Heritage wines are their mainstay. Those are all Zin-based field blends from old vine vineyards across Sonoma (and a few other Northern Cal counties).
Old Vine Zin is their entry level wine and is up there for best US wine you can get for under $25.
Of the vineyards on offer this release I think Evangelho, Dolinsek, and Old Hill are the best to get a sense of the house style(s). Evangelho is one of the more unusual Zin based vineyards out there (worth googling the backstory and for some photos) and makes a very elegant, high toned wine.
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Spot on statement.
The Old Vine Zin has been a little off for my tastes lately, but the single vineyard offerings have been stellar.
I wonder if we’ll see the Gambrel’s of the Sky again. I love that wine.
More approachable in the near term. I seem to remember vintages that were near term drinkers. The last few need time especially the ‘23.
That’s what vintage variation can do.
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Of course, but a winemaker has levers too. Harvest time, blending, fermentation, etc.
Do you want the wine to be the exact same year after year?
For appellation level wines, yes. I buy them as early drinkers, weekday drinkers. I don’t want to cellar $20 wines.
<looks around nervously with a cellar that’s mainly German>
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Personally, I think the ‘23 is great today.
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This is an interesting aspect of wine…. Someone will love it and someone else…… Not so much. The OVZ can certainly vary from year to year. If it leans more towards Zin I love it…… if it leans less my wife loves it. No matter which way it goes we enjoy it year after year. We buy at least a case every year.
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These are on deck for this weekend.
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That '18 rocked from birth and still rocks today.
The last one I had a couple months ago was so off. In a dumb phase.
