Discount code: BD17
Iām so happy to be back for another Berserker Day! This is my biggest sales day each year, and Iām so grateful to this incredible community for the years of support. For those who donāt know me, Iām a California winemaker working with very old vine vineyards farmed organically and made in a traditional way. Iām a low intervention winemaker by virtue of being a hyper vigilant winemaker. I make small adjustments (fermentation temperature, pick date, soil type, etc) rather than major course corrections that can strip a wine of its potential. If youād like to read more about who I am and what I do, āø check out my websiteās About page. ā
After 11 vintages in California (with a brief interlude in France), Iāve made the move up to Oregon for a higher growing latitude and more water. This will be the last year that Iām offering wines from two exceptional vineyards, Del Barba MourvĆØdre and Lolonis Chardonnay. As Syrah takes a bit longer to come around in bottle, Iāll have 2 more releases of Grist Syrah after this.
If youāve loved these wines in the past, or thought about checking them out, nowās your chance. Iām offering 25% off all wines, and free shipping on cases via UPS Ground. Weather permitting, wines will ship in mid-late March. Use code BD17 at checkout to apply the special discount.
ā¤ MourvĆØdre, Del Barba Vineyard, Contra Costa 2024 ($42 ā $31.50)
Just up over the hill (or dune, rather) from Evangelho is another incredible heritage vineyard. Mostly planted to Zinfandel, with some Carignane (or āCarriganā as they say in CoCo), this 1880s planting of MourvĆØdre is behind Del Barba pater familias Fredās house. The vineyard is pure sand and so the vines are planted on their own roots. The lack of a graft junction is the reason these vines are so extraordinarily old and producing strongly.
Sand soils can give very smooth tannins to a wine. The cranberry fruit and thyme-oregano garrigue notes balance perfectly with these light tannins to produce an easy, early drinking wine with beautiful depth and substance.
ā Purchase MourvĆØdre here ā
ā¤ Chardonnay, Lolonis Vineyard, Redwood Valley, Mendocino 2024 ($42 ā $31.50)
This vineyard produced a heart-wrenchingly small amount of vine in 2024, a mere barrel from 3 acres. I have only 20 cases available to sell, and Iām making 10 of those cases available to Berserkers at a 25% discount. Only a token couple of cases will make it into distribution, for a couple of wine shops that have championed my wines from the start.
This block of old vine Chardonnay, planted in 1946-7, is possible the oldest extant Chardonnay planting in the US (please correct me if Iām wrong, Iād love to know whoās older!). Napaās first Chardonnay planting took place in 1947 at Stony Hill (since torn out), so these were early days for Chardonnay in California.
This is the California Chardonnay for people who profess to hate California Chardonnay. Itās the number one comment I get from people at tastings. Yes, it goes through malolactic fermentation, but this brings layers to the wineās elegance and softens what would otherwise be screaming acidity. Thereās no movie theater popcorn butter to be found here, promise. Youāll find aromatics of jasmine and Meyer lemon, and salty red currant fruit.
ā Purchase Chardonnay here ā
ā¤ Syrah, Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek, Sonoma 2022 ($47 ā $35.25)
Oh, sheās drinking beautifully right now. Technically in the Dry Creek Valley AVA, this vineyard sits up on top of Bradford Mountain in the Coast Range at 1,000 ft elevation. Gorgeous acidity and an old world nose, but characteristically California fruit. This is a 40 year old planting of Syrah, co-fermented with a dash of Viognier to bring aromatic lift. The cuttings are originally from Chapoutier in Hermitage. Like any suitcase clone, these are virused vines that struggle with red blotch, and their days are numbered.
Pomegranate freshness on the nose, dark cherry fruit on the palate. Some classic Syrah notes of green olive. This wine had some serious tannins when it was first bottled, but theyāve polymerized beautifully into a smoother structure. One-third whole cluster fermentation, with 2% Viognier thatās fully destemmed.
ā Purchase Syrah 2022 here ā
ā¤ Syrah, Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek, Sonoma 2023 ($50 ā $37.50)
Berserker exclusive!
If youād like to stock up on the following vintage (2023) this year, so as to combine shipping with my other wines, Iām making 2023 Grist Vineyard Syrah available exclusively to Berserkers today. This wine will release to the general public next year.
Sheās approachable now, juicier and with lighter tannins than 2022, but without the complexity sheāll gain in the coming years. Bright raspberry fruit, and the tannins have a white pepper feel in the mouth - delicate, but present and redolent of the 30% whole cluster stem inclusion. The perfumed quality of Viognier (5% co-fermented) is more present in 2023 than in 2022, giving a gorgeous lift. On the palate, I get classic herbed black olive and lemon oil.
ā Purchase Syrah 2023 here ā
Thanks so much for reading this far! Please drop a comment below, or reach out to me at claire@clairehillwines.com if you have any questions for me.
Once again, use the code BD17 to apply the discount.
Cheers,
Claire
The wines are available to ship to the following states via UPS:
Not located in one of the below states, but close to one of their borders?
You can ship your order to a UPS Store to be held for pickup.
| Alabama (email me to order!) | Idaho | North Carolina | Pennsylvania |
| Alaska | Illinois | North Dakota | South Carolina |
| Arizona | Indiana | Nebraska | Tennessee |
| California | Kansas | New Hampshire | Texas |
| Colorado | Kentucky | New Mexico | Vermont |
| DC | Louisiana | Nevada | Washington |
| Florida | Massachusetts | New York | Wisconsin |
| Georgia | Maryland | Ohio | West Virginia |
| Hawaii | Minnesota | Oklahoma | Wyoming |
| Iowa | Missouri | Oregon |
