EXTENDED through 1/31 - Elkhorn Peak: BUSTING BALLS and TAKING NAMES since 1983 - Fully Loaded Deals for Berserkers + Raffle *NEWBIE*

[EliseNerlove]

Make wine. Bust balls. Take names. We are Elkhorn Peak and we are happy to be here!

WHO WE ARE: An 8-acre vineyard planted on a homestead in the southeast hills of the Napa Valley, Elkhorn Peak Cellars is a small vineyard and Micro-winery run by father/daughter duo Ken Nerlove and Elise Nerlove. At 800 cases of annual production, you won’t find our wine in restaurants or wine shops; we sell nearly all of our wine direct through our Wine Club and on our website. We’ve been quietly producing world-class Pinot Noir and more since 1983. Our fruit and our wines continue to be one of Napa’s best kept secrets….

WHAT WE DO: In our spare time, we bust balls and take names, serving on the Executive Committee of the non-profit Save the Family Farms. Our mission is to keep small, Napa Valley family farms viable for future generations amid a wave of corporate takeovers. In 2022, we successfully passed a Micro-Winery Ordinance in Napa County. It was a real donnybrook but we did it!

WHY WE’RE HERE: We love our loyal Wine Club members, and enjoy hosting every guest who visits our down to earth tasting room. But, like most small businesses, the pandemic taught us to think beyond tourism and wine events. Late last year, we discovered WineBerserkers. A community of people who participate and support Micro-wineries? We wish we’d found you sooner! We’re thrilled to be participating in BD14 for the first time ever – a great event supporting small producers. Thank you for checking out our offer, happy BerserkerDay!

THE OFFERS: We don’t generally discount our wines, and shipping discounts are about as rare as a four leaf clover, but we are offering you both for BD14!

THE RAFFLE: everyone who orders AND comments on this thread will be entered into a raffle and one lucky person will win a box of our famous Pinot Noir infused truffles.

One-click shopping has been set up for your convenience, simply click on the offer name below for a redirect to elkhornpeak.com.

Offer 1: Elkhorn Peak “Busting Balls” 3-Pack (15%+ discount)

A great way to get acquainted with our small brand. Included in this offer are one bottle each of:

• 2021 Napa Valley Chardonnay, 13.9% ABV
• 2018 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir, 14.7% ABV
• 2018 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir Reserve, 14.7% ABV

Retail Price: $173 ($138 + $35 shipping)
BerserkerDay Price: $142 ($117 + $25 shipping)

Offer 2: Elkhorn Peak “Taking Names” 4-Pack (18%+ discount)

We dipped into the library to being you something really special. Included in this offer are one bottle each of:

• 2021 Napa Valley Chardonnay
• 2018 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir
• 2018 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir Reserve
• 2016 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir (LIBRARY WINE), 14.1% ABV

Retail Price: $235 ($195 + $40 shipping)
BerserkerDay Price: $190 ($160 + $30 shipping)

Offer 3: Elkhorn Peak “The Donnybrook” 6-Pack (22%+ discount)

Our best deal is also the broadest representation of what we do and includes a Pinot Noir from our library. Included in this offer are one bottle each of:

• 2021 Napa Valley Chardonnay
• 2018 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir
• 2018 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir Reserve
• 2016 Estate Grown Napa Valley Pinot Noir (LIBRARY WINE)
• 2021 Estate Grown Pinot Noir Pet Nat (Sparkling wine), 11.4% ABV
• Non-vintage Estate Grown Pinot Noir Dessert Wine (375 ML), 18.6% ABV

Retail Price: $307 ($262 + $45 shipping)
BerserkerDay Price: $240 ($205 + $35 shipping)

Offer 4: Elkhorn Peak “Make Mine Red” 6-Pack (22%+ discount)

A selection of our current release Pinot Noirs offered at a very rare discount - take advantage of this very special offer, enjoy these wines now or lay down for up to 10 years. Included in this offer is three bottles each of:

• 2018 Estate Grown Pinot Noir
• 2018 Estate Grown Pinot Noir Reserve

Retail Price: $350 ($305 + $45 shipping)
BerserkerDay Price: $273 ($238 + $35 shipping)

Shipping: It is super-expensive to ship wine, but we really want Berserkers try our wines. So, we are discounting our shipping by 25 to 30%.

While we can ship to most states, we unfortunately cannot to ship to AK, HI, UT, MS. Write your state legislators!

About Elkhorn Peak: Elkhorn Peak is commonly referred to as a homestead vineyard; it’s not your usual Napa Valley estate. Our relaxed, working-farm mentality harkens back to how Napa used to be in the 1970s and 1980s, which is fine by us. Our flagship wine is our traditional Pinot Noir, of which we produce 500 cases annually.

You won’t find Elkhorn Peak in any wine shops or restaurants; the family business is too small to distribute into the broader wine retail market. Instead, Ken and Elise proudly share their wine with their Wine Club members and offer wine for sale directly through their website, elkhornpeak.com.

Grapegrowing : Ken is the Master Grower; he planted the vineyard back in 1983 and Elise is the 2nd generation winegrape grower and winemaker. Their 8-acre vineyard sits at the base of the Elkhorn Peak Mountain, the label’s namesake and the highest mountain in South Napa’s Jamieson Canyon. The vineyard is farmed (non-certified) organic, with Ken and Elise tending meticulously to the vines from budbreak through harvest.

Winemaking: We strive to produce fruit forward wines and deploy a minimal intervention philosophy in the winery. We don’t do water backs, we don’t add mega purple, and we don’t blend other varietals into our wines – our Pinot Noirs are 100% Pinot Noir and our Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay.

• The Pinot Noir grapes are delivered to the winery, destemmed, and pumped into stainless-steel tanks to begin a 14-day fermentation on skin and seeds. You might be surprised to hear that we don’t do any whole cluster fermentation with our Pinot Noirs. Our site (in conjunction with our clone selection) produces tiny grape clusters, and we find the influence of stems masks the bright and vibrant fruit characteristics in our wines. Our Pinot Noirs tend to fall within the 14.2-14.8% ABV range.

Our Traditional Pinot Noir is aged in 100% neutral French oak barrels for 12 months before being bottled.

Our Pinot Noir Reserve is aged in 15% NEW French Oak barrels for 12 months before being bottled.

• The Chardonnay grapes are delivered to winery, pressed and pumped into a stainless-steel tank to begin a 25-day fermentation off of skin and seeds. After 25 days in steel tanks, wine is pumped into neutral French Oak barrels to age and develop for 8 months before bottling. The Chardonnays tend to fall within the 13.8 - 14.4% ABV range.

Busting Balls & Taking Names: When they’re not working at Elkhorn Peak, Ken and Elise spend their time championing for the rights of the small farmers in Napa County as executive committee members for Save the Family Farms. Save the Family farms is a local non-profit founded in 2017, whose mission is to keep Napa Valley family farms viable for future generations. In 2022, the group successfully passed the Micro-Winery Ordinance in Napa County. After you grab some wine, check out my post on the Micro-Wineries of Napa Valley for more on our work to highlight Napa’s smallest producers.

[Nate_Rulis]

I got to taste the Elkhorn Peak “Busting Balls” 3-pack as part of the Monopole Cru/Newbie Taster setup. First, let me say Elise was so kind and responsive to any & all of my questions – pointless or not. Additionally, I have to say how impressed I am by Elkhorn Peak’s transparency. They put almost everything you could ask/need to know about how they make their wine on their website. If you have questions, check it out … or email Elise.

Now, onto the tasting notes:

Elkhorn Peak Pinot Noir 2018
100% Estate grown Pinot Noir
5 clones (Pommard, Dijon 114 & 115, swan and "R" clone)
ABV: 14.7%
12 months neutral French Oak barrels
Garnet color.
PNP at first. Nose is chocolate, raspberries and petrichor with some heat. Raspberry coulis,
cocoa & sous bois. There’s a mature-ness to the wine. Medium-bodied.
Tasting on day 2 and I started to get a broader aspect of primary fruit. The raspberry notes were
joined by some Luxardo cherry and a hint of orange. The cocoa and sous bois was still very
present and delightful. That long finish continued.
Had with a variety of charcuterie and cheese. My personal favorite pairing was with a duck prosciutto
that drew out a lovely strawberry note in the wine. As Elise recommends on the EP website, I
also tried it with some blue cheese and it served as an unexpectedly delightful pairing.

Elkhorn Peak Pinot Noir Reserve 2018
100% Estate grown Pinot Noir
5 clones (Pommard, Dijon 114 & 115, swan and "R" clone)
ABV: 14.7%
12 months French Oak barrels; 10% new oak.
Garnet color.
PNP at first. Nose is plum and a touch of crème brulee. Plenty of plum with a hint of white
pepper, nutmeg and black tea. There’s definitely a hint of sweetness on the Reserve that I didn’t
get with the regular PN, which I’m sure is from some of the new oak. Medium-bodied.

Elkhorn Peak Chardonnay 2021
100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.9%
8 months Neutral French Oak barrels
Pale to Medium Straw. This is remarkably light color. Lemon, green apple & fresh sage on the
nose. Pear, pineapple, some tropical fruit – jackfruit – a hint of spearmint and white flowers.
Plenty of acid (not the searing acidity of some Chablis, but more than enough to keep this fresh). This was light & fresh and terrific.
We paired with some sauteed shrimp and it was delicious together.

I invited some friends over to join me in the tasting and everyone really enjoyed the wine. Buy with confidence and support a wonderful family operation! Thanks to Elkhorn Peak – Elise & Ken – for letting me taste their wines. And thanks to Todd & the whole Berserker team for setting up BD & all the madness that’s included.

[EliseNerlove]

Thanks for the wonderful tasting notes @Nate_Rulis! I’ll have to try the 2018 Pinot with duck prosciutto per your suggestion - yum! Happy Berserkerday!! We’re so excited to be part of the fun this year

[David.Berman]

OK, this is a bit embarrassing, but for the sake of honesty, I am a Monopole Crü member ‘Newbie taster’ and I received these wines free (aka gratis). This is a “rare” honor bestowed upon a Monopole Crü subscriber for a Berserker Businesses new to the marketplace for BerserkerDay.

Summary: Overall, these two pinots are medium colored but to me reflect an overall lighter and surprisingly reductive style of predominantly neutral oak aging that I prefer with pinot noir while showing quite a high alcohol content (which isn’t at all displeasing). It would be hard for me to be unhappy drinking either of these. They are both terrific and I crushed both bottles without hesitation (over a few nights, after some initial Coravin action for academic purposes) The chardonnay kind of blew me away. I really like lean and no new oak chardonnay, but this was a particularly awesome dichotomy of aroma and palate (which partly could be due to the 2021 droughts causing aromatic concentration?). There was richness and distinctive granny smith apple flavors which were typical of chardonnay. I would have thought this could be an aromatic field blend by the nose if not for those two palate notes.

2018 Elkhorn Peak Pinot Noir:

Color: Translucent medium brick red

Nose: Soft, earthy soil with red fruits predominantly of red cherry, pomegranate, and hibiscus scented black tea. A swirl really elevates the fruit.

Palate/Taste: It’s a pop of mixed red fruits immediately on the way in leaning now more towards strawberry and pomegranate with a delayed sense of cherry and rose hips. Very mild and soft tannins come in next followed by a nice lingering sense of acidity and that sits on the back sides of the tongue (good acid pucker) to make me want to take another sip while holding the first fruit notes. If I hold out, the finish is super long with a sense of dusty soil (can almost pick up sous-bois) and a light hint of clove (presumably from “neutral” oak) in there but the wine is more fruit forward. Light bodied, fruit dominant with a shifting finish, and very easy to drink. I’m surprised also by the detectable alcohol presence in this wine I believe due to the lighter body. It’s not out of balance, it’s just a surprise.

2018 Elkhorn Peak Pinot Noir Reserve:

Color: Pretty much the same translucent medium brick red

Nose: The nose is now earthiness and potpourri with clove and vanilla taking a side-by-side to darker riper red fruits leaning more towards raspberry and black cherry or plum.

Palate/Taste: Much more of a silky feel across the mouth with black cherry and rich strawberry. Tannins are soft, but comparatively pricklier than the non-Reserve sibling. The acidity remains quite good but is more full mouth coating giving me the same urge to keep drinking. I don’t pick up the same sense of alcohol as I did with the non-reserve pinot, but the body is also bit fuller leaning towards medium. Black tea and gun smoke linger on a long finish now.

2021 Elkhorn Peak Chardonnay:

Nose: Holy Moses, this is super aromatic with a spectacularly crazy tropicality blend of overripe pineapple, honeydew, and Meyer lemon.

Palate/Taste: Like the pinot noirs, this is a reductive style, however, the nose is a surprising (seemingly oxidized) dichotomy to the palate experience. This is a rich, medium bodied wine. The first hit is with mouth-watering acidity of a green apple, then follows with lime and citrus flowers on a longer finish. The finish would be best compared to the sensation after eating a ripe granny smith that figured out how to hang out in your mouth for a few minutes. I wish I was eating linguini vongole right now. If not for the richer body paired to green apple, this would have stuck me as a white field blend with aromatic varieties.

[EliseNerlove]

The description you give of the nose on our 21 Chardonnay will forever go down as one of my all time very favorite tastings notes!! We appreciate the thorough write-up and I love the photo too. Thank you @David.Berman and happy berserkerday!

[Jon_Martin]

After the tasting notes, I bought the 3 pack. Looking forward to sampling them.

[EliseNerlove]

@Jon_Martin thank you! You’ll have to let me know how you like the wines when they arrive. And you are also one of the first 14 people to order on preview day, so we’re sending you a box of Pinot chocolate truffles on the house. Enjoy the wines and the chocolate, we appreciate the business, and happy berserkerday

[Jon_Martin]

Thanks so much. I will certainly reach out and let you know. Happy early Berserker Day!

[Shawn_Morrison]

The heading got my attention, you guys sound like fun people… Bought a 3 Pack sampler to try them out, thank you

[EliseNerlove]

@Shawn_Morrison you must be in the business of busting balls and taking names too? You know, my Dad is famous for saying, “It doesn’t get done by thinking about it,” so we’ve grown up with a ball busting state of mind. Thanks for clicking through, we appreciate your order and hope you enjoy the 3-pack! You’re also one of our first 14 orders (congratulations!), so we’ll send a box of our Pinot Noir infused truffles along with the wine order. Please come back and let us know how you enjoy the wines.

[David.Berman]

Happy to be in for the Donnybrook. Looking forward to drinking some more.

[mike_basile]

Thank You

[EliseNerlove]

@David.Berman he’s back for more, I love to see it! Thanks for the order, David. I’m excited for you to try the rest of our wines. You’ll have to let me know what you think of the rest of the EP lineup, I’m especially curious to hear how you like the Pinot Noir Pet Nat…I got into making Pet Nats about 4 years ago, and have been hooked ever since. They’re about as fun to make as they are to drink (very fun). We made about 60 cases of the 2022 Pinot Noir Pet Nat from one ton of our Pinot this past year. We’re down to our last few cases, which I am stoked to be selling to berserkers for BD14. If you’re curious about the Pet Nat process, we put together a fun video ahead of the 2021 release, it does a good job of documenting the wild process: The 2020 Pét Nat Journey - YouTube

PS - you’re also one of the first 14 to purchase on preview day, so we’re including a box of Pinot infused truffles with your wine order, enjoy!

[Shawnda_H]

So funny to see “Newbie” next to Elkhorn Peak. Such a classic and I’m honored to be an OLD fan. I think it was the '02 PN that first blew me away. Ken would remember. Had it blind with some Berserkers and it was up against some amazing Burgundy and Elkhorn Peak WON! @ToddFrench, remember?

[EliseNerlove]

@mike_basile is in for a 3-pack - woohoo! I appreciate the business, thank you very much for the order, Mike. You’re one of the first 14 orders on preview day too, so we’re including a box of our Pinot infused chocolate truffles with your wine order. Please let me know what you think of the Elkhorn Peak wines when you receive your shipment. Cheers and happy BD14!

[PFerry]

I just bought 3 pack

[EliseNerlove]

@Shawnda_H Thank you, friend Let’s get together later this month for a glass of wine…or two…maybe even three (ha!). And thank you for referring me to the Berserker community – a secret online world of winos, this place is incredible!

[EliseNerlove]

@PFerry, thank you so much for ordering wine with us on preview day! You’re one of the first 14 people to order on preview day, so we’ll include a box of Pinot Noir infused truffles with your wine shipment. Cheers and Happy shopping today!

[Siun_O_Connell]

Hey Elise! Happy to buy one Busting Balls! Can’t wait to try the wine — and to follow your adventures.

[EliseNerlove]

@Siun_O_Connell Thank you, I’m so happy to see this!! Your preview day order qualifies for a box of Pinot Noir infused truffles, so I’ll include that when I ship the wine too. And on a personal note, I’m super grateful for all of your help and feedback with my first Berserkerday offer. It’s going great and I’m having fun. I can’t wait for tomorrow!