Could I plant a vine in my backyard and call it To Kalon East? 
Do you call him Toke for short? ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
Nickel was producing crap from tench, that’s hard to do.
Seems like a money play.
That dog is crying out for a mullet.
Great post, Roy.
Just splitting hairs, but I think Woodbridge is mostly Central Valley fruit, not Central Coast. The two get crossed up in conversation more than one would expect.
Great post Roy! Thank you for taking the time to put it out there for everyone not in the know at this time.
I dunno, when I think of Bordeaux I think of the Chateaux, not the boundaries of St. Estephe. All I need to know about MacDonald is that it’s MacDonald, from MacDonald grapes. If I owned a vineyard surrounded on three sides by Harlan I’d call it Chadwick, and that’s all I’d put on the label. Monastery Block is Monastery Block whether or not there’s a $6 Lodi Pinot called To Kalon. I don’t see this issue affecting the great To Kalon wines. Roy, terrific well written and generous piece.
I can’t wait to see you post a picture of the cease and desist letter from Constellation!
![[rofl.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/a/a7452fcd8e675af869f8da01174474a545b03944.gif "rofl"){kind=small}
I can only imagine all of the subplots vis a vis TK. I happened to notice last winter, perusing the PNV lots for fun, a lot for auction identified as Schrader Monastery Block. Same brand and wine maker, different grape source from Beckstoffer to what was/is what I thought was considered one of the best Mondavi blocks in TK, and from which their PNV lot often sourced from. How will the Schrader wine show, e.g., differently? What happens to Mondavi Reserve?, e.g., flesh it out more with non TK(vineyard) fruit?
Pipe dream time:
I was thinking of offering a one hit pipe branded “Tok Alone”
Now I am concerned there may be a lawsuit.
I had to stop the Jeremy Nickel video half way it was so cringe worthy. If somebody had to ask what is wrong with wine and the industry I would show them that video. Coincidentally, I had a bottle of Nickel & Nickel Stelling Vineyard 03 this past April and it was great lol.
This is a minor point in the context of Roy’s impressive post, but I don’t really think anyone would want to use ToKalon to brand cheap bulk wine.
That name has zero meaning to 99% of people who buy cheap bulk wine, and the 1% who do know the name would know not to be confused by its usage on $8 Central Valley Merlot.
And as a brand name, it would be a terrible choice. Nobody would know how to pronounce it, it looks and sounds awkward, it sounds like it might be a pot reference, etc.
Good points . . .
But a smart marketing company can ‘create’ the wonderful ‘illusion’ that any product associated with the name means that product is ‘tied’, directly or not, to some of the oldest and ‘grandest’ vines in Napa Valley, arguably the ‘pinnacle’ of wine production in the US . . .
Was it the part where guys on horses were jousting?
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I think it is just the concept is cause for concern. What if Constellation made a wine 60/40 To Kalon, but did not discuss percentages, 40/60 or 20/80. It is more concerning to believe and assume wines are made with grapes from an elite vineyard when they are not. At what point are educated wine buyers getting duped? This is the bigger concern than the 5.99 To Kalon Coastal. We can all say we’ll only buy what we like, but at a restaurant or a one off purchase etc., the To Kalon designation could be a falsely labeled decision maker. When anyone here sees To Kalon on the bottle, we’ve historically trusted the source of the grapes. Apparently, that may not be an accurate or reasonable assumption.
FYI, the suit was flagged back in March in another thread (Looks like the To Kalon Trademark saga continues… new lawsuit against Constellation/Mondavi), though with nothing like the detail Roy has provided.
Bat Country! Did you see what God did to our To Kalon, man?
COPY OF A LETTER I RECEIVED FROM CONSTELLATION:
Hi ,
Thank you for your interest in our wines. As we continue to build out our website we will notify you of new information as it becomes available. The first wine in our portfolio, Highest Beauty, will be available for sale beginning in September 2019.
Crafted from the 2016 Vintage and grown in gravelly soils nestled in the Mayacamas foothills, Highest Beauty is an excellent wine. Dark, rich, and indulgent, the wine combines 150 years of tradition with a modern aesthetic under the expert hand of renowned winemaker Andy Erickson.
Please feel free to email us with any questions you may have as we are here to help.
Sincerely,
The Team at To Kalon Vineyard Company
707-225-9398
Ben – The etiquette on Berserkers is to not pitch one’s own products in the way you just did. We have a number of people in the business – winemakers, retailers, importers – who lend their knowledge, but they’re very good about avoiding the kind of shameless pitch you just made. But I realize you haven’t posted a lot, so you may not have realized the culture here.
He forgot the ITB label too.
Hey John,
Sorry, that wasn’t my product, it’s a letter I received from constellation. I don’t’ work for them. I should have outlined that more specifically. I’ve edited the OP.
Ah! Really not clear! Try the quote function in the future!