"…When I heard that Heitz Cellar, under its new leadership, would no longer be producing Grignolino, my heart sank a little.
“But (but!) that turned out to not be exactly true. Heitz is still producing Grignolino, only under a different label, called Brendel. And in the inaugural vintage, 2019, of this new project, Heitz winemaker Brittany Sherwood has fashioned the Grignolino into a very lightly sparkling rosé that’s completely delicious…”.
I truly hate every decision the new owners have made. From the “updated” labels, to the slick “best practice” marketing bullshit, to this. I’m sure the tasting room will be made into an apple store like Hall across the street.
It isn’t so much that the new label is bad – it isn’t, I like it – but that Heitz has always had one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable labels in CA. Really going to miss it.
Wow. I thought the label re-make was only for Lot C-91. I am not a fan of it for Heitz - maybe for something else.
Definitely looks like Heitz is dropping the still red Grignolino, which is a bummer. I always thought it was very good, especially at this time of year in South Florida.
Not Heitz but if anyone is interested Idlewild has just released their first Grignolino and having tasted it recently I can say it’s the real deal. Also recently released are a few other more obscure Piedmont varieties Favorita, Freisa and Erbaluce. Plus Timorasso is coming soon!
Totally agree with you. First it was the price increases (+50% overnight for the Napa Cab), change in fees for tasting from free to now $95 pp, new labels, I’m not even of fan of what they did to create the C-91, subdividing fruit to hit a price point in the market. I used to be a fan, but will spend my money elsewhere.
Heitz’s new owner just bought Burgess as well, his sixth acquisition, along with Stony Hill and others. Looks like a lot of historical wineries are getting a facelift. We’ll see how the winemaking decisions pan out but count me among those with some apprehension.
I’m actually all for the change. Granted it is all dependent on how well they execute it.
Grignolino is a grape that the Heitz team has always been passionate about, but one that was often overlooked by a big part of their consumer base. By rebranding it under its own standalone label, they are able to continue producing it while being able to market it better towards the niche of the market that is eager to try different varieties, hopefully reaching a wider audience of wine drinkers eager to learn more about it.
I will however miss the old label for nostalgic reasons and wish they’d make a still version of the Grignolino, and hopefully that comes back in the future.
The new website also seemed unnecessary complicated and over designed. I struggled to sort out how to actually purchase wines directly from them
Wow. Hadn’t seen the new labels until this thread popped up. I am a traditionalist, and hate the new labels - horrible decision.
BUT -
Great decision on the Grignolino, in my years as a wine retailer, 50% of the people that purchased the Heitz Grignolino hated it. For some reason, they thought it would be a full bodied Italian styled red. And when they popped the cork to find a light, spritzy red, they usually were very disappointed.
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