Hey Berserkers, wanted to spread the word on a new and exciting wine project called Sphaerics.
“Husband and wife team Brian Ball (GM at Skipstone) and Laura Jones (former assistant winemaker at Aubert) are launching their own wines. The inaugural release will take place in early 2024 with one single-vineyard Chardonnay from the famed Upper Barn site in Sonoma County. The parcel is part of the original 1982 plantings that went into bottlings of Marcassin (Gauer Vineyard Upper Barn) and Peter Michael (Mon Plaisir) throughout the 1990s, and has been used exclusively by Stonestreet since 2010. Additional vineyard sources have been added with the 2023 vintage.”
Their winery is called Sphaerics, sign up for the mailing list at www.sphaericswine.com.
On a personal note, I’ve met Brian when we visited Skipstone a few years ago and he couldn’t have been a better host. So knowledgeable, down to earth, and a vibrant passion for wine that will without a doubt shine through on this project. I also happen to love Aubert chards and am super excited to give these a try next year! Supporting great people behind compelling wine is a no brainer!
Lastly, I am not sure on pricing yet, but will continue posting more info here as I have it!
Same here! I’ve gone deep down the Walter Scott rabbithole the last 4 years and it’s basically the only white we drink now, aside from a few smaller Napa SB purchases. Looking forward to this!
That is what I am always curious about with these new wine brands, the entire brand positioning seems to be, “hey we worked here and we know you like those wines so buy ours, we know we have not track record”. There should be some form of discount to the comp as they have no history, but alas, there is always the greater fool or someone with too much money.
I guess that’s the industry standard with no exceptions that come to my more than limited mind.
imo i just like having the price prior to day of release. and if you send me an email with a bunch of facts and marketing bs, include the price too. it’s a fair balance.
I haven’t had the wine but I know Laura and a bit about the project. You will not find a nicer person to support and a talented winemaker. For those that dont know, she is the winemaker at Skipstone and has spent time with both Mark Aubert and previously with Chris Tynan at Cliff Lede.
I know she is really really excited about gaining access to this fruit and the wine they will be releasing. I can’t wait to try it!
Yeah, I miss the days when new wine projects overdelivered for a few years and created demand and even waiting lists, then came up to market once they were established. I guess Sandlands did that in recent years, but there don’t seem to be many examples anymore.
It seems like the new approach is to start right out of the at the price point of established brands with track records, scores, long customer lists etc.
I couldn’t say from where I sit whether that proves better in the long run for new wineries, versus the old model. It does seem to me that if your high initial price point isn’t sustained, and you have to substantially lower your price point, that cachet you sought to impart with the first offering will really fall apart.
I think Ketan does that Beta, and arguably Jasud considering the tiny supply, large demand, and his track record making great wines under the Beta label.