Wondered what happened to them. I liked them in the 1990s. They were making credible Cal-Ital wines. They should have stuck with those. Worst idea is to make more Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Greg,
As i recall, those early Pietra wines were so successful they got sold to Trader Joe.
On the other hand, their neighboring winery, Calera, was just sold to Duckhorn for a boatload of dough.
As i recall, Calera makes Pinot Noir, Viognier and Chardonnay. Cory Waller has worked for a bunch of pinot noir makers. His brother Mike is the winemaker at Calera. I am sure Cory can ask his big brother (or is it little?) brother for some tips.
Not sure about the name Eden Rift…but then how would Pierre sacre sound?? When i sold barrels, I had some trouble when Mt eden barrels were delivered to Villa mt Eden…now it’s going to get v confusing.
Funny Mel. I did see those PS wines at various close-out places. It was their distributor in NYC who introduced me to them. They weren’t flying off the shelves. Whoever plants more Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will probably find a it a lot easier to sell. Business wise, it makes sense. I was speaking from a customer perspective, as I have no interest at all in more Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
It’s a beautiful location and not a long drive from the San Jose area. So why not capitalize on that?? Visitors could also come over from the Monterey Peninsula and taste at Calera as well…
One thing I see with wineries that make less well-known varieties like Viognier, Syrah, Sangiovese etc: they sell better when there is a mix of Burgundy and/or Bordeaux varieties on offer as well.
No doubt. And I’d capitalize on the San Jose drive too. I’ve been a few times. Was talking to someone last weekend in Livermore. They make Viognier. I asked why they did that instead of Chardonnay, which seemed like a better bet and they said that’s what they thought too but when they pour them for customers, they sell out of their Viognier.