At checkout, enter Discount Code Berserker to get the $75 price. Use the same discount code to get the same $10/bottle discount on any '08 or '07 pinot you want to reorder (or just order) during May. Sorry, I can’t offer any additional '06 beyond the Berserker Pack because it’s coming out of a pretty shallow library.
For this deal, I’m splitting costs on UPS (or GSO) ground shipping on 3-packs.
Since I’ve been known to screw-up all things related to the website, I’ll just say in advance that you should feel free to contact me at stew@kendricvineyards.com or (415) 806-4944 with any ordering issues that may arise. I guess the rest of the conversation will take place here on the board.
Thanks Sheila. I’m glad to know the '08 went over. I’ve always depended on the bravery of strangers who will take a flyer on my wine, and it’s always a relief to find out that they didn’t feel disappointed for having done so.
About the wines-- all are from my vineyard just on the Marin side of the Marin-Sonoma border between Petaluma and Novato. I think Marin pinots generally tend toward the lighter, high acid end of the CA spectrum, and I would place my wines there as well. I think these three also tend to be pretty typical of their respective vintages. The '06 was pretty lean/austere in its youth but has rounded into form with some additional time in bottle. Like other people’s '07s, mine was a more concentrated, riper seeming, more forward and plush version of what I normally do. The '08 is a more delicate vintage but not quite as angular as '06 was in its early days. It also has more stem influence than either of the other vintages. The strong suit of both the '06 and '08 is a decent dose of minerality. I think of all the pinots as featuring more earth and spice than primary fruit. But enough of what I think. I’m anxious to steal your tasting notes, since I’m pretty miserable at generating them myself.
The Kendric Vineyards “story” – It’s all about ME! ME! ME! or at least those are the parts that I generally remember to recount. I grew up in Amador County and worked in agriculture for Dick Cooper (of Cooper Vineyards fame) in the Shenandoah Valley during high school. Later, I established a small 4 acre sangiovese vineyard for my folks in Shenandoah Valley during breaks from grad school and law school. We’ve always sold that fruit to Vino Noceto. If you’ve had the Reward Ranch bottling from them, that’s my folks’ vineyard. Anyway, I eventually graduated from law school and found that working in an office makes me homicidal. From that vantage point, my time on the tractor and in the dirt seemed pretty attractive. So I started working crushes at other wineries, taking extension and JC vit and enology classes, working part-time in a wine shop, making garage wine, prepping another couple acres for planting at my folks’ place and digging soil test pits on several ranches in Marin. In 2001 I planted syrah at my folks’ and signed a 30 year lease on an 11 acre patch of good dirt here in Marin which I planted to pinot in 2002. I got a small syrah crop in 2003 and started making wine at Starry Night’s winery in Novato. That vintage went south on me and was never released, so I guess I should have spent another year in the garage. Anyway, the 2004 vintage of both the syrah and the pinot were my first commercial releases. And the rest is not quite history. I’m still the vineyard manager, winemaker, pitch man and delivery boy for the operation. The syrah block at my folks’ had to be torn out after the '08 vintage due to a host of diseases that came with the vines from the nursery. I hope to replant next year – probably to more of a GSM blend. After years of renting space in other facilities, I’m in the process of setting up my own winery and tasting room on Treasure Island (midway between San Francisco and Oakland in the SF Bay), but, partly as a consequence of my wearing a few too many hats in this operation, progress has been slow on that front. So, that’s the brief history of how Kendric Vineyards has gotten to this point. I suspect that’s more than anyone cared to know, but if I’ve left something out, feel free to ask.
Big fan of the wines Stew! Keep it up. If you need any help with the Treasure Island deal, I know the guys (and lady I think) over at Vie. They are out there and I can put you in touch.
I’m need to reload on the '07s and '08s and look forward to trying the lone bottle of '06 in the pack.
Thanks Lance. I’m glad to hear your leap of faith from Berserker Days paid off. I had wondered.
I sort of know Brian Kane from Vie on TI. Is that who you know? Seems like a good guy and a lot more marketting savvy than I am. I plan to ride his coat tails.
2008 Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Marin County (4/28/2012)
Pnp. Very light ruby color. Raspberry, cranberry, floral nose with a hint of spice. Very well integrated, neither acid nor tannins overwhelms. Great cranberry and raspberry flavors, nice finish. I’m curious to see how this lasts over the next few years, as it’s done in a lovely Burgundian style. Glad I’ve got 5 more in the cellar! (90 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Thanks for posting Sheila. I had to come up with a few descriptors for a restaurant’s wine list today, and I fell back on CT and reviewers’ notes looking for common themes. Like your note, most of them mentioned some variation on “floral” for the nose. This seems like a wine that should have a floral nose, and I keep looking for it, but I never quite manage to home it on any specific floral component. Anyway, I hope you’re right, and I’ll go look again.
I’ve had the '07 and '08. Both were very, very well done. In comparing the two, I’d say that the '08 is definitely more minerally. It’s almost like there’s a rocky/slatey backbone to the wine. The '07, on the other hand, seems like it’s more accessible. It’s a little more plush in the mouth and there’s more fruit upfront. It’s the kind of wine that I’d serve to non-geek friends as a way of showing them how much quality a “step up” will buy. I’d be a little hesitant of doing that with the '08, though. It’s a great wine (especially at this price), but one that they might not fully appreciate. CT notes:
2008 Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir (USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Marin County) 4/16/2012:
Everything about this wine seems elegant and delicate. Incredibly floral on the nose, just an amazing mix of fresh-cut flowers and raspberries with a little spice in the mix. Lots of acidity upfront with a combination of strawberries and cherries on the mid-palate. Silky mouthfeel, with well-integrated tannins. Finish is long with an impressive amount of minerality. Overall, this is a very restrained wine; it just feels like it’s holding something back. Started out great and only improved with some time in the glass.
2007 Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir (USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Marin County) 2/12/2012 :
Took a while to really open up. Very minimal nose and palate at first. Red fruits (mostly raspberry & cherry) appeared after 30-40 min in glass. This is a very delicate wine in color, mouthfeel, and texture. Nicely restrained, but fruit tastes a little underripe. Strawberries and cinnamon on the palate with a hint of oak. Slight kick of acidity, but not overwhelming. Finish is medium. Well done, wish I’d picked up more.
Thanks or posting Chuck. As it turns out, it was advantageous to have participated in Berserker Day and to have some board members’ reviews pre-loaded for this go-round.
I had seen your note on CT and brought it up on the KV Facebook page because the “just feels like it’s holding something back” observation resonated with me. It’s just my gut intuition that there is more to come from the '08. I don’t have a long enough track record to say anything about ageability with confidence, but my guess is that the '08 is suited to the long haul.
I am now in possession of the 3-pack just a day after placing the order
Might pop the '08 tonight unless there is a reason to open them in a specific order.
Been in CA for 28yrs.
In that time I’ve bought around five full cases of a specific wine (hundreds of purchases in lesser quantities).
Two out of those five cases came from Stewart.
Nuff said!