NEWSLETTER
Here Comes Summer
June 30, 2006The past month has had picture perfect weather – very warm and great for ripening grapes. This is the time of the season that grapes turn from BBs to full-sized berries in preparation for changing color in August and ripening in September and October. It also marks our increased involvement in the vineyard to make sure the canopy is in good shape and that yields are about where we expect them. It still looks like a late year, but with all the nice weather things are only a couple of weeks later than normal. More time for us to catch up…
Open House Recap – 600 Strong
We had over 600 people at our June Open House (http://www.crushpadwine.com/PR061306.php). It was a super-fun event and for the first time ever we didn't run out of food (we learned to pace ourselves). The Crushpad Cam was going strong and a number of people participated remotely. The wines showed well (always nervous about pouring barrel samples for 600+ people) and we were able to give some bottling line and fermentation demonstrations. I don't think I could handle more than one of those a year!
Fermentation Trial Results
Earlier this month we ran several different fermentation trials using frozen cabernet grapes from 2005. The goal was to evaluate different fermentation vessels/techniques so that we can dial in extraction and not require 15 people around the clock doing punch downs. We tried traditional punchdowns, submerged cap and in-barrel “rotofermenters.” All three approaches worked, but the rotofermenter suffered from some “reduction” issues from lack of oxygen. The submerged cap was the favored approach as it had a somewhat softer extraction but with excellent color and weight. So expect to see all three approaches used this harvest with the bulk likely using submerged caps.
Crushpad Commerce Is Raging
In late March, we formally launched Crushpad Commerce. And in just three months, Commerce now represents about 50% of the wine we're making in 2006. Most Commerce members are groups of wine enthusiasts who are just moving it up a notch to launch their own brand. Tax benefits are one driver, but all of the legwork that we've done in putting together the infrastructure has really paid off with Commerce member wineries selling out quickly (sometimes even before bottling!). By the end of this year, I expect that we will have 25-30 wine brands launched from Commerce.
Congrats to Dain Wines… Again
There was a special event held at Pinot Days on June 25th where 16 of the best of the absolute best Russian River and Sonoma Coast pinots were evaluated in a blind tasting. Dain's 2004 Amber Ridge was tossed into the mix with the who's who of North Coast pinot and… drum roll please… his wine was voted #3 out of 16. See the full write-up at http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=97285. Dain remains our largest pinot producer and you can find his wines at www.dainwines.com. Oh, and we're just about out of 2006 Amber Ridge if you want to get in on this vineyard.
Pre-Harvest Bottling – Almost Last Call
July and August are big bottling months for us. We have most of the 2005 whites and pinots, as well as the 2004 cabs and merlot to bottle. If you've got something in this category and you haven't started your label process, you must contact Jenny Doll (jenny@crushpadwine.com) asap. We expect to cross the 200 label mark by August and are designing like crazy. We'll update the website with all the new labels in July.
Retail | Direct – The Biggest Change In Wine Retailing Ever
In late June, we launched a new program that allows wine retailers to make wine with their customers. http://www.crushpadwine.com/PR062706.php. This program, called Retail | Direct, allows wine retailers to form a Winemakers Club and engage their customers in the process by making wine at Crushpad. We think it's going to be one of the biggest things that will happen to wine retail – an industry that is facing some very serious challenges from the internet, big box retailers and direct-to-consumer shipment. This allows retailers to offer much more service and create a unique experience for customers. If you have a local retailer that you think would be interested, please let me know… you'll get an extra special surprise if they sign up.
Crushnet Update
The nice thing about wine is that it gets made no matter what. You don't delay a wine two months because you're not ready. In the software world, it doesn't quite work that way. There's a set of features you need to have and until they're done, you're just pacing back and forth. While it's been some time in coming, we are finally readying up Crushnet for a July release (yes, I'm painfully aware that it's two months late). But we've loaded in all of the wines and making sure all the tricky allocation logic is working before unleashing it. You'll receive a message when it's ready to go.
Anderson Valley Shuffle
Just as we sell out of one Anderson Valley pinot vineyard: Hein, we've added another: Wentzel. This is a 10 acre, organically farmed property above Goldeneye near Philo. It's owned by Roland Wentzel, the same person who purchased Eaglepoint Ranch last year. And it's being managed by Casey Hartlip (a self-proclaimed redneck and a great grape grower). This looks like a great year for Anderson Valley – especially compared to last year where many vineyards (including Wentzel) had near complete crop failures.
Sauvignon Blanc – Varietal #15
Even though all of us love it, we've never offered sauvignon blanc. There are some excellent SBs on the market for less than $15 and I always had concerns about our ability to do the extended, cold fermentation necessary to create vibrant, aromatic SB. But Dave and Kian convinced me and now we have our first ever Sauvignon Blanc… from a well-known SB vineyard in Napa. It's pretty inexpensive but it's only available to folks making other wine. Contact Dave (below) for more info.
2006 Barrel Sales Continue
Dave Gifford (dave@crushpadwine.com, 415-864-4232) is the guy to talk to. With all this warm weather, things are picking up so get on the phone and give Dave a call. Life's too short to not make wine.
...Michael