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I am sure most of you are aware of the troubled times the wine industry is currently facing. A few years of under-consumption and over-production, combined with the rising cost of everything, have hit everyone hard.
The wine business has always been affected by cycles. The biggest disruption was Prohibition, but there have been others, and there will undoubtedly be more. However, the effects of this current downturn may last longer; it has been reported repeatedly that younger generations are not embracing wine the way their parents did. Many reasons have been postulated for this trend. While several seem reasonable, I believe the biggest reason of all is that wine has simply become too complicated.
A Lesson from Philadelphia
I have been thinking a lot lately about a visit I received some years ago from a Philadelphia restaurateur. He was a big fan of our wines. When he found out we made Grenache Blanc—both traditionally and in an skin-contact "orange" version—he told me he could sell all that we made in his restaurant.
I was taken aback, but he explained that his clientele was mostly young and well-educated. His wine list was extensive but contained very few of the "usual suspects." His customers were far more interested in discovery than in following the dictates of their parents, chasing the opinions of pundits, or being told what they were supposed to like. They had not memorized all the first-growth Bordeaux châteaux, they could not care less whether 1982 was a legendary vintage, and they ignored what critics said about any particular bottle. They were open to exploring and learning, but strictly on their own terms. He saw his job as eliminating as many barriers to wine appreciation as possible.
Our short visit turned into a long afternoon as one glass led to another and our conversation grew more philosophical. I began to think deeply about wine's roots—back when it was grown by farmers and consumed near its place of production. It was a time before critics, pundits, and fashion. I recalled Kermit Lynch’s early years traveling the back roads of France, looking for value and, above all, a sense of place. He succeeded by telling the stories of the wines, the regions, and the people who made them.
The Collector's Epiphany
This inspired a story in my mind. Imagine a wine geek and collector who filled his cellar with nothing but "name" labels, critics' darlings, and the rich and famous. He had toured every major wine region in Europe, visited the most famous producers, seen all the iconic tourist locales, and dined at countless three-star Michelin restaurants.
But what if, on his latest trip to France, he found himself with a couple of extra days before his flight home? On a whim, he decides to take a random exit off the Péage highway just to see where it leads.
After wandering for most of the day, he happens upon a small village surrounded by vineyards and orchards. Spying a little inn as evening approaches, he decides to check in. The proprietor happily accommodates him but asks out of curiosity how he stumbled upon their secluded village. The collector explains that he was on one of his periodic tours of famous wine regions and took a detour on a whim.
When he asks for a dinner recommendation, the proprietor points him to the town's lone bistro: "It is very good, Monsieur, but it is not like what you will find in Paris. Everything is grown within a few kilometers of the village and prepared fresh daily using local, traditional recipes. You won't see other tourists, but the villagers are friendly and will gladly welcome you."
After settling in, he wanders over to the bistro. The limited menu is written on a chalkboard and looks intriguing. When he asks for a wine list, the waiter looks confused.
"Monsieur, we do not have a wine list, but we do have some very nice local wines. I doubt you would be familiar with them. I can make a recommendation when you are ready to order."
Slightly nervous, the collector trusts the waiter. When his food arrives, it is accompanied by an unlabelled bottle. The dish is delicious—simple yet elegant. The wine catches him completely by surprise. It is a bit rustic, but in a thoroughly charming way, unlike anything he has ever tasted.
When he questions the waiter, he learns the wine was produced by a neighbor from a very old, family-owned vineyard. The collector asks if a visit can be arranged.
"It is certainly possible," the waiter replies, "but it will not be like the famous estates you are used to. It is a simple winery. The vigneron grows the grapes and makes the wine exactly the way his father and grandfather did before him. These wines are not made for export. Aside from a few families who make a pilgrimage here every year to stock their personal cellars, these bottles rarely leave the valley."
Intrigued, the collector accepts the invitation. The next morning, he meets the vigneron, who takes him on a brief tour of the vineyard before heading into the cellar. The collector sees grape varieties he has never encountered before—some white, some red, and some a ruddy, coppery color. The winemaker refers to them as rosé grapes.
In the cellar, he is first offered a glass of rosé. The vigneron explains that their white grapes actually produce better, more structured wines when fermented like a red wine (on the skins). However, because the villagers still wanted a lighter, refreshing option for the summer, they crafted a rosé from their red grapes instead. The structured red wine he enjoyed the night before was made from those same dark grapes.
The collector buys as many bottles as he can legally fit onto the plane, wishing he could take more, knowing he will never find them in the United States.
During the drive to Charles de Gaulle Airport, he reflects on his incredible discovery. Everything about that village was a complete deviation from his normal world. He thinks about the vigneron’s beautiful, honest wines, contrasts them with his sprawling, expensive cellar back home, and experiences a sudden epiphany.
He had it all backward. The few rustic bottles he was bringing home were not the deviations. All the prestigious wines in his cellar, no matter how famous, were the true deviations. What he had just experienced in that village was wine the way it was originally meant to be made—before commercial refrigeration, easy global transport, and heavy technological manipulation. It was a time when your food was harvested in season nearby, and your wine was made from whatever grew best in that specific soil. A time before pundits, fashion, rules, and classifications. It was not necessarily a better time, but it was a time when you simply enjoyed what you had in your glass without overthinking it.
Introducing: The Deviation Series
Following that long, inspiring conversation with the Philadelphia restaurateur, I promised him I would craft a line of wines that his adventurous clientele would appreciate—a true homage to the roots of winemaking.
In this series, we turn conventional rules upside down: all white grapes are treated like red grapes (skin-contact skin fermentation), all red grapes are treated like white grapes, and one special selection is made like a white wine using dark grapes. This final wine is technically a rosé, but it looks vibrantly red because the grape juice itself is naturally red rather than clear. It is a true "Red White" table wine!
I called it the Deviation Series. From time to time over the years, I have revisited that afternoon in my mind, and during this last vintage, I finally decided to follow through. Although I have long since lost that restaurateur's business card, perhaps he will stumble across this newsletter and remember his promise to me: "If you make it, I will buy it!"
Exclusive June Release & Special Pricing
To reward our adventurous friends and encourage the curious, we are officially releasing the first four bottles of the series—all distinct, exceptional rosés that beautifully showcase their individual varietal identities.
- Deviation #1: Rosé of Pinot Noir
- Deviation #2: Rosé of Zinfandel
- Deviation #3: Rosé of Syrah
- Deviation #4: Rosé of Valdiguié
Special June Offers
- By the Bottle: $20 per bottle (Special introductory rate for the month of June)
- The Summer Sampler Mixed Case: $150 for a full case of 12 bottles (Includes 3 bottles of each Deviation)
Note: The rest of the Deviation Series—including our four Orange Wines and the elusive Red White Table Wine—will be released later this summer.
Stock up now to ensure your cellar is ready for the long days of summer! Reply directly to this email or visit the shop to secure your case.
It is Cruise Time Again
We have been fortunate to be able to join with Amber and Rick Mohsin on several European wine cruises where we acted as hosts. I never thought of myself as a cruise person but then I found out what I had been missing. Each was different than the last, but all were memorable in their own ways. I have said I before but this time it might stick. Our final cruise. A Swan song as it were. This one is scheduled to travel The Douro River Valley in Portugal, and from what I have heard from others that have done this, we might have saved the most spectacular one for last. April 18-25, 2027
Go to https://www.foodandwinetrails.com/cruises/swanandmoshin2027/ for the full program and other information.
Other New Releases
2024 Chardonnay Saralee’s Vineyard
From one of the original blocks of Saralee’s Vineyard, this wine is undeniably from a musqué clone of chardonnay. It is highly aromatic and perfumed but has all the usual richness and body you would come to expect from Russian River Valley chardonnay. Sadly, the vines are not doing well in their old age and their production has dropped to the point where its days are numbered.
2016 Trenton View Pinot Noir
A wine writer once referred to Trenton View as a junior version of our Estate. Granted, they are right next to each other with Trenton View just east of our winery and carries much of the Laguna Ridge Neighborhood character, but it has its own personality. The soils transition from the upper hill (Wilson Grove Sandstone derived Goldridge Soil) to alluvial soils that have been left behind during repeated floodings of the Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek over many thousands of years. The lower soils are much deeper and slower to warm in the spring. The harvest is usually spread over at least two weeks even though the vineyard is only 4 acres in size. The upper portion carries much of the hallmark dark red fruit with hints of oriental spice of our estate while the lower portion is more reminiscent of Saralee’s Vineyard with its bright fruit and lighter color. The vineyard wine always includes some of each lot as it best represents the signature of the vineyard
2017 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard
Most widely known for chardonnys that are often priced in the stratosphere, Kent has grown pinot noir for a very long time. The vineyard itself is located just north of us in an area that is sometimes characterized as being from the Middle Reach Neighborhood although I would disagree. It carries some of that region’s characteristics but is a bit of anomaly. It has several different soil types, is cooler than much of the Middle Reach, yet does not benefit from the down slope cooling and fog of Laguna Ridge due south of neighboring Mark West Creek. In a word, it is Ritchie.
The Three Estates
Some years ago, we embarked on a project with Mark McWilliams of Arista Winery where we swapped small amount of our respective pinot noir fruit. (Arista’s 2 Birds and our Trenton Estate). Mark’s fruit was in the Middle Reach Neighborhood and ours on Laguna Ridge. In 2017 our dear friend Mike Sulllivan, of Benovia Winery, who knew how much I revered their Tilton Hill estate vineyard (located in the Sebastopol Hills), offered me a little fruit from that vineyard. I jumped at the chance. It was a one-time offer, not to be repeated. Working with fruit from three wineries amazing fruit was a dream. We have decided rather than release them at various times we would release them as a trio. Each carry not only the signature of their respective vineyards but of the neighborhoods in which they are grown. The Sebastopol Hills is the coolest region, where cooling sea breezes and persistent fog result in small berries and tiny clusters (and not many of them) and a very late harvest date. Our Vineyard, Trenton Estate, is located on Laguna Ridge where downslope air drainage in the early spring allows for early bud bread. The downslope drainage is the result of cold air settling on the Santa Rosa plain below, warming our soils and keeping us relatively frost free. During the growing season we are often bathed in a ribbon of fog, keeping us cool well into the day while the Santa Rosa Plain warms earlier and is often several degrees warmer. Arista was in the Middle Reach, home of Williams-Selyem and Rochioli, among other luminaries. It is further from the ocean and the fog burns off earlier, resulting in armer days and nights. Tannins are mor pronounced in youth, but the wines have a mouthwatering richness to them.
The Tilton Hill is a one off. The last vintage of Two Birds will be 2024 as the family decided to sell the property. Trenton Estate is still ours so there will be more vintages into the future!
Teldeschi Valdiguié
Dan’s Vineyards are int the Russian River Valley. The little block of valdiguié grapes tare immediately adjacent to his winery and the Dry Creek General Store. A very late ripening grape that would probably never ripen in The Russian River Valley. Dan told me he loved seeing me come to pick up the fruit as it meant he could take the next day off as that was almost always the last fruit he picked.
In the olden days these grapes were referred to as Gamay or Napa Gamy. Although they are not related in any way the name probably came about due to the wine’s resemblance to the wines of Beaujolais, France where gamay is grown. If you have never had a bottle of very good Cru Beaujolais, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle. Beaujolais Noveau is made in the same region from gamay but there is no resemblance between that and classic Beaujolais. The similarity is rather striking.
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