The third and final installment of my day in the Napa Valley when I took my video camera along for the ride.

By the way, this picture is a painting of a conceptual design made when we were designing our label.

Not long ago I went up to Napa to conduct some tastings.  I kept my video camera with me the whole day. (Part 1 of 3)

This video was on our Home Page for a while but never published to the Vintner’s Journal blog.

Such a “repeat” seems like the perfect post for today when folks may be just a bit distracted. (Go Giants!)

Winemaker Cary Gott goes into the vineyard to read the review of our 2007 Butterdragon Hill. You can read the review yourself in this months issue of Wine Spectator magazine.  The 2007 Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as our newest release, the 07 Baconbrook Cabernet, can be ordered by downloading this form.

This just came out on the Wine Spectator Magazine “Insider”.  I guess I can let the cat out of the bag since it is our wine.

2007 Match Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill

For those who favor austerity and structure, with complexity and flavor. Tight, focused and concentrated, yet elegant, offering a mix of cedary oak, loamy earth, mineral, dried berry and currant flavors, with touches of wild berry and blueberry coming through on the finish. Plenty of ripe tannins provide traction. Best from 2012 through 2022. -JL (93 points)

You can order some of this yummy juice here.

I am working on the release letter for our 2007 Baconbrook Cab now and it should start hitting your mailboxes in the next week or so.

This shows just how small our Baconbrook vineyard is AND that I still remember how to handcode HTML tables. Amazing.

The desk is piled high with unopened mail.

The light on the answering machine is blinking.

There are a dozen faxes sitting on the fax machine.

The email inbox is full.

Vacation must be over.

Not that I don’t love you guys and the wine biz, but it is really tough to sit down and (have to figure out where to) start working.

So…

When the going get’s tough, the tough go to Napa to taste wine.

I’ve had tastings scheduled for the last couple of days — a very pleasant way to “ease” back in to the business.  I am sick of the traffic on I80 and making the 140 mile round trip two days in a row.

The wines are showing great.  I was especially pleased with the 05 and 06 Baconbrook.  Those two wines have opened up in the last few months and are really singing.  Additional cellar time would still be optimal, but drinking them now with a good amount of air time would not be a crime… in fact, they are great.

Alas… sigh… boo hoo…

Tomorrow, I start working on all this stuff on my desk.

I promise.

Unless I get distracted.

Fair and final warning: our Summer Celebration sale ends in a little under 7 hours.  Tell your family.  Tell your neighbors.  Tell your friends.  Tell folks that you would like to be your friends.  Orders, voicemails, emails, something must be received by midnight tonight.  Thus endeth our final piece of SPAM.  Thanks.  Download Order Form.

[insert annoying, daily, hopefully clever, reminder about sale here] Yesterday,  a customer placing an order mentioned that I had helped him get half his Christmas shopping done with this sale.  My customers have the BEST ideas.  Don’t miss the Summer Sale that expires tomorrow.  Up to 50% off some past vintages. (Works great for Hanukkah presents too!)

[Insert daily, annoying reminder here]

I’m celebrating summer and school being out with a special deal.  From now until midnight on Wednesday 6/23/10 we’re offering up to half off some past vintages.

2004 Butterdragon Hill
2005 Butterdragon Hill
2005 Baconbrook
2006 Butterdragon Hill
2006 Baconbrook

This is a great chance for you to stock up on vintages you’ve enjoyed in the past or to try our wines for the first time at very low introductory prices below the normal $60 retail.

Download the order form