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.

2005 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/3/2010)
Extremely tasty and easy drinking. This in-your-face Pinot is not subtle, but the slightly fizzy, cherry cola, unsweetened cocoa, thyme, and menthol form a very fun package that while not an intellectual exercise, certainly are a party. Lively now, there’s certainly no rush. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

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.

Starting to see some berries.

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[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

On Wednesday (6/16/10) we bottled 314 cases of our 2008 Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.  We used the mobile bottling line at Bin to Bottle in Napa.  The wine is tasting great and will be released next Spring.

A few details:

• 600 x six packs of 750ml
• 6 x six packs of 1.5L mags
• 7.5 x twelve packs of 375ml
• ABV 14.6°
• EK-250 filtration

Sorry for the poor photo quality. My Blackberry had trouble with the rapidly moving bottles.

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Congratulations to our local gourmet grocery, Mulberry’s Market in Piedmont, California.  They were voted Best Gourmet Grocery in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Best of the Bay contest.  They beat out some stiff competition from other local favorites like Berkeley Bowl and Rockridge Market Hall.

I wonder if that’s because Mulberry’s carries Match Vineyards wines.

2003 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/29/2010)
Fresh baked croissants and lemon zest. Great minerality with river rocks and petrol. Sweet oak well balanced. Lovely wine now. Depending on how you like them, drink or hold this gem. (93 pts.)

1997 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/29/2010)
Roasted chestnuts, lemon oil… Several other tasters have summed this up, in my opinion, correctly: Not the biggest and best older Kistler, but still quite nice. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

Yikes!

Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.
-Fran Lebowitz