A little gratitude and a damn good lineup
2026 has been a tough year personally and professionally. I will skip diving into faith-based discourse and tell you I am grateful for all of the challenges and lessons that have presented themselves this year.
Starting a business has taught me the importance of only giving time to that which you love and to people who love you. There are so many distractions in life that can pull you away from what really matters.
I will save you the glass-half-full speech and tell you I am not only grateful for the year and its lessons, but for you and the way you have chosen to support us in making wine more approachable—in reminding people wine is fun and for everyone.
Wine has special abilities. It can bring us closer, soften the callus that keeps the soft stuff inside of us, and give us the courage to encourage change: the evolution of ourselves and our perspectives. For this year and for the rest of my life, regardless of the medium, I will fight for that.
Prove me wrong. Show me something I have never seen before. For me, growth is the most important thing we can be fighting for.
I am looking forward to seeing each and every one of you soon. Let’s catch up, share a glass or two, and make some memories together.
The Lineup
2025 Lodi Albariño
I have always had a fondness for great Albariño, which sadly was not a very common thing. Maybe that was because the Spanish wine community—home of the grape—has historically focused on big, bold, dare I say machista-style red wines and left whites to be an afterthought of their work.
That has been changing in recent years. Couple that with the emergence of accessible organic vineyards in California, and our first chance to work with the grape was born.
You never know how people will react to a new one. Thankfully, this has been a hit. It is everything you want from a crispy white wine, with just enough substance to keep you wanting more.
2024 Clarksburg Chardonnay
Home Ranch Vineyard
Seven generations of the Van Loben Sels family have tended to this land, and it shows in how beautiful their bounty is.
We reached for the sky with this wine and gave it the utmost care over the two years it spent in barrel. White Burgundy has become out of reach for us normal folks, so we wanted to give you a little piece of that luxury without demanding a small fortune for it.
Seriously, this wine slaps way above its weight class and, for domestic Chardonnay, is in a league of much pricier wines and producers. Thankful we were patient enough to let this wine ride in barrel as long as we did, because it is tasting amazing right now.
2025 Counoise
Counoise is my favorite wine to make and drink out of our portfolio, hands down. Old reliable in a way that only your favorite can be. The only surprise this wine gives is what beautiful side it wants to show you.
2025 ended up being very light in color due to cool weather, but it packs a punch in the flavor category that is quite surprising given its delicate pigmentation.
I finally gave in and bottled this wine in clear glass to show off that color—and yes, maybe to tease you a bit into cracking the bottle as soon as it arrives.
2024 Zinfandel
Our nod to what we consider the only true California grape. Even if its origin was traced back to Croatia—thanks, Carole Meredith, for figuring that out—this variety is the bedrock on which modern California wine has built itself.
Ridge Lytton Springs clone, styled like the wines of their past. Savory, delicate, dare I say playful, in a way that we truly love.
2024 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Francisco Maestas Vineyard
From our longstanding Francisco Maestas vineyard, this is the kind of Cabernet that we search for. Lean, age-worthy, and scrappy as all hell.
This wine will likely outlive me, as it is built to last, but it is tasting great already. Again, reaching for the sky and showing the wine scene that we can produce high-end, Old World-style Cabernet in California.
This wine is singing right now, so if you love it, I suggest laying some down to watch it evolve as the years go by.
2024 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Our vineyards have changed a bit since we started our Napa Cabernet program years ago, and for that I am grateful. This vintage is predominantly from the Coombsville and St. Helena AVAs. Still 100% Cabernet. Still 100% delicious.
We have been lucky and have had an opportunity to fine-tune our barrel program and barrel selections for this cuvée, and it shows. We taste this wine alongside wines five times its price, and it without a doubt commands a seat at the table. Typical winemaker shit to say, but this is by far the best Napa Cabernet I have ever made.