2011 Wrap Up

Well, that was a vintage none of us is going to forget! Just when we thought Mother Nature had toyed with our emotions enough last year, along comes 2011. We’re talking about the difference between “high-maintenance” and Glenn Close conducting a cooking demonstration of her favorite braised rabbit recipe. This was serious business, friends. Anyone who made it through this year without a little stress in the process has a stronger stomach (or medicine) than most. I’ve never been more thankful for having the right winemaking team.

It was the coolest summer in recent memory. Napa from June to August is like clockwork….foggy mornings, the mist blows off and yield to midday sunshine and then we’re looking at low 90’s and brilliant blue skies all day. Then turn on nature’s AC at night as the fog rolls in from the Pacific to put the vines to sleep. Wash, rinse and repeat. Well, not this year.

Old-timers were calling it the strangest weather they could remember. It rained in June! Twice! That never happens. Thankfully we caught a break at the end with a spell of (mostly) warm, dry days, so we made it out with a solid – but tiny - crop. We basically got a taste of what life is like for the winemakers in Bordeaux. We’d like to keep our California residency, so if the weather would start acting like it should sometime soon, we sure would appreciate it.

Speaking of winter, can you believe the holiday season is already coming to an end? Every year the holidays seem to get here faster. Let’s all raise a glass to health, prosperity and great wine in 2012. As always, your business is very much appreciated.

Cheers,

--Mark Steven Pope, AKA the Bounty Hunter
Founder & CEO