At the start of June, we asked patrons to share with us stories and photos of their Summers, knowing that this year would be different. We have been touched by the emails we received. One told of toasting a socially distanced wedding with our Chardonnay. Another shared highlights from an anniversary dinner where a 1994 Cabernet was opened. As fire evacuations reached her home, another patron sent a photo of a 2005 Cabernet she opened with friends who welcomed her family into their home. Although this Summer wasn't what most of us had planned, these stories and photos highlight the quiet evenings and milestone celebrations in the time of COVID.

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With the release of our 2018 Chardonnay and 2016 Next Red, we thought it would be fun to taste them virtually with patrons. Virtual talks have been a nice way to “be with you” in your home during these uncertain times. This tasting also gave us the opportunity to dive deeper into the wines and winemaking practices. You can watch the recording of our conversation here. 

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Every Summer has a story. And for this Summer, the headline might be “Pivoting &Perseverance”/ “Creativity and Comfort”. In a normal Summer, airplane travel, dinner parties with friends, large family reunions, neighborhood parades and going to the movies would all figure large. Not so in 2020. We inquired of patrons, “How did you spend this Summer, adapting to the pandemic? What brought you joy?” And we were buoyed by the responses and photos. Thank you to all who wrote and sent pictures. We shared several in August and here are more...

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Decanting (pouring the wine from the bottle into another vessel, typically a decanter) is a simple, but careful process. It can be intimidating knowing when to decant a wine and when not to. Here I share three reasons for decanting a wine and hopefully they help shed some light on any confusion. Everyone's tastes and opinions are different, so my goal is to share with you what I know about decanting and aerating wines as well as the science behind it. Then it's up to you to have fun and do some experiments tasting the wine as it aerates in a decanter. 

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When we began selling wine in 1984, we decided to deliver case orders of wine ourselves to patrons in the Bay Area. Not only did this save us on shipping expenses but more importantly, we got to know our patrons well, and vice versa! In the beginning, I got to do deliveries, and now Spencer has taken the reins. When the pandemic first hit, we discussed our strategy for continuing to do deliveries. “What is best for our patrons? What do they need?” It was an easy two-word answer: “Wine”, “Safely!”

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