A Major Announcement

The Only Constant is Change

Carri and I made our first commercial wine in 1999 and launched the winery in 2001. I’ve spent over a third of my life, and over half my adult life, making wine in “the barn”. As we’ve acknowledged many times, we have been very blessed in this journey; it has surpassed every dream we ever had; but we find ourselves at a crossroads in our life.

The upshot is that Carri and I have decided that our 2022 vintage (currently resting comfortably in barrels) will be the last vintage under our brand, at least for now. We will be moving out of the barn later this year (see below), but because we still have a few 2021 wines and a full vintage of wines from 2022 to release, it will take quite a while longer to fully wind things down. So, we aren’t closing “tomorrow” by any means, but changes are afoot.

I’m sure there are questions, so here are the answers to what I anticipate will be the top 7 questions:

1. Why are you doing this?
   
   It’s not really so much any one thing as it is a confluence of things. We are at a stage of life when more than ever we are acutely aware of the need to make the moments count, both as individuals and as a couple. Our kids are chasing their own dreams, and with them on their own, the way we are seeing life has really changed.
   
   The time commitment for the winery is massive, and though we know that we could hire other people to do the work for us, that has never been how we wanted to approach things. As much as we love the winery, life is short, and we have some other dreams and goals we want to fulfill, and we want to maximize our time together.
    
2. When Are You Moving Out?
   
   Our last official day “in the barn” will be August 30th, so we are having the Fall Club Release Party on August 26, 2023. Save the date!!
    
3. What About Tastings?
   
   Between now and our last day, we will be open for tasting as always, every weekend except holidays (appointment optional). We aren’t yet sure about tasting after we close, as it involves a more complicated arrangement, but we’ll update things as they develop. Of course, we'll always be able to ship wine, and we'll still have free delivery in Sonoma County.
    
4. Will there Still be Club Parties After You Move Out of the Barn?
   
   Yes! We are releasing our 2022 wines on the same schedule as always in December 2023, and March 2024, and a final release in September 2024, and maybe something extra along the way. We will be having club release parties for all these wines – just at different venues. If you can’t make it, we will still have a killer shipping deal, and we’ll still have free delivery in Sonoma County.
   
   For example, our December 2, 2023 club release party will be held at The Matheson’s “Rooftop 106” in Healdsburg, with our friend Chef Dustin Valette at the helm; it will be a really good time. Save that date too! In a nutshell, the location is changing, but the party will continue.
    
5. How Good Are The 2022 Vintage Wines?
   
   I never predict anything until a cork is in the bottle (or even until the cork is pulled out of the bottle), but I’m as excited about these wines as any I’ve made, and we will be bottling some of our (and your) favorites. I try to put everything I have into every harvest, but I can say without hesitation that I gave this one everything I had and then some. It was magical in another way as the entire harvest was made by only our family, with everyone sorting fruit together, Will handling day-to-day work with me, and Gracie will be stepping in to finish them with me this summer. We started this journey as a family winery and making the final vintage the same way just seems fitting.
    
6. Will You Ever Make Wine Again?
   
   Winemaking is like a Siren’s song, it’s hard to stay away. I’ve long thought about making a Chablis, or a Barolo, or a Rioja, but our harvest schedules wouldn’t afford it. Since that is now changing, I suppose “never say never” is the best answer.
    
7. But Aren’t You Going to Miss It?
   
   In a word, yes. Making wine is truly a special experience, and learning from nature every vintage has been one of the best things in our lives, but what we’ll miss most are seeing the people we consider ourselves fortunate to consider customers and friends. It’s hard to express what an incredible group of people we’ve gotten to know in the last couple of decades - so many different people, from different places and different walks of life, and all with a common thread of just being wonderful people who love Pinot Noir. But the only constant is change, and we are excited about and ready to embrace new challenges and new dreams too, so it will be great.

We look forward to sharing the rest of our journey, and our remaining wines with you.

From our hearts,
John & Carri