Winemaker Notes From a Sonoma Coast vineyard, the 2005 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard reveals extremely uplifted aromatics displaying hints of wet stones, white currants, flowers, peaches, and subtle tropical fruits. Full-bodied, intense, and tightly-knit, it should drink well for 7-8 years. Kistler Vineyards, undeniably one of the world's finest winemaking estates, is run with passionate dedication to detail and quality by Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler. It is wines like these that keep an old critic like me inspired and energized. About Winery Kistler Vineyards is a small winery in the Russian River Valley specializing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Founded in 1978 on the notion that compelling wines of site can and should be made in California. Kistler has been working with their own heritage selection of Chardonnay since the mid-1980s and is known the world over as a single clone Chardonnay house. They plant one heritage selection of Chardonnay across fifteen vineyards, giving rise to eleven vineyard designate Chardonnays. Similarly, Kistler produces four Pinot Noirs; each of these wines is crafted from the two small-clustered, low-yielding clones that were imported from a Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy, which they began propagating over 20 years ago. Geoff Labitzke, MW, is the National Director of Sales for Kistler Vineyards and will be our guide as we explore five distinct bottlings of Kistler’s highly sought-after wines.

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Winemaker Notes Since the inaugural Skipstone vintage of 2005, our annual approach with Oliver’s Blend is to create a blend of Cabernet Sauvignons from up to 20 individual small lots. Each lot has a unique profile (based on soil type, exposure and clonal selection) and blended they create a foundation. This Cabernet Sauvignon is then embellished with small amounts of our other blending varietals to best showcase the vintage. With so many pockets of soil differentiation and exposures, Oliver’s Blend is a symphonic compilation of aroma and flavor. This, coupled with clonal diversity of multiple Cabernet clones throughout our hillside plantings, creates an exceptionally complex wine. Year after year, this is a wine of profound power and elegance. Oliver’s Blend is aged for two years in barrel and another year in bottle prior to our release. This highly-structured Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent candidate for further cellaring, with potential to age for decades. About Winery Skipstone is tucked between two stunning hillsides in the mountains above Alexander Valley. We aspire to perfection in every aspect of our wine growing and estate farming, drawing inspiration from the unparalleled potential and promise of the earth. Uncompromising in our standards of sustainability and treatment of the land, we are committed to nurturing the precious resource that is our 200 acre estate. Blessed by nature, we listen intently to the terroir of our vineyards, and in turn, our wines speak eloquently of their origin.

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Winemaker Notes 2018 vintage began late, due to a cool and dry winter – conditions that persisted through the entirety of the growing season. The moderate heat throughout the summer and early fall provided optimal conditions for the steady ripening of the key color, tannin, and flavor compounds. A long hangtime was possible this year because there were none of the major heat spikes we have become accustomed to in recent decades. This provided optimal maturity of the essential phenolics while Brix accumulated slowly, and yielded perfectly healthy, fresh grapes at harvest. In the cellar, our grapes were treated gently, given extended maceration times to extract the lovely flavors and texture present in the grapes, and we incorporated a large percentage of native fermentations this year. The resulting wines made from this vintage are extraordinarily refined, exuding aromatic and textural depth that is immediately apparent in the glass. About Winery Skipstone is tucked between two stunning hillsides in the mountains above Alexander Valley. We aspire to perfection in every aspect of our wine growing and estate farming, drawing inspiration from the unparalleled potential and promise of the earth. Uncompromising in our standards of sustainability and treatment of the land, we are committed to nurturing the precious resource that is our 200 acre estate. Blessed by nature, we listen intently to the terroir of our vineyards, and in turn, our wines speak eloquently of their origin.

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Winemaker Notes Our 2016 bottling of the Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot noir continues to affirm this vineyard as one of the brightest stars in California. After the 2014’s #35 ranking on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2016, and the 2015’s 95-point score from Robert Parker, the 2016 follows strongly with robust flavors and excellent structure. Much of this wine’s concentration derives from the site’s steep slopes and rocky soils, complemented by severe drought conditions and the tiny berries that resulted. The wine’s signature dark cherry aroma is enhanced by 10% whole cluster fermentation, adding depth and texture for a long complex finish. About Winery Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by two tennis friends, Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, who shared a passion for great wine and tennis. They started with small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyard sources. Over the years, Sojourn Cellars has grown into a boutique winery producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their hands-off winemaking style allows the character of the vineyard sites to shine through in the wines.

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Winemaker Notes It comes from a cooler Russian River site and offers a complex bouquet of red currants, smoked earth, ground pepper, and exotic floral and rosehip notes. Rich, medium-bodied, and seamless on the palate, it's incredibly classy as well as perfectly balanced. About Winery Kistler Vineyards is a small winery in the Russian River Valley specializing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Founded in 1978 on the notion that compelling wines of site can and should be made in California. Kistler has been working with their own heritage selection of Chardonnay since the mid-1980s and is known the world over as a single clone Chardonnay house. They plant one heritage selection of Chardonnay across fifteen vineyards, giving rise to eleven vineyard designate Chardonnays. Similarly, Kistler produces four Pinot Noirs; each of these wines is crafted from the two small-clustered, low-yielding clones that were imported from a Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy, which they began propagating over 20 years ago. Geoff Labitzke, MW, is the National Director of Sales for Kistler Vineyards and will be our guide as we explore five distinct bottlings of Kistler’s highly sought-after wines.

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Winemaker Notes 2018 vintage began late, due to a cool and dry winter – conditions that persisted through the entirety of the growing season. The moderate heat throughout the summer and early fall provided optimal conditions for the steady ripening of the key color, tannin, and flavor compounds. A long hangtime was possible this year because there were none of the major heat spikes we have become accustomed to in recent decades. This provided optimal maturity of the essential phenolics while Brix accumulated slowly, and yielded perfectly healthy, fresh grapes at harvest. In the cellar, our grapes were treated gently, given extended maceration times to extract the lovely flavors and texture present in the grapes, and we incorporated a large percentage of native fermentations this year. The resulting wines made from this vintage are extraordinarily refined, exuding aromatic and textural depth that is immediately apparent in the glass. About Winery Skipstone is tucked between two stunning hillsides in the mountains above Alexander Valley. We aspire to perfection in every aspect of our wine growing and estate farming, drawing inspiration from the unparalleled potential and promise of the earth. Uncompromising in our standards of sustainability and treatment of the land, we are committed to nurturing the precious resource that is our 200 acre estate. Blessed by nature, we listen intently to the terroir of our vineyards, and in turn, our wines speak eloquently of their origin.

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Winemaker Notes This Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux blend incorporates all four red varieties on our estate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. 2018 was a cooler vintage than average throughout the entire growing season, which allowed for long hangtimes – a combination that yielded wines of full flavor ripeness, moderate alcohols and mouthfeel, and beautifully vibrant aromatics. Bright red fruits interwoven with fresh violets and a hint of cedar interwoven pop from the glass. Red cherry and raspberry form the core of this wine’s bursting blend of flavors. A touch lighter than the rest of the Skipstone wines, Preface has a medium body, yet displays the classic Skipstone vineyard characteristics: purity of fruit, density, and freshness. \About Winery Skipstone is tucked between two stunning hillsides in the mountains above Alexander Valley. We aspire to perfection in every aspect of our wine growing and estate farming, drawing inspiration from the unparalleled potential and promise of the earth. Uncompromising in our standards of sustainability and treatment of the land, we are committed to nurturing the precious resource that is our 200 acre estate. Blessed by nature, we listen intently to the terroir of our vineyards, and in turn, our wines speak eloquently of their origin.

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Winemaker Notes 2018 vintage began late, due to a cool and dry winter – conditions that persisted through the entirety of the growing season. The moderate heat throughout the summer and early fall provided optimal conditions for the steady ripening of the key color, tannin, and flavor compounds. A long hangtime was possible this year because there were none of the major heat spikes we have become accustomed to in recent decades. This provided optimal maturity of the essential phenolics while Brix accumulated slowly, and yielded perfectly healthy, fresh grapes at harvest. In the cellar, our grapes were treated gently, given extended maceration times to extract the lovely flavors and texture present in the grapes, and we incorporated a large percentage of native fermentations this year. The resulting wines made from this vintage are extraordinarily refined, exuding aromatic and textural depth that is immediately apparent in the glass. About Winery Skipstone is tucked between two stunning hillsides in the mountains above Alexander Valley. We aspire to perfection in every aspect of our wine growing and estate farming, drawing inspiration from the unparalleled potential and promise of the earth. Uncompromising in our standards of sustainability and treatment of the land, we are committed to nurturing the precious resource that is our 200 acre estate. Blessed by nature, we listen intently to the terroir of our vineyards, and in turn, our wines speak eloquently of their origin.

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Winemaker Notes A series of undulating hillsides form this vineyard along Westside Road in the Northern Reach of Russian River Valley. Due to this mixed orientation, our designated blocks have multiple exposures that add complexity of character. The two blocks designated for us are planted to the Pommard and UCD37 clones, which are well suited to this early ripening area. Our winemaker, Heidi, works closely with vineyard owner John Bucher to farm this site to our exacting standards.This dramatic Pinot is destined for bigness! The extremely dark color is a reflection of its brooding aroma, which seems, for now, to be somewhat restrained but with pulsing undercurrents poised to break free with time. Violets, cassis, dark cherry, blackberry and black raspberry are interlaced with scents of sarsaparilla, leather and alpine forest. There is good carry-through of these aroma components into the palate. The intense mouthfeel is dense with firm, age-worthy, ripe tannins. It blossoms and broadens at the midpalate, revealing firm acidity and a cascade of cocoa, cherry and toasty oak at the finish line. About Winery Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, including the winery flagship Meredith Estate, from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Over two decades, as Merry assembled this stellar collection of vineyards, she employed meticulous attention to detail to become known for crafting Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity. The winery also makes three appellation wines. The Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs showcase the art of blending. These core wines highlight the best qualities of each AVA and are made to be approachable from release. The winery’s fragrant, barrel-aged Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc is among the most sought after made in California. A single-vineyard Chardonnay from the venerable Olivet Lane Vineyard and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc round out the portfolio. Now a Certified California Sustainable Winery, the brand entered a new chapter after Merry’s retirement in 2020. Merry’s handpicked successor, Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden, and Winery President Nicole Carter have taken up exactly where Merry left off and will continue to make wines treasured by legions of Merry Edwards’ fans well into the future. One of California’s first woman winemakers, Merry Edwards began her career in 1974 after graduating with a master’s degree from UC Davis’ winemaking program. She worked as winemaker for multiple brands, including Mount Eden and Matanzas Creek, and consulted for dozens of wineries before creating the Merry Edwards label in 1997. She was integral in putting Russian River Pinot Noir on the map over the next decade and completed construction of her own winery on the site of her Coopersmith Vineyard in 2008. She was among the first California winemakers to embrace the importance of clonal selection and firmly believed that site-specific, terroir-driven viticulture was the only way to achieve broad success. Merry had begun her quest to acquire complete control over the winemaking process in 1996, when she purchased land in the Sebastopol Hills of Russian River Valley that would become the winery’s premier single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottling, Meredith Estate. Her decision to follow this path would prove to be prescient. When Merry decided to retire and sell the winery, among the suitors was Champagne Louis Roederer, since the 200-year-old company’s winemaking philosophy mirrors that which Merry embraced her entire career. It was a match made in Heaven. In 2018, Merry named Heidi von der Mehden as her successor. Heidi had trained with Merry since 2015 and had been a key player at such notable Sonoma County wineries as Mauritson and Arrowood, where she was winemaker. Heidi’s drive and talent, love of the challenging Pinot Noir grape and her commitment to Merry’s winegrowing principles ensure the continuation of this legendary brand. Heidi employs gentle, traditional, labor-intensive winemaking practices, the same processes developed and perfected by Merry Edwards using no shortcuts. In the winery, all Pinot fermentation tanks are open-top, but fully convertible to closed-topped tanks for blending and storage. Each tank is heated and cooled at the flip of a switch so that proper cold soaking, warming prior to yeast inoculation and any desired extended maceration can be achieved. Punch downs by hand have evolved to a unique, pneumatic stainless steel foot operated by a joy stick. This allows repeatable, consistent and thorough management of the fermenting Pinot Noir cap. All of the color, flavor and tannins so carefully vine grown can then be captured by full extraction. The Pinot Noirs age solely in French oak cooperage for approximately 10 months. For the Sauvignon Blanc, full fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, 18% new, which moderates green flavors. Elevage in barrel also allows for a twice-weekly lees-stirring protocol, vital to developing rich mout

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Winemaker Notes The sensational 2019 vintage rightfully has been receiving early praise in our region. The moderately warm days long into the growing season yielded high flavors, mouth-filling dark fruited wines, and plush, soft tannins across the Skipstone lineup. Immediately giving on both the nose and the palate, Preface is a delightfully enjoyable wine. A sweet core of plum, cherry and fig anchors the wine on the palate with supporting notes of aged leather, pomegranate, and balsamic reduction. A deft use of oak during the aging process adds hints of powdered cocoa and cedar. This serious wine persists on the palate that carries the dense fruit through to a strong, lingering finish. About Winery Skipstone is tucked between two stunning hillsides in the mountains above Alexander Valley. We aspire to perfection in every aspect of our wine growing and estate farming, drawing inspiration from the unparalleled potential and promise of the earth. Uncompromising in our standards of sustainability and treatment of the land, we are committed to nurturing the precious resource that is our 200 acre estate. Blessed by nature, we listen intently to the terroir of our vineyards, and in turn, our wines speak eloquently of their origin.

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Winemaker Notes Sonoma Coast Durell Vineyard has been the source behind some of the most sought-after Chardonnay wines in California fortunate to work with two outstanding vineyard blocks that combine to make something special. This 2 lively and exotic with rich flavors, complexity and focus. We fermented in French oak barrels to produce an ex illustrates the balance and exceptional character of the vintage. About Winery Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by two tennis friends, Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, who shared a passion for great wine and tennis. They started with small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyard sources. Over the years, Sojourn Cellars has grown into a boutique winery producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their hands-off winemaking style allows the character of the vineyard sites to shine through in the wines.

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Winemaker Notes One of the best values in the Sojourn portfolio, the 2019 Sonoma Coast Pinot noir brings together eight unique lots from sites that comprise several of our single vineyard designate bottlings. This 2019 blend showcases a higher proportion of Walala and Gap’s Crown Vineyard components, resulting in greater intensity and rich texture. The 2019 vintage offers balance and depth, with multiple layers of dark cherry, nutmeg and earth, leading to a long finish. It is drinking exceptionally well now with a fresh, complex bouquet that draws you into the glass. This wine is the real deal. About Winery Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by two tennis friends, Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, who shared a passion for great wine and tennis. They started with small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyard sources. Over the years, Sojourn Cellars has grown into a boutique winery producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their hands-off winemaking style allows the character of the vineyard sites to shine through in the wines.

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Winemaker Notes It comes from a cooler Russian River site and offers a complex bouquet of red currants, smoked earth, ground pepper, and exotic floral and rosehip notes. Rich, medium-bodied, and seamless on the palate, it's incredibly classy as well as perfectly balanced. About Winery Kistler Vineyards is a small winery in the Russian River Valley specializing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Founded in 1978 on the notion that compelling wines of site can and should be made in California. Kistler has been working with their own heritage selection of Chardonnay since the mid-1980s and is known the world over as a single clone Chardonnay house. They plant one heritage selection of Chardonnay across fifteen vineyards, giving rise to eleven vineyard designate Chardonnays. Similarly, Kistler produces four Pinot Noirs; each of these wines is crafted from the two small-clustered, low-yielding clones that were imported from a Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy, which they began propagating over 20 years ago. Geoff Labitzke, MW, is the National Director of Sales for Kistler Vineyards and will be our guide as we explore five distinct bottlings of Kistler’s highly sought-after wines.

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Winemaker Notes This wine opens with a big, aromatic burst of sweet sassafras, baking spice, blackberries and stone fruits. In the mouth, it is full and robust with ripe fruit and round tannins. As the wine continues to open, it shows a true purity of fruit and becomes silkier on the palate. Juicy, sweet notes of black cherries, violets and sweet vanilla oak carry though in a long, pleasing finish. Lamb is a classic protein to pair with their Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and these herb-filled, juicy Mediterranean-Style Lamb Burgers are no exception. What sets this recipe apart are the topping suggestions: spiced yogurt, olive tapenade, feta cheese, tomatoes, fresh spinach leaves, sautéed onions, mushrooms. You can do one, some or all of the toppings, the more the messier. About Winery Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, including the winery flagship Meredith Estate, from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Over two decades, as Merry assembled this stellar collection of vineyards, she employed meticulous attention to detail to become known for crafting Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity. The winery also makes three appellation wines. The Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs showcase the art of blending. These core wines highlight the best qualities of each AVA and are made to be approachable from release. The winery’s fragrant, barrel-aged Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc is among the most sought after made in California. A single-vineyard Chardonnay from the venerable Olivet Lane Vineyard and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc round out the portfolio. Now a Certified California Sustainable Winery, the brand entered a new chapter after Merry’s retirement in 2020. Merry’s handpicked successor, Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden, and Winery President Nicole Carter have taken up exactly where Merry left off and will continue to make wines treasured by legions of Merry Edwards’ fans well into the futur

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Winemaker Notes We sourced our 2020 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay from three of the top vineyard sites in the Sonoma Coast – Sangiacomo, Durell, and Gap’s Crown – with the goal of creating a cuvée that showcases the varietal’s exceptional character across the Sonoma Coast appellation. These diverse vineyards produced light crops in 2020 due to drought conditions, with each vineyard offering layers of robust flavors. An expressive nose of stone fruit and apple leads to rich flavors and an intriguing mix of depth and vibrancy. Fermentation in 30% new French oak barrels adds rich texture and complex character. About Winery Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by two tennis friends, Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, who shared a passion for great wine and tennis. They started with small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyard sources. Over the years, Sojourn Cellars has grown into a boutique winery producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their hands-off winemaking style allows the character of the vineyard sites to shine through in the wines.

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Winemaker Notes The 2021 vintage offers exceptional depth and intensity. Gap’s Crown Vineyard grapes matured at an even pace allowing us to pick each block at optimal maturity. We fermented the entire 828 block 100% whole cluster, adding verve and spice notes to the finished blend. Flavors are robust with aromas of dark berry and cherry with hints of baking spice. Gap’s Crown is a premier vineyard, sitting at a windy 800 feet with distinctive volcanic soils. Much of the wine’s intensity derives from vine stress caused by the site’s steep slopes and rocky soils. About Winery Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by two tennis friends, Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, who shared a passion for great wine and tennis. They started with small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyard sources. Over the years, Sojourn Cellars has grown into a boutique winery producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their hands-off winemaking style allows the character of the vineyard sites to shine through in the wines.

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Winemaker Notes The 2021 Pinot Noir is pure and focused with brightness and stunning structure. On the nose, raspberry, tart cherry and cassis merge with notes of violets, orange spice and a burst of fresh basil & Fine, chalky tannins and hints of crushed cacao underlie the brilliant red fruits and florals. The density, complexity and persistent minerality of this wine lead into a finish that lasts and lasts. The 2021s will age gracefully for many years. About Winery Wayfarer is the manifestation of a remarkable place, masterful winemaking, and the drive to go to extremes to create something truly exceptional. After nearly 30 years as an acclaimed Napa Valley vintner, Jayson Pahlmeyer became increasingly entranced by the wines of Burgundy. “Every oenophile eventually gravitates to the wines of Burgundy,” he says. In the early 1990s, Jayson began seeking out the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards in the world. A close friend, legendary French wine importer Martine Saunier, had located two parcels for sale in Burgundy – Clos de la Roche, a Grand Cru Pinot Noir vineyard in Côte de Nuits Grand Cru, and Corton Vergennes, a Grand Cru Chardonnay vineyard in Corton. His winemaker, Helen Turley, was to make the wine with the hands-on assistance of the renowned Michel Niellon at his Chassagne-Montrachet winery. However, just after the papers were signed, the deal was nullified by an obscure Burgundian real estate clause that permitted last-minute alternative offers. Though these iconic vineyards faded from his dreams, Jayson knew that, eventually, the perfect site would present itself. He just didn’t realize it would be six years later in the remote hills of the Sonoma Coast at a small farm called Wayfarer.

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Winemaker Notes The nose is accented by Meyer lemon, yellow apple, and pear notes. Undertones of mint and greengage offer a layer of complexity while a hint of Meyer lemon pith contributes spiciness. The palate is round and unctuous owing to the well-developed tannin structure and moderate acid profile. Flavours of Meyer lemon and lemon curd envelope the palate. The older vines are blended with newer plantings of Calera and Wente clones, which brings terrific balance and is wonderfully nuanced and elegant. About Winery Like most good stories, the history of Williams Selyem owes much to serendipity. If a grower with an abundance of fruit hadn’t given Burt Williams a few tonnes of free grapes in the 1970s, Burt might never have discovered his love and flair for winemaking. And if Burt and his partner Ed Selyem had been able to afford the French Burgundies they both favoured, they might never have tried making their own pinot noir. The two friends didn’t set out to produce wines for anyone but themselves. And they surely never imagined that their humble experiment in home winemaking would spawn a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together, Burt and Ed set a new standard for American-made pinot noir, and elevated Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley to among the best wine growing regions in the world. Now considered Russian River Valley royalty, Williams Selyem are responsible for some of the most sought-after handcrafted expressions of pinot noir across both the New World and Old.

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