FALL 2012 newsletter LETTING CHAOS REIGN. LATE SUMMER 2012 wine club newsletter. - David Lattin, Winemaker

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Mitchell May
6 years ago
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LETTING CHAOS REIGN It s another impossibly beautiful day up here on the mountain. I ve just spent an hour or so in the vineyard looking at the thinning progress by our small vineyard crew.

resulting outcome. Most viticulturalists, while not necessarily conducting scientific experiments on their vineyards, cling to the idea that uniformity is paramount for creating perfect fruit.

1 LETTING CHAOS REIGN It s another impossibly beautiful day up here on the mountain. I ve just spent an hour or so in the vineyard looking at the thinning progress by our small vineyard crew. While thinning a demo row to show the guys later, it occurred to me how very complicated farming is in the mountains, particularly when vineyard blocks and rows follow the contours of the land as they do here. For scientific experimentation, we re taught in school that uniformity, repeatability, precision, and accuracy are necessary to draw any sort of conclusion when changing a variable to determine the resulting outcome. Most viticulturalists, while not necessarily conducting scientific experiments on their vineyards, cling to the idea that uniformity is paramount for creating perfect fruit. They would rightly state that uniformity makes farming more efficient and training a crew for a particular activity in the vineyard simpler. Winemakers love the predictability of perfectly farmed fruit because it allows them to experiment and to learn their craft. Since arriving at Kuleto over 10 years ago, I ve had to abandon the notion of uniformity and embrace the utter unpredictability of this marvelous place. A vineyard is essentially a grid of vines. Tilt that grid and you have variability from the top of the hill to bottom. Lay that tilted grid over the curve of a hill, and you now have lines that twist and turn. Every vine is now in a slightly different position relative to all other vines. Add to that the differences in soil depth, rock content, and water holding capacity, and you now have pure chaos! Every vine now has its own unique architecture and personality, and it takes a highly experienced vineyard crew to tend each vine appropriately. Fortunately for us, many among our crew have been here as long or longer than I have. Fortunately for you, they know their craft so well as to create some semblance of order from the chaos, which in turn creates beautifully complex wines. In the winery, we ve just finished a small bottling of one our new blends for the wholesale market, our 2010 Syrah, and, for the first time, our 2010 Malbec! Since the Malbec is so limited, it will not be included in a shipment and be sold only from the winery (yet another good reason to come visit us). We re putting the finishing touches on the wines that will be bottled later this summer (another blend for wholesale, our 2010 Estate Cabernet, the 2010 Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, and our 2011 Chardonnay). On a final note, you ll all notice that the name of our wine club has changed from Kingfish to Mountain Estate and that the various levels of club will take names from places around the winery and estate. While the names have changed, the quality and variety of wines available to members will not. In fact, our Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Syrah will now only be available at the winery and to club members, and we ll be adding new wines to the mix (a Syrah-Malbec blend, a pure Malbec, Cabernet Franc on a consistent basis, and a Zinfandel dessert wine). As always, they are 100% estate-grown, 100% Kuleto wines. Now is a better time than ever to join and enjoy. Happy Harvest! - David Lattin, Winemaker LATE SUMMER 2012 wine club newsletter FALL 2012 newsletter 2470 Sage Canyon Road St. Helena, CA (707) info@kuletoestate.com wineclub@kuletoestate.com Estate Tours & Wine Tasting Daily By Appointment Seven Days a Week Membership & Benefit Details Visit or call (866)

2 Estate Tasting winemaker s whim tasting Relax in our Royal Suite as you taste through wines hand selected by our winemaker, David Lattin. He may take you through a single barrel tasting, vertical tasting, library tasting, or thieve from barrels in the cellar. Dave will delve into particulars of what went into making the wine, including the vineyard selection and the vinification and aging process. Also included is a selection of artisan cheeses, expertly paired with the wines. This special tasting may be suspended during certain months in the fall season due to the grape harvest. $85.00 per person - $42.50 per person for wine club members Offered by Appointment Only - Limited to ten people Call for availability kuleto estate cabernet tasting Discover the essence of Cabernet Sauvignon in a sit-down setting in our Royal Suite. Taste through five unique bottlings of Kuleto Estate Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon, each with its own personality. Discover which style is yours! Also included is a selection of artisan cheeses and charcuterie paired with our wines. $60.00 per person - $30.00 per person for wine club members Offered Thursday and Friday - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm by appointment only - limited to ten people kuleto estate tour and tasting From our sweeping views of Lake Hennessey to our estate grown wines, we invite you to explore the experience that is Kuleto Estate. Lead by one of our wine educators, this breathtaking tour features a tasting of our current release wines paired with a selection of artisan cheeses. $40.00 per person Complimentary for wine club members for a total of four in your party. Offered Daily by Appointment Only 10:30 am, 11:45 am, 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm For more information, visit our website at We look forward to seeing you!

3 Wines 2008 estate villa vista cabernet sauvignon The Villa Vista is one of my favorite wines ever from the estate because of the way it consistently magnifies, due to the small crop, the tension between both red and black fruits, as well as that between fruit and spice. The aroma is almost liqueur-like in the volume of aromatics and the mouth is creamy, very concentrated, extremely spicy, and long. Its inspiration comes more from Brunello than from California Cabernet estate zinfandel Our 2009 Estate Zinfandel expresses the more feminine side of the variety, perhaps due to the gentleness of the growing season. The nose smells of candied violets and black cherries. The mouth is very pretty and surprisingly soft. This is a wine more reminiscent of Chateau-Neuf du Pape than California Zinfandel and thus will make it very versatile at the table. 28 months in French oak, 20% new 9 months in French oak tank and Hungarian oak puncheons Bottled March 2, 2011 Harvested September 16-29, 2008 Alcohol 14.9% Brix 26.6 Cases 173 Bottled August 5 & 6, 2010 Harvested September 26, October 6 & 9, 2009 Alcohol 14.9% Brix 26.9 Cases 1, frog prince cabernet sauvignon The 2006 vintage produced wines with intensity, fresh flavors and aromas. Vineyard blocks, wine lots, and individual barrels for Frog Prince were selected based on their strong resemblance to a Bordeaux blend from a ripe vintage; each component highlighted the strong varietal characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit aromas needed to be in balance with those of sweet herbs and tobacco. The mouth needed to be highly textural with firm tannin and juicy acidity. The 2006 Frog Prince delivers all of the above plus a super-concentrated mouth-feel. It is a wine to decant and serve with your favorite lamb dish. 28 months in French oak, 57% new Bottled April 2009 Harvested September 25 - October 27, india ink cabernet sauvignon The 25-day Cabernet Sauvignon harvest gave us a diverse range of lots from which to source our 2007 India Ink. This wine intentionally displays the dark and masculine side of what Cabernet can do on our property. Aromas of crushed black fruits, wet stone, iron, and meat dominate the wine, followed by toasted coconut and crème brulée. It is super-thick, sweet, juicy, and very long on the palate - a lurking monster of a wine. 28 months in French oak, 58% new Bottled March 2010 Harvested September 4 - October 29, 2007 Alcohol 14.9% Brix 26.1 Cases 288 Alcohol 14.5% Brix 26.2 Cases 289 Shipping Information - Enjoy 25% savings on orders of current club wines within 30 days of your club shipment. See back for additional information. cellar door (previously Southern Kingfish) - $92 2 bottles not including tax or shipping 2009 Kuleto Estate Zinfandel the terrace (previously Kingfish) - $120 3 bottles not including tax or shipping 2009 Kuleto Estate Zinfandel (2 bottles) the vista (previously Big Fish) - $220 4 bottles not including tax or shipping 2009 Kuleto Estate Zinfandel 2006 Kuleto Estate Frog Prince Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Kuleto India Ink Cabernet Sauvignon royal suite (previously The King) - $384 6 bottles not including tax or shipping (6 bottles)

Wine Clubs mountain estate club We are excited to announce we have restructured our wine club to reflect our spectacular mountain estate and all it has to offer.

Thank you for your support of Kuleto Estate and please don t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

4 Wine Clubs mountain estate club We are excited to announce we have restructured our wine club to reflect our spectacular mountain estate and all it has to offer. Existing wine club members will continue to enjoy the same benefits under the new names listed below, and we welcome new club members into the two club offerings we will have going forward. Thank you for your support of Kuleto Estate and please don t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Cellar Door (previously Southern Kingfish existing club level members only, no new sign-ups) The Terrace (previously Kingfish) The Vista (previously Big Fish existing club level members only, no new sign-ups) Royal Suite (previously the King) club levels and benefits Benefits include: complimentary tour and tasting for a total of four in your party, 20% savings on your club offerings and retail purchases, 25% off savings on reorders of your club shipments within 30 days of the original shipment, exclusive membership newsletter, and invitations to member events. The Terrace (previously the Kingfish) The Terrace club tier will include three bottles per shipment in the following months: January, March, May, September, and November. The average cost is $160 per shipment, not including tax or shipping. We may occasionally include library wines in your shipments. Royal Suite (previously the King) For our Cabernet lovers, we have the ultimate club tier. The Royal Suite will include 6 bottles, typically of the same wine, per shipment in the following months: January, March, May, September, October, and December. The average cost is $384 per shipment, not including tax or shipping. This club tier will include one or two library shipments per year. Additional benefits for the Royal Suite tier include: special pricing for private events at the estate, two complimentary tickets to our annual harvest dinner (RSVP required), and preferred pricing on our Special Tastings. This exclusive club is limited to 200 members! we have two additional add-on opportunities for you Holiday: One magnum in December offered at a 25% savings (selected by Kuleto Estate) Summer Favorite: 12 bottles of Rosato offered at a 30% savings Cancellation Policy: If it is necessary to cancel your membership, that request must be received at least 30 days prior to a club shipment. Termination of membership may be requested following in the receipt of two shipments.

5 Private Events A seductive setting for special events, Kuleto is surrounded by rustic beauty and sumptuous décor, making the estate an epicurean treasure. Overlooking Lake Hennessey and the Napa Valley, this picturesque 761-acre mountaintop property was developed by restaurant designer Pat Kuleto. Crafted from stone unearthed from the ranch and featuring hand-hewn beams and artisan ironwork, our custom-built winery showcases rustic Old World charm. Kuleto Estate, through a consortium of local chefs and catering partners, has assembled a unique set of culinary and wine-pairing packages. Offerings include wood-burning pizza oven demonstrations, participation cooking events, or simple and healthy hot steamer baskets for when your time is limited. We also offer Wine Country-style buffets of locally sourced, fresh, wine-friendly food selections. Our more formal, plated seatings are custom-designed and crafted to suit any type of event. For more information on booking your special event at Kuleto Estate, please contact Gaspar Sayoc, Special Events Sales Manager at gsayoc@foleyfamilywines.com or (707) Reorder You may place your order online atwww.kuletoestate.com, or call (866) Kuleto Estate Zinfandel (2 bottles) Retail $35 Wine Club $28 Re-order $ Kuleto Estate Frog Prince Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Kuleto India Ink Cabernet Sauvignon

MAy 2018 WINE CLUB NEWSLETTER

MAy 2018 WINE CLUB NEWSLETTER LATE SPRING 2018 The Spring of 2018 was dry and warm to start, but March and April thankfully brought over the normal amount of rainfall to the ranch. What does that mean