Wine Article
2007 Crushpad Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon
Last edited on 12/14/2009 by Brian1970
There are 33 versions of this article / View version history
Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibrary TV says: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We, and that is the royal 'we', are going to be making a great Cabernet together. This wine will be made with the cooperation of the good folks at Crush Pad, and the project will be over seen by Kian Tavakoli (formerly of Clos du Val and Opus One) and Camille Benitah (assistant winemaker at Merus). The fruit will be sourced from 4 top vineyard sites in Oakville, Mount Veeder, Coombsville and Howell Mountain. Once the project is under way, you will have the chance to participate in crush, barrel tasting, and a select few will have the chance to work with Gary on the final blend of the wine."
WLTV Forum / Threads on the Vayniac Napa Cab:
http://tv.winelibrary.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=20
Vayniac Napa Cab - Where to buy it and watch the video:
http://winelibrary.com/show_special.asp?section=vayniaccab
http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=34228
Wine Library description (as of August 2009): Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is the first-ever truly community-made wine. Sourced from premium Napa fruit, its realization in the bottle stands as testament to the passion and hard work of wine lovers worldwide who contributed to this project over a period of 2 years. Everything about the wine, right down to this label, was community driven. Some chimed in with input from afar, others got dirty working the crush, and a select few were able to participate in the final blending. We're proud of this wine and all that it embodies: Family, togetherness, even a little rebelliousness. In addition, it's flat out delicious! The Final Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon from Suscol Bench (24.9%), Young Inglewood (24.9%), Godspeed (16.6%), and Carrefour (16.6%) Vineyards. 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Gary Vaynerchuk bios:
http://tv.winelibrary.com/about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk
Kian Tavakoli bios:
http://www.crushpadwine.com/aboutus.php?page=wine_making_team#
http://www.tobaccoroadcellars.com/Tobacco_Road_Our_People.html
Camille Benitah bio (best I could find, no bio avail)
Click Here if logged into Crushpad, or try here: Crushpad group link (search for "vayniac nation" in groups)
Crushpad Update: 10/12/07: Looking at the results of the wine style survey taken by the Vayniac Nation, and talking things over with Gary V, Stu catches up with Crushpad Winemaker Kian Tavakoli to figure out how to make the wine that that the Vayniacs want. The survey results showed that what was desired was a balanced wine with restrained oak influence. The one area where we're looking to bring the thunder is aromatics. Gary and the Nation want something that fills the glass with classic Cab aromas. Kian explains what the various vineyards in the blend contribute, and how to bring out the characteristics desired.
Crushpad Update: 10/19/07: Mr. Vayniac himself, Gary Vaynerchuck, came down to our 3rd St. Warehouse recently. For a few hours he immersed himself in all things wine (would you expect any less?), from the crush to inoculation, touring through Crushpad with our own Stu and Kian. You got to see some of it live on the webcam, now check it out from Gary's perspective. [They misspelled his name, but oh well.]
Crushpad Update: 11/08/07: Vayniacs sort and press their Cab. By now a large number of Vayniacs have tasted the Crushpad experience, sometimes en masse. This video captures those more intimate occasions in which a couple of Vayniacs got the hands-on approach. The sorting features grapes from the Godspeed Vineyard while the pressing focusus on fruit from Young Inglewood. Your Crushpad liaison, Stu, is on hand as always to guide you through the process.
Crushpad Update: 03/18/08: Greetings Vayniacs! I have a very personal gripe with aging when it comes to my personal life. Puffy dark circles under the eyes, puffy mid-bellied paunch, hair loss and the unsettling cracks and pops emanating from knee and shoulder joints are a not so subtle reminder that my body is not becoming more refined as it matures. Wine can be a different beast. Many styles, especially full-bodied varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, need maturity to fully integrate and show their stuff. Each component of the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon is currently undergoing a slow, but dramatically important, transition in barrel. While the aging process is a fairly low-key affair in terms of winery operations, it's an essential component toward bringing complexity and refinement to the final wine. At this point, each of the wines has extremely short phenolic polymer chains. As the wine matures in barrel, these shorter chains bind to form longer chains that smooth overtly assertive tannins thus allowing more subtle characteristics to emerge. The wood tannins in the new oak barrels also help with color stabilization. For the next 16 months or so, we'll continue to closely monitor the wine's progress while employing our topping, stirring and sulfuring routine. Based on the Vayniac Cabernet survey results, Kian is trying to achieve balance through the use of a combination of approximately 50% new French oak barrels from Radoux, Alain Fouquet, Sansaud, Sylvain, Ermitage and Vicard. Here's a recent video with Kian discussing barrel choices for both white and red wines.http://www.crushnet.com/cms/node/9670 As you know, Gary is planning to pull names of 5 Vayniacs who purchased the wine to participate in next month's blending session with Kian and Camille. We're excited that Camille Benitah has officially joined us full-time after playing such an important role in producing the ridiculously amazing Cabs at Merus. If you haven't purchased your Vayniac Cab, do so now at Wine Library so that you have an opportunity to have your name chosen. Vayniacs have been calling and emailing me about creating their own wines this fall. If you are interested in organizing a winemaking group, you can do so through the forums on Crushnet. Simply create a post indicating the type and style of wine you want and people will contact you who are interested in joining your group. "Rhone Ranger interested in making full-bodied Viognier..." Here's the link to our forums-http://www.crushnet.com/cms/forum/9. If you plan to do your own barrel or already have a group of family/friends together, contact Dave Gifford at dave@crushpadwine.com to check out the 2008 Vineyard Guide. The Vineyard Guide is officially being released to the public today. You can also see the sites by clicking the Vineyards tab on Crushnet. That's it for now. I wish everyone the best of luck on being able to participate in the blending session! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! Thanks, Stuart Ake
Crushpad Update: 04/21/08: The First Vayniac Blending Session. Gary leads his peeps through the first blending session with Kian Tavakoli. What do you get when you combine eight different blending wines from four vineyards, 12 Vayniacs, one purple-toothed winemaker, and Gary V in a wine blending smackdown? A rockin' base wine for the Vayniac Cab, That's what! (Sounds like the Vayniacs have taken a good first stab at figuring out the base of the Cabernet blend.)
Crushpad Update: 05/29/08: Pouring samples of the Vayniac Cab at Gary's store. Stu (of Crushpad) flies across the country to pour barrel samples of the 2007 Vayniac Cab at Gary's New Jersey store. At this point the Vayniac Cab has only been in barrel for seven months, but it's already taking shape. Check out what the Vayniacs had to say about the young wine when they visited Wine Library. (Hint, they liked it. Comments included silky, fine-grained tannins, black fruit upfront, lots of promise, great product.)
Crushpad Update: 01/27/09: We need a label for the 2007 Vayniac Cab. Gary Vaynerchuk, Obama's cabinet appointee for the Minister of Fermentation, is democratizing the process by having Vayniacs enter designs for the front label. Can you bring The Thunder? Jenny Doll, head of the Design Department at Crushpad, outlines a few dos and don'ts in this short video. You can review our Packaging Handbook for more specific information. Find the Packaging Handbook by going to any of the 4 wines in the Vayniac Nation group. Then click on the Design tab near the top of the page. Simply upload your image to the Vayniac Nation group on Crushnet before Friday, February 20th. From entries submitted, Gary will choose the finalists. Then, between February 23rd and March 2nd, Vayniacs will have a chance to vote on the label that will grace the 2007 Cabernet. Several fantastic designs have already been submitted. They can be viewed in the photos section of the Vayniac Nation group.
Images should measure 5.25" high by 3.5" wide. Thanks! - Stu
Crushpad Update: 02/23/09 It's time to cast your ballot! Sir Gary the Vaynerchuk has chosen his 5 favorite designs and it's time for you to determine which label will grace the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet! Ready? To have your voice counted, visit the Vayniac Nation page on Crushnet and click on the VOTE HERE link. Then select your favorite. All voting must be completed by March 2nd. You can also follow the Vayniac Cabernet on Facebook by adding the wine widget to your profile. To gain access to the widget and launch the application, simply click on one of the 4 wines in Vayniac Nation. The widget provides instant access to details about the wine, vineyard and what some experts consider to be the tiniest Lilliputian-like video screen ever. Aside from eye strain and blurriness of vision, the screen enables you to watch eensy-weensy versions of Vayniac Nation videos in small def! (It's actually really cool!) That's it for now. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to email or call. Thanks! Stu
Crushpad Update: 03/09/09: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner! Your votes have been counted and the results witnessed, warranted and vouched for by our adroit team of polling investigators. The label that will grace the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet was created by Jonathan Seeds. Check it out! http://www.crushnet.com/node/13336?&aid=13272 A refined expression of elegance. It's going to look fantastic. Congratulations Jonathan! Stu
Crushpad Update: 06/30/09: Hello Vayniac Nation! My name is Jeremy and I am the Bottling Manager here at Crushpad. Stu wanted me to tell y'all that we will be bottling the 2007 Vayniac Nation Cabernet Sauvignons on Friday, August 7th -- all 20 barrels! Because this is such a massive amount of wine for us, we will be starting at 8:30 am and will finish when we finish (I'm guessing sometime around 5:30 pm, assuming there are no problems and few line changes). Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding bottling. I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you at the bottling on Friday, 8/7! Cheers, Jeremy
Crushpad Update: 07/10/09: Pssst. Can I trust you with a secret? Promise not to tell? PROMISE?! Okay. You know that wine guy Gary Vaynerchuk? He's that hilarious and edumacational guy with the misguided love affair with the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. That's him. Totally awesome dude. Well, I'm going to let you in on a little sumpin sumpin I heard from a very trusted source. Gary is going to be blending the Vayniac Cabernet on July 23rd at 3pm PST. It's true. And you can watch from the comfy-ness of your living room or office. Super true. Now, this is a totally secret, covert op that nobody else knows about. Except you. And me. At 3pm PST on Thursday, July 23rd, put on the warm-y-est, fuzziest slippers you've got. Uncork or unscrew a favorite bottle and hop on to the following link. http://applications.crushpadwine.com/cam/3.0/1?rrr=1 It will be just you and Gary and me and a few other folks. Not many. Because this is very hush, hush, zip-lip kind of stuff. Nod, nod, wink, winkily yours- Stu
Crushpad Update: 07/21/09: Greetings Vayniacs! Because we're going to be bottling all day on Thursday, I'm moving the blending to another part of the winery. (It will be much more quiet). This means the web cam URL I originally sent, won't be helpful. Please use this one instead. http://applications.crushpadwine.com/cam/3.0/3 Sorry about the change. Stu
Crushpad Update: 07/29/09: DECLASSIFIED VAYNIAC MATERIAL - OPERATION GARY BLEND. MISSION DETAILS: On September 23rd, Agents "Gary" and "Kian", along with an an elite team of blending operatives, were sent into CRUSHPAD, a winery located in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood. Once integrated into local winery population, they were to Sniffy Sniff, Swirly Swirl and Blendy Blend until the Vayniac Cabernet was complete. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. MISSION ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE (DECLASSIFIED)http://www.crushnet.com/video/vayniac-blending-session-july-2009 . Stu
Crushpad Update: 07/31/09: We're almost there! The 2007 Vayniac Cabernet is "this" close to bottling. One more week! Next Friday, August 7th, we'll begin around 8:30am PST and continue until all 20 barrels are safely in bottle. You're more than welcome to tune in via webcam using the link below. The remote control feature will enable you zoom in, zoom out and explore all the nooks and crannies of the winery. I'll set up a little desk next to the bottling machine to answer questions and such. Camera Link:http://applications.crushpadwine.com/cam/3.0 After wine is bottled, it typically goes through and awkward phase for a few months. Once this bottle shock period subsides, the fine folks at Wine Library will begin shipping. OTHER NEWS: Hayden grabbed some great photos of last week's blending session that are posted in the Vayniac Nation group. Please check them out! Fantastic shots of notes and blending percentage scribbles.http://www.crushnet.com/node/14757 And, while V is for Vayniac, it's also for Veraison! Berries at a few sites are starting to color up and you know what that means... Harvest is just around the corner! Stu
Crushpad Update: 08/06/09: Vayniacs- I've got terrible news! Unfortunately, our supplier just sent us the incorrect amount of corks for the Vayniac Cabernet. They are addressing the issue right now. However, the rest of the corks won't arrive until Tuesday. This means we have to push the bottling to next Wednesday. I'm sorry. We'll start first thing in the morning on Wednesday and continue until all 20 barrels are bottled. I apologize for this inconvenience. Please know the delay will not impact the quality of the wine. If you have any questions about the bottling process, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks for your understanding! Stu
Update: Nov. 2009: Vayniac Cabernet ships! Official producer blurb: "Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is the first-ever truly community-made wine. Sourced from premium Napa fruit, its realization in the bottle stands as testament to the passion and hard work of wine lovers worldwide who contributed to this project over a period of 2 years. Everything about the wine, right down to this label, was community driven. Some chimed in with input from afar, others got dirty working the crush, and a select few were able to participate in the final blending. We're proud of this wine and all that it embodies: Family, togetherness, even a little rebelliousness. In addition, it's flat out delicious! The Final Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon from Suscol Bench (24.9%), Young Inglewood (24.9%), Godspeed (16.6%), and Carrefour (16.6%) Vineyards. 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc."
WLTV Forum / Threads on the Vayniac Napa Cab:
http://tv.winelibrary.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=20
Vayniac Napa Cab - Where to buy it and watch the video:
http://winelibrary.com/show_special.asp?section=vayniaccab
http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=34228
Wine Library description (as of August 2009): Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is the first-ever truly community-made wine. Sourced from premium Napa fruit, its realization in the bottle stands as testament to the passion and hard work of wine lovers worldwide who contributed to this project over a period of 2 years. Everything about the wine, right down to this label, was community driven. Some chimed in with input from afar, others got dirty working the crush, and a select few were able to participate in the final blending. We're proud of this wine and all that it embodies: Family, togetherness, even a little rebelliousness. In addition, it's flat out delicious! The Final Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon from Suscol Bench (24.9%), Young Inglewood (24.9%), Godspeed (16.6%), and Carrefour (16.6%) Vineyards. 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Gary Vaynerchuk bios:
http://tv.winelibrary.com/about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk
Kian Tavakoli bios:
http://www.crushpadwine.com/aboutus.php?page=wine_making_team#
http://www.tobaccoroadcellars.com/Tobacco_Road_Our_People.html
Camille Benitah bio (best I could find, no bio avail)
Click Here if logged into Crushpad, or try here: Crushpad group link (search for "vayniac nation" in groups)
Crushpad Update: 10/12/07: Looking at the results of the wine style survey taken by the Vayniac Nation, and talking things over with Gary V, Stu catches up with Crushpad Winemaker Kian Tavakoli to figure out how to make the wine that that the Vayniacs want. The survey results showed that what was desired was a balanced wine with restrained oak influence. The one area where we're looking to bring the thunder is aromatics. Gary and the Nation want something that fills the glass with classic Cab aromas. Kian explains what the various vineyards in the blend contribute, and how to bring out the characteristics desired.
Crushpad Update: 10/19/07: Mr. Vayniac himself, Gary Vaynerchuck, came down to our 3rd St. Warehouse recently. For a few hours he immersed himself in all things wine (would you expect any less?), from the crush to inoculation, touring through Crushpad with our own Stu and Kian. You got to see some of it live on the webcam, now check it out from Gary's perspective. [They misspelled his name, but oh well.]
Crushpad Update: 11/08/07: Vayniacs sort and press their Cab. By now a large number of Vayniacs have tasted the Crushpad experience, sometimes en masse. This video captures those more intimate occasions in which a couple of Vayniacs got the hands-on approach. The sorting features grapes from the Godspeed Vineyard while the pressing focusus on fruit from Young Inglewood. Your Crushpad liaison, Stu, is on hand as always to guide you through the process.
Crushpad Update: 03/18/08: Greetings Vayniacs! I have a very personal gripe with aging when it comes to my personal life. Puffy dark circles under the eyes, puffy mid-bellied paunch, hair loss and the unsettling cracks and pops emanating from knee and shoulder joints are a not so subtle reminder that my body is not becoming more refined as it matures. Wine can be a different beast. Many styles, especially full-bodied varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, need maturity to fully integrate and show their stuff. Each component of the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon is currently undergoing a slow, but dramatically important, transition in barrel. While the aging process is a fairly low-key affair in terms of winery operations, it's an essential component toward bringing complexity and refinement to the final wine. At this point, each of the wines has extremely short phenolic polymer chains. As the wine matures in barrel, these shorter chains bind to form longer chains that smooth overtly assertive tannins thus allowing more subtle characteristics to emerge. The wood tannins in the new oak barrels also help with color stabilization. For the next 16 months or so, we'll continue to closely monitor the wine's progress while employing our topping, stirring and sulfuring routine. Based on the Vayniac Cabernet survey results, Kian is trying to achieve balance through the use of a combination of approximately 50% new French oak barrels from Radoux, Alain Fouquet, Sansaud, Sylvain, Ermitage and Vicard. Here's a recent video with Kian discussing barrel choices for both white and red wines.http://www.crushnet.com/cms/node/9670 As you know, Gary is planning to pull names of 5 Vayniacs who purchased the wine to participate in next month's blending session with Kian and Camille. We're excited that Camille Benitah has officially joined us full-time after playing such an important role in producing the ridiculously amazing Cabs at Merus. If you haven't purchased your Vayniac Cab, do so now at Wine Library so that you have an opportunity to have your name chosen. Vayniacs have been calling and emailing me about creating their own wines this fall. If you are interested in organizing a winemaking group, you can do so through the forums on Crushnet. Simply create a post indicating the type and style of wine you want and people will contact you who are interested in joining your group. "Rhone Ranger interested in making full-bodied Viognier..." Here's the link to our forums-http://www.crushnet.com/cms/forum/9. If you plan to do your own barrel or already have a group of family/friends together, contact Dave Gifford at dave@crushpadwine.com to check out the 2008 Vineyard Guide. The Vineyard Guide is officially being released to the public today. You can also see the sites by clicking the Vineyards tab on Crushnet. That's it for now. I wish everyone the best of luck on being able to participate in the blending session! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! Thanks, Stuart Ake
Crushpad Update: 04/21/08: The First Vayniac Blending Session. Gary leads his peeps through the first blending session with Kian Tavakoli. What do you get when you combine eight different blending wines from four vineyards, 12 Vayniacs, one purple-toothed winemaker, and Gary V in a wine blending smackdown? A rockin' base wine for the Vayniac Cab, That's what! (Sounds like the Vayniacs have taken a good first stab at figuring out the base of the Cabernet blend.)
Crushpad Update: 05/29/08: Pouring samples of the Vayniac Cab at Gary's store. Stu (of Crushpad) flies across the country to pour barrel samples of the 2007 Vayniac Cab at Gary's New Jersey store. At this point the Vayniac Cab has only been in barrel for seven months, but it's already taking shape. Check out what the Vayniacs had to say about the young wine when they visited Wine Library. (Hint, they liked it. Comments included silky, fine-grained tannins, black fruit upfront, lots of promise, great product.)
Crushpad Update: 01/27/09: We need a label for the 2007 Vayniac Cab. Gary Vaynerchuk, Obama's cabinet appointee for the Minister of Fermentation, is democratizing the process by having Vayniacs enter designs for the front label. Can you bring The Thunder? Jenny Doll, head of the Design Department at Crushpad, outlines a few dos and don'ts in this short video. You can review our Packaging Handbook for more specific information. Find the Packaging Handbook by going to any of the 4 wines in the Vayniac Nation group. Then click on the Design tab near the top of the page. Simply upload your image to the Vayniac Nation group on Crushnet before Friday, February 20th. From entries submitted, Gary will choose the finalists. Then, between February 23rd and March 2nd, Vayniacs will have a chance to vote on the label that will grace the 2007 Cabernet. Several fantastic designs have already been submitted. They can be viewed in the photos section of the Vayniac Nation group.
Images should measure 5.25" high by 3.5" wide. Thanks! - Stu
Crushpad Update: 02/23/09 It's time to cast your ballot! Sir Gary the Vaynerchuk has chosen his 5 favorite designs and it's time for you to determine which label will grace the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet! Ready? To have your voice counted, visit the Vayniac Nation page on Crushnet and click on the VOTE HERE link. Then select your favorite. All voting must be completed by March 2nd. You can also follow the Vayniac Cabernet on Facebook by adding the wine widget to your profile. To gain access to the widget and launch the application, simply click on one of the 4 wines in Vayniac Nation. The widget provides instant access to details about the wine, vineyard and what some experts consider to be the tiniest Lilliputian-like video screen ever. Aside from eye strain and blurriness of vision, the screen enables you to watch eensy-weensy versions of Vayniac Nation videos in small def! (It's actually really cool!) That's it for now. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to email or call. Thanks! Stu
Crushpad Update: 03/09/09: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner! Your votes have been counted and the results witnessed, warranted and vouched for by our adroit team of polling investigators. The label that will grace the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet was created by Jonathan Seeds. Check it out! http://www.crushnet.com/node/13336?&aid=13272 A refined expression of elegance. It's going to look fantastic. Congratulations Jonathan! Stu
Crushpad Update: 06/30/09: Hello Vayniac Nation! My name is Jeremy and I am the Bottling Manager here at Crushpad. Stu wanted me to tell y'all that we will be bottling the 2007 Vayniac Nation Cabernet Sauvignons on Friday, August 7th -- all 20 barrels! Because this is such a massive amount of wine for us, we will be starting at 8:30 am and will finish when we finish (I'm guessing sometime around 5:30 pm, assuming there are no problems and few line changes). Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding bottling. I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you at the bottling on Friday, 8/7! Cheers, Jeremy
Crushpad Update: 07/10/09: Pssst. Can I trust you with a secret? Promise not to tell? PROMISE?! Okay. You know that wine guy Gary Vaynerchuk? He's that hilarious and edumacational guy with the misguided love affair with the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. That's him. Totally awesome dude. Well, I'm going to let you in on a little sumpin sumpin I heard from a very trusted source. Gary is going to be blending the Vayniac Cabernet on July 23rd at 3pm PST. It's true. And you can watch from the comfy-ness of your living room or office. Super true. Now, this is a totally secret, covert op that nobody else knows about. Except you. And me. At 3pm PST on Thursday, July 23rd, put on the warm-y-est, fuzziest slippers you've got. Uncork or unscrew a favorite bottle and hop on to the following link. http://applications.crushpadwine.com/cam/3.0/1?rrr=1 It will be just you and Gary and me and a few other folks. Not many. Because this is very hush, hush, zip-lip kind of stuff. Nod, nod, wink, winkily yours- Stu
Crushpad Update: 07/21/09: Greetings Vayniacs! Because we're going to be bottling all day on Thursday, I'm moving the blending to another part of the winery. (It will be much more quiet). This means the web cam URL I originally sent, won't be helpful. Please use this one instead. http://applications.crushpadwine.com/cam/3.0/3 Sorry about the change. Stu
Crushpad Update: 07/29/09: DECLASSIFIED VAYNIAC MATERIAL - OPERATION GARY BLEND. MISSION DETAILS: On September 23rd, Agents "Gary" and "Kian", along with an an elite team of blending operatives, were sent into CRUSHPAD, a winery located in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood. Once integrated into local winery population, they were to Sniffy Sniff, Swirly Swirl and Blendy Blend until the Vayniac Cabernet was complete. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. MISSION ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE (DECLASSIFIED)http://www.crushnet.com/video/vayniac-blending-session-july-2009 . Stu
Crushpad Update: 07/31/09: We're almost there! The 2007 Vayniac Cabernet is "this" close to bottling. One more week! Next Friday, August 7th, we'll begin around 8:30am PST and continue until all 20 barrels are safely in bottle. You're more than welcome to tune in via webcam using the link below. The remote control feature will enable you zoom in, zoom out and explore all the nooks and crannies of the winery. I'll set up a little desk next to the bottling machine to answer questions and such. Camera Link:http://applications.crushpadwine.com/cam/3.0 After wine is bottled, it typically goes through and awkward phase for a few months. Once this bottle shock period subsides, the fine folks at Wine Library will begin shipping. OTHER NEWS: Hayden grabbed some great photos of last week's blending session that are posted in the Vayniac Nation group. Please check them out! Fantastic shots of notes and blending percentage scribbles.http://www.crushnet.com/node/14757 And, while V is for Vayniac, it's also for Veraison! Berries at a few sites are starting to color up and you know what that means... Harvest is just around the corner! Stu
Crushpad Update: 08/06/09: Vayniacs- I've got terrible news! Unfortunately, our supplier just sent us the incorrect amount of corks for the Vayniac Cabernet. They are addressing the issue right now. However, the rest of the corks won't arrive until Tuesday. This means we have to push the bottling to next Wednesday. I'm sorry. We'll start first thing in the morning on Wednesday and continue until all 20 barrels are bottled. I apologize for this inconvenience. Please know the delay will not impact the quality of the wine. If you have any questions about the bottling process, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks for your understanding! Stu
Update: Nov. 2009: Vayniac Cabernet ships! Official producer blurb: "Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is the first-ever truly community-made wine. Sourced from premium Napa fruit, its realization in the bottle stands as testament to the passion and hard work of wine lovers worldwide who contributed to this project over a period of 2 years. Everything about the wine, right down to this label, was community driven. Some chimed in with input from afar, others got dirty working the crush, and a select few were able to participate in the final blending. We're proud of this wine and all that it embodies: Family, togetherness, even a little rebelliousness. In addition, it's flat out delicious! The Final Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon from Suscol Bench (24.9%), Young Inglewood (24.9%), Godspeed (16.6%), and Carrefour (16.6%) Vineyards. 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc."