2012 Vineyard Catalog – Released!
The 2012 Vineyard Catalog has been generally available for a few months. We are off to an incredible start. Some sites are already selling out (seriously, this is not a smarmy sales tactic, we have been very busy!). We’ve kept what we feel are the best performing vineyards, dropped a few and have added a few. Included in the catalog (page 20) is our list of available 2011 Adoption Barrels. Although 2011 produced lower fruit yields, the fruit that did come in was meticulous and our winemakers are fired up on the vintage. Contact Steve or Katelyn for more information or to get started. 
A little Viticulture 101 for your reading pleasure
In January we cut about 80% of the growth from 2011, leaving spurs with 2 to 3 buds on them. We were slightly concerned because we had such a dry winter, but in the last few weeks, Mother Nature has come through with a couple of heavy showers that filled the ponds and completely saturated the soils, setting us up for a great year.
Right now, we’re looking at Budbreak – Each bud will produce a shoot that will yield two grape clusters. Uniformity of bud break is what’s most important to us right now because this will lead to uniformity of flowering, cluster formation and eventually, in the fall, uniform ripeness of all those berries in all those clusters. When we get that, it makes it easier for us to produce our world-class wines. 
Crush25. Countdown in 3, 2, 1…
Okay, it’s actually about 4 – 6 weeks out – We’re launching Crush25. Four words: super happy good times. Actually that makes no sense. Let’s go with the 30 word description: Crush25 is your own private wine club that lets you create and manage your own wine brand, whether with a group of friends or if you want to sell it. We’re making it so easy to build, communicate and transact with your winemaking group, you can even do it after you’ve polished the last of your ’05 Stagecoach Cab Sauv (I have three bottles left of mine and will save it for this experiment). 
Crushpad Club Challenge – The Facebook contest to end all Facebook Contests!
So… apparently this Facebook thingy has some legs and looks like it will stick around for a bit. A few months back, we launched a contest on Facebook, the Crushpad Club Challenge. The lucky winners will receive a barrel and the support to launch their own brand. Contestants completed a summary plan with a couple of main points as to what their brand would be, the wines they would make, why people should vote for them, along with a couple of other points. Next, they solicit votes based on their ideas and the top 10 vote getters are being interviewed by our panel of judges. We have over 370 entries! The winners will be announced April 25th in the press and on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to Crushpad on Facebook for more info on the next contest.
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Sonoma, CA 95476
1.707.637.8821