Team C&J
● $1000 Bottles of wine becoming commonplace?
● Sales down and Prices Up
● Making Wine In Armenia
● Time to check out Bodegas F. Rubio
Sierra Sun Times – California Farm Bureau Reports ‘Brutal’ Wine Market Leaves Farms in Peril
From the Article: For decades, Perrin sold his grapes to Bronco Wine Company through long-term contracts. Then, for the past several years, he signed an “evergreen” contract with Sutter Home Winery that was renewed yearly—until, as with many contracts this year, it wasn’t.
Out-of-contract grapes may account for more than a third of the state’s crop, Bitter estimated. This year, most of those grapes—especially red varieties grown in the Central Valley—could end up on the ground.
Wine-Searcher – The Most Expensive Napa Wines of 2024
From the Article: A decade ago, our US editor posed a seemingly ludricrous question – how long would it take before a Napa wine topped $1000 a bottle? Ten years later, that level of expense seems almost laughably low.
When W. Blake Gray wrote that story, it had been more than 30 years since a Napa wine had hit the market at the then-outrageous $100 a bottle (the 1978 Diamond Creek Lake Cabernet Sauvignon, since you ask), and high prices at the 2014 Premiere Napa Auction prompted the notion that there would soon be Napa wines emerging with a regular retail price in four figures.
The usual Suspects are on the list:
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon $4204
Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc $3497
Harlan Estate $1635
Realm Cellars The Absurd Proprietary Red $1352
Shafer Vineyards Premiere Napa Valley Sunspot Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $1300
Wine Business – DTC Shipment Value Falls 9% in August
From the Article: Winery direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipment value fell nearly 9% versus a year ago to $169 million in August, according to WineBusiness Analytics/Sovos ShipCompliant. Volume fell more than 17% to 345,848 cases. Average bottle price of all shipments increased more than 10% to $40.74, which is a record for the month of August.
Paste – Meet the Father and Daughter Reviving Armenia’s Ancient Wine Culture
From the Article: Father and daughter winemakers Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian claim fame for making what has been called “the world’s most dangerous wine” at their winery, Keush. The James Beard award-winning 2024 film Cup of Salvation chronicles their quest to make a taboo wine from secret Iranian vineyards. But this isn’t the Keushguerians’ first brush with danger. They also survived harvest during a war with neighboring Azerbaijan in 2020–all while spearheading Armenia’s ongoing wine revolution.
Check out Storica Wines, if you would like to try some of these very interesting offerings.
Bodegas F. Rubio Winery & Vineyards
Francisco Rubio created Bodega F. Rubio in the 2000s as his second act in life, a retirement plan allowing him to farm and sell grapes and live a quiet rural life in the Mexican countryside. He was not interested in building a wine business or making and selling wine. How quickly his plan changed when his cousin, Alberto Rubio, a winemaker, saw the grapes Francisco was growing and selling. When he saw rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot being snapped up by local vintners, he knew he had to convince Francisco to rethink his retirement plan and utilize this prized fruit in his own bottlings.
After nearly a decade, Alberto succeeded in 2014, and a new version of Bodega F. Rubio was born.
Bodegas F. Rubio’s 2021 Hernencia Palomino Fino 91 PTS
Stop us if you’ve heard this one: a white wine that is a blend of Spain’s native grape, Palomino, predominately used to make Sherry and the Loire Valley’s Chenin Blanc. You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of a blend like this. We hadn’t either until we tried a sample of Bodegas F. Rubios’ 2021 Hernencia Palomino Fino.
Have you ever traveled somewhere and found a restaurant that was so good you went back twice?! That’s exactly what happened when we visited The Grove Wine Bar & Kitchen in Lakeway, Texas. With its stunning patio vistas, a diverse menu catering to every palate – including those with special dietary requirements, and a wine list with just about any kind of wine you could dream of, The Grove quickly became our go-to spot while we were traveling through Austin. Whether you’re craving a hearty meal or a glass of bubbly, this Lakeway gem has it all.
Corkage – No Outside Alcohol Allowed (It is a wine bar, after all)
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