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DRNK
Tax Day is fast approaching in the US. April 15th can be dreadful for those who owe the government money; it can also be rewarding for those who have overpaid. Regardless of your position, filing taxes are stressful. Luckily wine eases the stress.
On Tax Day, Saturday, 4/15, join us on a non-stressful, epic, never-before offered wine experience in Sonoma County as we fly with DRNK Wines! [Limited Space]
From everyday drinkin' to special occasion bottles and experiences, here's our Top 20 Wines of Thanks! Glasses up to all of our winelovers. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving - Cheers!
#20 - The 2014 Viognier by Amplify Wines was one of the most unique of the year. We loved this bright wine made by the super talented Cameron Porter.
#19 - The 2014 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc by Galerie was our favorite find of the year. Galerie is an ultra-premium boutique brand created specifically for international winemaker Laura Diaz-Munoz. From the gorgeous labels (blown watercolor) to the wine itself, this $30 is an unbelievable deal and one of the most impressive expressions of Sauvignon Blanc.
#18 - The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon by Kongsaard is a wine to celebrate. You won't find this wine widely available, and with it's price tag, it's a once in a lifetime experience.
#17 - The 2014 Bieler Pere & Fils Rosé was a perfect summer time sipper at $11.99 a bottle. We kept cool with this Provencial wine!
#16 - The gorgeous 2011 Stephens Vineyard Pinot Noir from Ten Acre was one of our favorite Pinots from winemaker Mike Zardo. Mike started his winemaking career at Pinot-famous Pisoni, and made his way to the Russian River Valley. Don't miss the tour and tasting at sister winery, Bella Vineyards, in Healdsberg for some of the best Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Old Vine Zins the area has to offer.
#15 - The 2010 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon by Adler Deutsch Vineyards was recommended by Sommelier Scott Brenner of PRESS Napa Valley. Paired with perfectly prepared filets, we enjoyed this stunner by Aaron Pott. An unforgettable wine paired with an unforgettable meal.
#14 - The knockout 2007 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon needs no introduction. We were fortunate to taste a splash of this Mount Veeder gem at the 2015 Napa Valley Auction.
#13 - The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon by Lake County's Obsidian Ridge Vineyard was the perfect discovery thanks to our friends at Uncorked in Hermosa Beach. When you're craving a big Cab without a hefty price tag, you can't beat it at 24 bucks.
#12 - The 2012 David Moret Rully was the perfect wine when feeling French. Greg at San Francisco's Wine Merchant tricked us with this beaut, and we're thankful he did!
#11 - The Emeritus duo, 2011 Hallberg Ranch and 2011 William Wiley Pinots. Many of the award winning wines in the area are sourced from Emeritus' pristine Hallberg Vineyard. A special treat was the side by side tasting of their very limited production - and last vintage - of the William Wiley. Two stunning Pinots you can't miss.
#10 - The 2012 El Libre Rose of Malbec delivers. This wine is juicy in flavor and price at $9/bottle. Pair with paella and have yourself a feast!
#9 - The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon by The Vineyard House is a wine with rich Napa history. Tucked behind Far Niente, between BOND Winery and Harlan Estate, is The Vineyard House owned by Jeremy Nickel, son of Gil Nickel. Jeremy carries on the Nickel legacy with TVH, and writes his own piece of history with his impressive wines.
#8 - The 1999 Dynamite Hill Petite Syrah by Ridge Vineyards was a pleasant surprise. We assumed this 16-year old wine was past it's prime, but boy were we wrong! Known for it's powerful Zinfandels, Ridge blew us away by this balanced, beautiful effort of Petite Syrah!
#8 - The 2011 Estate Grown Rio Vista Vineyard Pinot Noir by Thorne out of Sta. Rita Hills was a gorgeous wine we discovered at Pinot Days in Los Angeles. At $36/bottle, you'll want to get this wine in your glass ASAP, as many of their wines sell out quickly. Run!
#6 - The 2012 La Carriere Chardonnay by Peter Michael was, simply put, one of the best wines we've ever had. If you're a Chard lover, this is a must drink regardless of it's $119 price tag.
#5 - The 2011 Palmaz Vineyards and 2011 4088 are two BIG hitters enjoyed at trendy steakhouse, 5A5, in San Francisco. Prime cuts of beef, including wagyu, deserve exceptional bottles of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at its' side. A hefty set back worth every penny, at least once! Don't pass the opportunity to tour the impressive, memorable Palmaz Estate in the newly recognized Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley. And if you can get your hands on a limited production bottle of 4088, do yourself the favor! They also produced a gorgeous Merlot by famous winemaker Robert Foley.
#4 - If you find yourselves in the Sebastapol area, please do yourselves the favor and visit Ryan and Katie Kunde at DRNK Wines. Everything they do, from their Vin Gris to their Caver's Cuvee, is a crowd pleaser. Their $20 Sauv Blanc, sourced from the Kunde Family Vineyards, is versatile with foods or enjoyed on its own for any and every occasion. Escape the hot weather by hanging out in the cave, sippin' on some of the best from Russian River while Ryan tells you about his latest projects which may or may not involve drones.
#3 - We discovered ONX at Family Winemakers in 2014. Their entire line up was standout, but the 2014 Field Day, a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier was made to drink solo! The crips, clean flavors of this Paso Robles wine is vitalizing on a hot day.
#2 - A couple of producers - Robert Sinskey (Napa Valley) and UNTI (Headlsburg) - had our palates desiring more and more rosé, which was all too often in 2015. The 2013 Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of Pinot Noir and the 2014 UNTI rosé of Grenache/Mourvedre are conversation starters. Start any day or night festivities with these knockouts!
#1 - We had been sitting on this beauty for several years, and finally found an occasion to pop the cork! In typical Quintessa style, the 2005 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon drank beautifully and was one of the most memorable to date.
Harvest 2015 is underway! To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. This week, we take an insider's look at what winemaker, Ryan Kunde, and DRNK's crush crew is up to.
Pinot grapes picked at Hallberg Ranch (Sonoma County; Russian River Valley) are ready for the sorting table
The Setup: On the right is the hopper which has an auger to push out the grapes, and they fall on to the sorting table. Then the grapes go into the destemmer, which separate the berries from the stem cluster.
The crush crew at DRNK. (Left to right) Ryan, Sonoe, and Michael.
Winemaker, Ryan Kunde, pumping wine into a barrel. This batch of pinot noir was processed and fermented on the skins. First, we put the free run (aka the juice that was extracted on its own) into barrel. Then, the grapes will be pressed and its juice put into a separate barrel.
We encourage you, if you haven't already, to get acquainted with this gem. Join their mailing list and check out experiences which have happened at the winery by searching "DRNK" in the VAULT29 app - it's FREE - Cheers!
"Wine Mic Monday" is a VAULT29 series based on an "open mic concept" where wineries take over our blog...because every glass and bottle of wine has a story. Last week, we revisited four wine brands and what they've learned and how they've grown in "Building of a Wine Brand" Season 2, part 2. This week in Season 2, part 3, we look back at wineries and their approach to winemaking. Get to know Cuvaison & Brandlin -- two Napa Green estates. DRNK uses state-ofthe-art technology (UAV's) to image vineyard sites. and Frey Vineyards focuses on producing high quality organic and biodynamic wines without adding synthetic chemicals or preservatives.
For many years, Cuvaison, located in the Carneros AVA, has been regarded as an iconic winery and brand in Napa Valley, consistently producing beautifully balanced Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In 1998, Cuvaison purchased a historic Mount Veeder property owned by Chester Brandlin. Located on a 1,200 foot ridgeline – this is one of Napa Valley’s most difficult but acclaimed mountain regions for grape growing. Both estate vineyards, Carneros and Brandlin, are certified Napa Green, meaning the company has been recognized for their work in reducing the impact on the environment. Read more here.
Get to know DRNK and their aerial imagery approch to winemaking! Grapegrowers and winemakers have been experimenting with grapegrowing and winemaking practices for millennia, this is not something that’s going to change; the technology DRNK uses for experimentation does, and constantly. Ryan Kunde has been experimenting and using UAVs to image vineyards and orchards for 5 years now. He was initially inspired to do so by listening to other inventors and their experiences with the technology and to my professors at Davis and their experiences in research and learning about the most important factors that affect wine quality over time. Read more here.
Frey Vineyards is America’s Pioneering Organic Winery. Founded in 1980, we have always been family owned and operated and it is our mission to produce highest quality organic and Biodynamicwines without the addition of synthetic chemicals or preservatives while fostering environmental stewardship and social equity. Our vineyards are located at the headwaters of the Russian River in beautiful Mendocino County in Northern California. As three generations of organic farmers and winemakers, we find that our care and respect for the earth is reflected in the expression of purity and true terroir in our wines. Read more here.
You can find Cuvaison, Brandlin, DRNK & Frey wine experience in our app! Smply search by winery name! We'd love to see experiences from your perspective too!. #GetV29app
Aerial Imagery by Ryan Kunde of DRNK Wines
Aerial view of Pinot Hill Vineyards
Grapegrowers and winemakers have been experimenting with grapegrowing and winemaking practices for millennia, this is not something that’s going to change; the technology we use for experimentation does, and constantly. I’ve been experimenting and using UAVs to image vineyards and orchards for 5 years now. I was initially inspired to do so by listening to other inventors and their experiences with the technology and to my professors at Davis and their experiences in research and learning about the most important factors that affect wine quality over time. The practice of using remote sensing data for the purposes of collecting information to improve farming practices is decades old; it’s generally known as precision agriculture for farmers and precision viticulture for grapegrowers and winemakers. What’s new are the community efforts by grassroots organizations cheaply bringing us breakthroughs in technology that level the playing field for remote sensing data and access to the skies.
With the help of aircraft, satellites, and more recently, unmanned aerial vehicles, aerial imagery is widely available to all types of end users and applications. From law enforcement and forestry to city planning and government, to growers and vintners. Interpretation of the data that lies within an image is up to the end user. As a winemaker, my uses for aerial imagery are different than that of the grower who farms the vineyard. Although I can consult with vineyards about variation, ground truthing, and growing practices, I’m particularly interested in using imagery to help catalog vineyard sites we source fruit from, tie the site to the wine, and better understand the complexity of factors of variation and fruit selection. Everywhere in nature there’s variation, graphically described as a normal distribution or bell curve. I want to understand as much as I can about the nuances of a vineyard from the ground up, and the implications it has on maturity, concentration, and flavor.
\What’s interesting is that it’s not a binary problem. Reducing variation in every vineyard isn’t going to make better wine all the time. I believe it’s varietally dependent. Some varietals may or may not benefit by narrowing the bell curve. For instance, last year I made a Sauvignon Blanc from an old vine, dry-farmed vineyard site. After imaging I was able to clearly isolate and sample low and high vigor regions from within the block. Both had significantly different aroma, flavor, and chemistry profiles that I wanted for my blend. I selected rows with more variation, and it added great complexity to the wine. Other wines may benefit from as little variation as possible where optimum ripeness is key, and underripe or overripe characteristics are undesirable. The target moves by variety, style, and site.
Wine is an agricultural product, grown in an imperfect medium, outside of our sphere control. As it should be. We enjoy wine because it stimulates our senses and brings us joy. Really good wine can surprise, challenge, or confirm what we hold to be true about wine. Having an ah-ha moment with wine is, something many of you may already know about, it’s something you’ll remember the rest of your life and can make a person a lifelong devotee to wine. Aerial imagery isn’t about demystifying wine or taking away the ah-ha moment, it is a tool to help us get there and appreciate the complexities of our favorite wines.
As seen in the VAULT29 app!
View experiences which have taken place at DRNK in the VAULT29 app! Simply, download the free app in iTunes and search "DRNK" on the main Wine Wall!
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