Vaughn-Duffy

Florida Jim

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
Did a joint tasting at the winery today, and Matt Duffy poured his 2011 Pinot from the Suacci Vineyard, among others.
The Suacci is full of energy and freshness, has good length and weighs in at 12.1% abv. Something folks here may actually like.
Best, Jim
 
And since I started a a thread on CA, the 2009 Calluna, merlot, that we opened tonight was about all a person could want from this grape - and that from someone who thinks merlot is just south of Grenache.
Best, Jim
 
Can those who know more explain to me why purchasing fruit (rather than land) seems to be the preferred business model in California? I'm not asking about Gallo, K-J, Constellation et. al., of course.

Is it an issue of capital? And if so, why don't more growers go into vinification as well?

Just curious, it's been on my mind for a long time, as it's so different from what I'm used to.
 
originally posted by Yixin:
Thread driftCan those who know more explain to me why purchasing fruit (rather than land) seems to be the preferred business model in California? I'm not asking about Gallo, K-J, Constellation et. al., of course.

Is it an issue of capital? And if so, why don't more growers go into vinification as well?

Just curious, it's been on my mind for a long time, as it's so different from what I'm used to.
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I've wondered about this, too, and I think you've hit upon the likely answer: land costs are so much higher in CA than in most other wine-growing regions that initial capitalization would be a big barrier for a lot of those youngsters (at least, until Mr. SFJoe the artisanal investment banker gets into winery IPOs). A lot of growers do go into vinification, but for many it probably represents too big a financial risk, at least compared to the annual contracts growers get.

Mark Lipton
 
I'm assuming the land costs in CA are why people say the best way to become a millionaire winemaker is to first become a billionaire doing something else.
 
Yeah, but as expensive as Grand Cru burgundy land? It seems after a while crafting wines, you would psychologically want the land and vines you put into your wines, but I don't sense much desire or urgency on the part of California's to want to do that.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
Yeah, but as expensive as Grand Cru burgundy land? It seems after a while crafting wines, you would psychologically want the land and vines you put into your wines, but I don't sense much desire or urgency on the part of California's to want to do that.
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Ask Kevin Harvey how much it costs to find and cultivate "grand cru" land. To buy land to cultivate for wine production, you need to have a time horizon on your ROI that exceeds your own lifespan.

It just wouldn't be possible for the young folks who are making the most exciting wines right now.

I'd counter that many young folks in Europe, if they aren't form wine making families, are setting up as negoce. I'm not sure how kids like the Padovani's have done it, but they seem to be the exception.
 
Some areas in Italy have extremely high land costs (and not just the obvious ones; the Alto Adige is exorbitant), but most estates are several generations old, so it's kind of academic.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
And since I started a a thread on CA, the 2009 Calluna, merlot, that we opened tonight was about all a person could want from this grape - and that from someone who thinks merlot is just south of Grenache.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

I had the 2010 on Saturday night. Shows a lot of promise. My bottle was $48 + tax, which is a tad bit disappointing. It becomes a tougher commercial proposition at that price.
 
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