FIELD DISPATCH
MAGAZINE Q4 2023 Issue No. 1
good wine is a skill, making fine wine is an art.”
“Making
Thismagazinehasbeen craftedtoprovide comprehensiveupdatestoour luxurybusinessunitregarding branddevelopments,recent acquisitionsandcapability updatesthroughouttheyear.
Ourcommitmentistokeep youinformedandempowered intheever-evolvingworldof luxury
FIELD DISPATCH 01
N
O
I
T R
Advancing Brand Equity Important Dates TABLE OF CONTENTS Gallo Acquisitions Capabilities Expanding Our Exceptional Team 04 08 10 17 20 Recognizing important milestones Introducing the new faces behind our success A spotlight on key developments in Brand’s innovation and progress Uniting a stronger future with c7. A closer look into Gallo’s expanding Luxury Business Unit. 02
STAY INSPIRED
GALLO LUXURY ACQUISITIONS
KNOW ABOUT DENNER VINEYARDS
Denner is committed to environmentally-friendly farming and reducing its carbon footprint
The Denner style is to make wines that are genuine expressions of the vintage, the vineyard they were grown in, and the people who make them Staying true to the place and the time at which the grapes were grown
Nestled in the Templeton Gap where the marine layer can reach the inland valleys, Denner receives large diurnal temperature swings without high moisture pressure- a near perfect growing climate
In the evening, the fog rolls over the Templeton hills and the air becomes thick with stringent notes of native plants. The earth seems to exhale, along with all things alive, each adding their own notes to the sweet salinity in the evening breeze.
This rocky, limestone hillside was exactly the place Ron Denner had been looking for In 1999, Ron began to plant the first few acres. Now Denner sits on 130 acres with 20 different varietals!
04
Rombauer Vineyards
OUR STORY
In 1972, when Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved their two children, two horses and five dogs to Napa Valley, they were already well acquainted with the natural relationship between food and wine Koerner’s great aunt Irma Rombauer wrote the internationally renowned cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, and his German ancestors had deep roots in the winegrowing region of Rheingau.
Koerner and Joan established Rombauer Vineyards in 1980, and in 1984 they released their first California-style Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Four decades later–and still family owned–the winery has become widely acclaimed for its distinctive, fruit-driven expressions
At Rombauer Vineyards they believe it’s an honor and responsibility to be good stewards of their vineyards as they strive to make the finest wines they can They use sustainable practices whenever possible in the vineyards and at the winery to protect and preserve the land for future generations
With just three head winemakers in their over-40-year history, they’ve achieved consistency of style distinctive, fruitdriven wines while continually refining and improving their winemaking practices Richie Allen, our Vice President of Viticulture and Winemaking, embraces traditional and cutting-edge practices in the vineyard and cellar to make certain each WINEMAKINGISAHOLISTICENDEAVOUR, ANDSEETHEINTERACTIONOFLANDAND COMMUNITYASAVITALPARTOFTHE WINEMAKINGPROCESS.
wine gets the customized attention it needs For reserve red wines, barrel fermentation is used to produce a more textured palate and silky tannins, and up to 25 types of French oak barrels are used for fermentation and/or aging
Along with Richie, Winemaker Luke Clayton, Associate Winemaker Andrew Holloway, and Assistant Winemaker Joe Coughlin round out their winemaking team. Three of the four winemakers started out as harvest interns at Rombauer, working their way up to their current roles Together, they have a combined experience of more than 50 years producing Rombauer wines Guided by their passion and expertise, Rombauer spares no effort or expense to produce the finest wines each vintage offers
05
MASSICAN WINERY
MODERNISM & NOSTALGIA
Massican – and its winemaker and founder, Dan Petroski – brings a new style of wine into our luxury portfolio: sub-13%, high acid whites from California; salty, fresh, citrusy, and floral The match is simple: Dan brings vision and style
Dan talks a lot about his wines being "Mediterranean,” and it’s all over the marketing materials It is about, as he says, a style of wine, a way of living But it also captures Europe's tendency to a more practical – and, in some ways, profound - view of wine It's about wine as food, as community, as a part of culture
That's not to say there isn't a place for the world’s great collectible wines - artistry should be appreciated at any price. But premium wine can be wielded as an extension of status, and - over the past 20 years - prices for California wines have soared. This is a good thing for the industry in many ways. However, the gap between two realities - wine as ‘food’ and wine as ‘fetish’ - has yawned, creating a more challenging entry point for new and younger consumers who nevertheless prioritize the level of authenticity that luxury wines can provide.
WHITEWINESTHATARETIMELESS,VIBRANT, ANDSTYLISTICALLY“MEDITERRANEAN.” MADEINNAPAVALLEY,CALIFORNIA.
In this reality, Massican makes a compelling case By making only white wines, they can hold lower costs through a six-month grape-to-glass timeline By sourcing unique (for California) white varieties like Ribolla Galla and Tocai Friulano, Dan can make compelling wines from great vineyards at a fraction of the cost of more common types Through transparency in their sourcing and winemaking, they can maintain the consumer's trust By publishing the wines’ nutritional values, they can meet people where they are. And, by partnering with Gallo - one of California’s largest owners of high-quality vineyard land - Massican can scale its vision of accessible luxury without compromising quality
For now, Massican is small, but few other American wines have as much presence in the best restaurants in the country The Gallo Luxury Business Unit is thrilled about where it is but more excited about where it’s going
06
Commerce 7
CONNECTED EXPERIENCE ACROSS ALL DTC CHANNELS
Commerce 7 allows brands to easily communicate on a 1:1 level with site visitors Show different content, products, and pricing to club members, repeat buyers, and other customer segments. The software shows product recommendations specific to a visitor's personal preference
COMMERCE 7 CAPABILITIES
POS, Wine Club and E-commerce all in one platform
Intuitive and easy to use
Easy checkout and ability to personalize web experiences
Simple data capture and unified customer record
Used by over 1,200 wineries
Integrates with Tock, Wineshipping and more!
COMMERCE7ROADMAP
JVW Launch: 10/4/23
LOY Launch: 11/15/23
MZR Launch: 1/23/23
COMMERCE 7 CUSTOMERS
Harlan Estate
Heitz Cellars
Sequoia Grove
Sunstone Winery
Old Creek Ranch & Winery
Walla Walla Vintners
LMM Launch: 2/7/24
OSC Launch: March 2024
DNR Launch: May 2024
08
TAL Launch: 1/10/23
PAL Launch: April 2024
COMMEMORATING 90 YEARS OF LOUIS M. MARTINI
Approachable but sophisticated and thoughtful art installations that provoke questions and interaction, especially thorough their performative activation of the viewer
Louis M Martini winery commemorated our 90th anniversary last month (September 19th, to be precise) but the party isn’t over yet We’ll be hosting a 90th anniversary celebration October 29th at the winery for our friends in Napa and beyond For those unable to make it to the winery, our limited release 90th Anniversary Lot No 1 Verticals are available in select wholesale markets and for top tier club members nationwide
We are also very excited to announce that in honor of 90 years, we will be unveiling a new site-specific art installation at the winery! “Open Field Poem” is a site-specific installation by the artist Rosa Barba, designed as part of a conversation with our winemaking team.
The work features12 kiln-formed, variably sized colored glass panels suspended in the light-shafts flanking the two skylights in the entryway of the winery, as well as a custom designed kinetic heliostat programmed totrack the sun's regional pathway across the sky, and a static mirror; both positioned to concentrate and continuously cast beams of the sun ’ s light through the colored glass onto a series of text fragments embedded in the ground below which refer, both rhetorically and spatially, to the winemakers based on a dialogue with Louis M Martini winery.
Come see it for yourself at the winery this November, we look forward to hosting you.
10
CULINARY
INNOVATION
J Shifting the Lens 2023 is complete! The program invites world-class chefs to showcase cuisines and cultures that are often underrepresented on traditional food and wine pairing menus, earning J Vineyards Sonoma County Tourism’s Stars of the Industry Innovation Award earlier this year. Chef Ana Castro's residency brought another unforgettable experience to Sonoma County and was wellreceived by guests and media alike.
Link: Press Democrat article
J VINEYARDS & WINERY
11
ACRITICALSUCCESS
We’re so proud of the recognition our partners are getting for their incredible wines Wine & Spirits named Pieropan as a “Top 100, ” winery for 2023 The 2016 vintage of Allegrini “Fieramonte” Amarone Riserva scored a perfect 100 points from Decanter
The new vintage of Vigna del Suolo from Argiano was previewed by famed Italian critic Luca Gardini and given the highest possible score of 110 “ cum laude.” With this kind of recognition for our portfolio, it’s easy to see why Wine & Spirits magazine also named Maze Row Wine Merchant a Top Importer of 2023. And we ’ re just getting started…
MAZE ROW
THE LANGUAGE OF YES RESIDENCY
The Language of Yes is hosting guest experiences at the Edna Valley Vineyard tasting room. The team did a “soft open, ” in July and have been booking reservations for a branded “The Language of Yes” experience since August The preliminary results are encouraging! The appointments are being fully booked, over half the visitors are signing up for the newsletter, and our DTC teammates are rapidly increasing daily sales Want to get on the excitement? Did you know that our limited availability “Le Cerisier” Pink Wine is a “positively” great match for your Thanksgiving day feast? For the first time ever, The Language of Yes will be available to employees this holiday with a “friends and family,” discount We hope you’ll pick up some bottles and help us spread the word about The Language of Yes
12
SHOWCASING SONOMA COUNTY TERROIR
We are excited to announce that the Luxury BU has officially launched its first net-new organic innovation brand this year – Martis Wine Co Strategically, Martis adds a new dimension to our luxury portfolio, launching with a BTG Cabernet Sauvignon offering with a strong point of view at an attractive price point
While the inaugural launch varietal of the brand is a Cabernet Sauvignon hailing from the Alexander Valley, the long-term vision of Martis is to house a full portfolio of storied wines from the best of Sonoma County sourcing Future portfolio expansion will feature varieties, sites, and stories that allow our winemaker to showcase the intricacies of Sonoma’s great vineyards. As Sonoma stewards, Martis’ vision is to represent the breadth of Sonoma sourcing. We also believe that making sustainable wines is important not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes better wine. Martis is certified sustainable and one of the first at the Winery to use a sustainable closure made from beeswax
OURDEDICATIONCOMESTHROUGHIN EVERYTHINGWEDOTOCULTIVATE, CAPTURE,ANDSHARESONOMA'S LEGENDARYCHARACTERTOGETHER.
The Cabernet grapes in Martis Cabernet are sourced from Barrelli Creek – a celebrated vineyard whose history ties back to the original Italian Swiss Colony, and first planted in 1881 Winemaker Jenn Barak describes the Martis Cabernet: “Martis is my vision of the perfect Alexander Valley Cabernet, indulgent and serious When crafting this wine my approach is balance; I want those who enjoy this wine to know it comes from Alexander Valley but also to feel my winemaking influence and point of view This wine is a blackberry cobbler at first pass but on further inspection you’ll discover a complex powerhouse worthy of sitting at the table of your happiest moments.”
Martis is launching as an On Premise exclusive in key markets We’re thrilled to be embarking on this journey and can’t wait to show you what’s next
14
MARTIS
CLICHÉLIMITED MARKETLAUNCH
2023 was year two of Cliché’s limited market launch in California and Texas To continue driving brand awareness and encourage purchase, the brand team implemented activations concentrated in key cities and across multiple channels to create maximum impact with target audiences
The brand activations included content creation and distribution by local Influencers, on premise sampling events, paid social media, 3rd party ecommerce campaigns, and new lifestyle content to illustrate Cliché’s unique brand image that is highly differentiated from to the rest of the seltzer category In addition, the brand team launched an optimized package design to improve product readability on shelf and increase appetite appeal
CLICHÉ
13
HERITAGE BRANDS’ COMMERCIAL TIER DIVESTITURES
An important component of our Heritage Luxury brands’ strategy to ‘elevate our estates’ is to control for over-exposure in retail and tighten brand equity through intentional portfolio composition As such, Louis M Martini and Talbott have begun to spin-off the entry tiers of their portfolio.
HERITAGE BUSINESS UNIT
Tactically, this means that Talbott’s Kali Hart and Louis M Martini’s Sonoma Cabernet will transition to Commercial BU ownership as of January 1, 2024. Strategically, each of these wines will go through a branding transformation that gently evolves the current equities which, rely on the parent-brand equities of Louis M. Martini and Talbott into strong, standalone brands with new equities These new equities will lean into current strengths of the wines (e.g., name recognition and consumer trust behind the name “Kali Hart”) while divorcing ties with the parent brand (eg, removing “Talbott” brand name from the label)
15
NEW HIRES
Jamie Diaz - Sr. Manager Brand Marketing, Orin Swift.
Andrew HockVIP Consumer Experience Rep Natalia Cipponeri - William Hill Tasting Room Rep
17
NEW HIRES
Izabella Wunschel - Orin Swift Tasting Room Rep
Gizelle GuzmanLouis Martini Tasting Room Rep
Jordan LaneLouis Martini Tasting Room Rep
Sean AikinLouis Martini Hospitality
Assistant 2
18
WELCOME DENNER!
MEMBER SERVICES MANAGER
MEMBER SERVICES REP
WINEMAKER
CELLAR MASTER
CELLAR MASTER
ASSISTANT TASTING ROOM MANAGER
19
Autumn Cone Allie Sands Anthony Yount
Paul Lopez
Jesus
Nancy Gonzalez
IMPORTANT DATES
BIRTHDAYS
October
1 Lukas Hamilton | 2 Bhupinder Ahluwalia | 2 Ava Lepe | 2 Michael Alberto 6 Macy Martinez | 7 Emma Mrkonic | 13 Jonathan Martinez | 17 Michael Raymond | 18 Carly Cunial | 21 Klaus Doelling | 21 Shannon Mattingly | 21 Jordan Lane | 24 Dana Wilcox | 25 Abby Mcmahon
6 Joyce Chen | 6 Mary Young Orellana | 10 Mark Johnson | 13 Jesus Avina Sanchez 16 Diego Segura | 18 John Parke | 18 Blythe Conaway | 18 Marissa Wilson 19 Deborah Mock | 26 Elizabeth Todd | 27 Rafael Perez Michaca | 29 Tori Blum
November December
1 Haley Walker | 3 Melissa Goff | 5 Sebastian Hollingworth | 6 Cameron Tapper 8 Dawn Martella | 11 Michael Eubank, Shannon Armah | 17 Michael Otto | 18 Marissa Wilson, Elizabeth Hooper | 19 John Irwin | 24 Ashley Rose | 25 Juan Carlos, Anaya Salazar, Ronaldo Segura
WORK ANNIVERSARY
Bhupinder Ahluwalia 11 years on 10/1
Michael Pollock 1 year on 10/6
Deborah Mock 15 years on 10/10
Patricia Philitsa 5 years on 10/17
Gabriella Maitia 4 years on 10/21
Elizabeth Todd 5 years on 10/22
Cheryl Riedel 31 years on 10/23
Julie Robertson 1 year on 10/31
Tyler Menane 5 years on 10/31
20
UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS
NAPA VALLEY, CA
Collector’sExperience:Winemaker LunchandHowellMountain CabernetTasting
Sunday,October2212p.m.to3p.m
ClifFamilyEnotecaTastingSalon 1334VidovichAveSt.Helena,CA
https://cliffamily.com/events/octobercollectors-experience-winemaker-lunch/ .
SONOMA VALLEY, CA
Harvest Fair Grand Tasting
Sat, Oct 14, 7–11PM
1350 Bennett Valley Rd, Santa Rosa, CA
https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/7294/sonoma -county-harvest-fair??
performance id=8892786&country=US&lan guage=en
HEALDSBURG, CA
Merry Healdsburg - Tree Lighting Celebration
December 1, 2023 6:30p on the Plaza
PASO ROBLES, CA
12th Annual Paso Robles Garagiste Festival
Sat, Nov 11, 1:30 AM – Sun, Nov 12, 3:30 AM 2198 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles, CA
https://www.cellarpass.com/events/12thannual-paso-robles-garagiste-festival-10058
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, CA
Industry Night at VIN Wine Bar + Bottle Boutique
Mon, Oct 16, 11 PM – Tue, Oct 17, 2 AM Crossroads Blvd, CA
https://carmelcalifornia.chambermaster.com /events/details/industry-night-at-vin-winebar-bottle-boutique-06-23-2025-45758
21
FIELD DISPATCH