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Pandemic Update

We hope that this post finds you and your family healthy and safe.  

Not if, but that we survive is because we connect. We do not exist in a vacuum, life does not thrive by itself, or in quarantine. We will be here when you venture outdoors again, but for now the tasting room will remain closed until further notice. Our Declassifiedevent is postponed tentatively until April 18. Notwithstanding the closure of the tasting room, member-packages and orders will be shipping this week.
 
In lieu of tastings we have re-opened our online store:

• Purchases of six-bottles ship for $1 (contiguous 48 states)
• Purchases of twelve-bottles receive a 10% discount and ship for $1

The incentives apply automatically at checkout.

Thank you for continuing to support small family-run businesses like ours.  We look forward to reconnecting with you in person when it's safe to do so in April.

Sincerely, 
Juliana & Sean

PS. A note on the nature and promise of hope. 

As poetry month is nearly upon us amidst this pandemic, we thought we’d take a moment to highlight the poetry of survival, of hope. There is of course Emily Dickinson’s “’Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers, That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all . . .” and then there is the poetry of Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece If and The Survival, and William Ernest Henley’s Invictus– but these seem better suited for war-time analogies – and so it was Edith Wharton who caught our eye this morning as we were looking for something suitable to share … We want to leave you with these last thoughts on Spring, on hope, on survival, on connectedness. Because soon we will back outdoors together, relishing the warmth on our skin, the shouts of wild children and the murmurs of strangers meandering arm-in-arm along the city streets.
 
When you and I, like all things kind or cruel,
The garnered days and light evasive hours,
Are gone again to be a part of flowers
And tears and tides, in life's divine renewal,

If some grey eve to certain eyes should wear
A deeper radiance than mere light can give,
Some silent page abruptly flush and live,
May it not be that you and I are there?
                                               --Edith Wharton
 
We are here. We will be here. We will see you in Spring.

Crosby Roamann Declassified 2020

Hello from Napa Valley! It is a gorgeous, extended winter here in the north bay. The mornings are still cool and occasionally overcast, but the sun is shining almost every day and the afternoons are distinctly warm. 
 
This time of year, we have the privilege of introducing you to our new wines – so many new wines! And see below for news on Crosby Roamann Declassified– our annual OPEN HOUSE on March 21st, 11-4 – we will be planting a tree for every bottle sold this year – read more below!
 
Crosby Roamann New Releases
 
2018 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley. Whole-cluster pressed and fermented on native yeast. Aged for six months in one-third new French oak, the balance stainless steel, with three final months all in stainless steel prior to a light pad-filtration and bottling by hand at the winery. Six barrels, 115 cases produced. $24; Members only.
 
2017 Merlot, Napa Valley. Fully-destemmed to stainless steel. Fermented on native yeast thirty-two days prior to pressing in our old, hand-crank basket press. Aged in one-third new French oak for twenty-two months, and bottled by hand at the winery with neither fining nor filtration. Two barrels; 51 cases produced. $45; Members only.
 
Produced & Bottled by Sean W. McBride New Releases
 
The newest wine in our repertoire, 2017 Annie’s Pinot Noir, a blend of Gremlin Vineyard, Los Carneros, Sonoma County (60%) and The China Block, Filigreen Farm, Anderson Valley (40%). Both lots fermented on native yeast fourteen days; we pressed by hand, and the wine aged twenty-four months in a mix of stainless steel and neutral French oak. Neither fined nor filtered, we bottled by hand at the winery. Five and a half barrels; 131 cases produced. $32; Members only.
 
We are also very happy to announce the first of our 2018 single vineyard Pinot Noirs – 2018 Jewel of Skyland, Santa Cruz Mountains, Pinot Noir.  This one-acre, dry-farmed vineyard in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains is planted to three different clones of Pinot Noir, creating a rich, layered, and balanced wine. We fermented the fruit in open top containers on native yeasts for fourteen days and pressed by hand. The wine aged for twelve months in 25% new French oak. $35; Members only.
 
2018 The China Block, Filigreen Farm, Anderson Valley, Pinot Noir. 100% Biodynamic fruit from the south block of Filigreen Farm, fermented on native yeast fourteen days, pressed entirely by hand, aged in one-half new French oak twelve months, prior to bottling by hand at the winery unfined and unfiltered. Four and a half barrels; 110 cases produced. $38; Members only.

---

Crosby Roamann Declassified – March 21st, 2020
 
It’s that time of year again when we open the winery for Spring Cleaning. We will have an extremely limited number of wines starting at $24/case. Additionally, a small number of hand-signed art labels will be available. This is a ONE-DAY ONLY EVENT – while supplies last. This year we will plant a tree for every bottle you buy. Buy a case, plant twelve trees, save the planet on a Saturday. 
 
11am-12pm Members only
12-4pm Doors open
Event closes at FOUR PM.
 
We will have wines to taste, as well as some small bites. Please RSVP if you know you will be joining us. Groups of ten or more must make a reservation!
 
Stay Connected
 
We are on the road a lot this time of year, visiting New York, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas. Watch out for new events by following us online @crosbyroamann and @seanwmcbride

Holiday Magnums

Happy Holidays!  

Whether it'll be roast goose or takeout Chinese, we are so thrilled to be able to offer you a combination of two magnums to grace your holiday table this year -- our 2012 Merlot and 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville; Fedex 2-day shipping included. Member discounts applied automatically at checkout. Details below.

The 2019 harvest is complete and resting gracefully in cellar. We are excited to begin to share some details with you about these wines. We have been working diligently to produce wines of substance and balance without losing the transparency and purity of fruit that we hope mark our wines in the best of vintages. 2019 was classic, reminiscent of 2012; perhaps 2007 as well. To name just a few, the Cabernets, from three vineyards in Coombsville, Yountville, and St. Helena, are taut and luscious. Come taste with us from barrel in cellar this winter by making an appointment here.

Until then, enjoy these two wonderfully aged Napa Valley wines. At seven years of bottle age, they are just peaking. Don't miss them!

2012 Merlot Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley 1500ml -- Magnum

This single vineyard wine comes from Jaeger Ranch on Big Ranch Road. The fruit was manually sorted and aged thirty months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 50% new. The wine is balanced by sweet blackberry flavors and a tart raspberry sweetness that lingers on the finish. 164 cases produced.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley 1500ml -- Magnum

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville comes from young vines grown in a deep composite gray clay soil with tiny, bright blue berries. We harvested by hand on the afternoon of October 22, and manually sorted and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel for twenty-eight days. One barrel of Merlot from the Oak Knoll District was blended in (10%), and the wine spent thirty months in French and American oak barrels, 60% new. We produced ten barrels of this wine. The wine is layered and refined, with notes of blueberries, mild dried herbs, vanilla and confectioner’s sugar. 207 cases produced.

Two Magnum pack $320, Fedex 2-day included.

Warmest wishes this holiday season,

Juliana & Sean

Fall Release & Harvest Update

Dear Sean,

We are truly excited to announce our Fall/Winter 2019 release. This release includes single vineyard Chardonnay from Carneros, biodynamic Pinot Noir from the Anderson Valley, and the new release of our signature Crosby's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. Members please see following section for details on your next shipment.  

New Releases

Our  2017 Chardonnay from the Loma Blanca vineyard was hand-picked at dawn, whole-cluster pressed and fermented in 25% new French barrels, then aged 12 months in oak. Plus, two delightfully different and thoughtful Pinot Noirs from two different blocks of the biodynamic Filligreen Farm, 2017 China Block and 2017 Old St. George. Our 2017 China Block fermented on native yeast, with 50% whole clusters, and was pressed entirely by hand in our old hand-crank press. The wine completed malolactic fermentation naturally in barrel, and aged twelve months in French oak barrels, 33% new. Just three barrels; 74 cases produced. Our 2017 Old St. George is selected from old-clone Pinot Noir grafted onto 65-year-old Saint George rootstock. This block ripens more slowly than the rest of the vineyard and is always picked last. We fermented the 2017 vintage on naturally occurring yeasts in concrete, with 50% stem inclusion, and we pressed entirely by hand. The wine aged in 50% new French oak for twelve months. Just two and a quarter barrels; 60 cases produced.  

And lastly, our 2016 Crosby's Reserve, a true beauty in a bottle, and proof that the best things come to those who wait. Crosby’s Reserve is a barrel selection of Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) and Merlot (10%). The Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from two gorgeous small vineyards in Coombsville, then sorted and de-stemmed by hand into new French oak barrels for extended maceration. The 2016 fermented in a combination of stainless steel (35 days) and new French oak for 56 days. We pressed entirely by hand in our old hand-crank press, and aged the wine 24 months in all new French oak. On the palate -- blue fruited with blackberry jam,  dark cocoa and roast coffee bean. You can read more about each of these wines on our website and store. 

We are still holding shipments until the first week of October in most cases depending on where you live, but we're back open and ready for your orders.  

For Members

Our standard membership box will include 2 bottles of 2017 Chardonnay, 2 bottles of 2016 Crosby's Reserve and 1 bottle each of the 2017 China Block and Old St. George Pinot Noirs.  Collectors will receive 4 bottles each of Chardonnay and Crosby's Reserve and 2 bottles each of the Pinot Noirs.  Reds-only members will receive 2 bottles of Crosby's Reserve and 2 bottles each of the Pinot Noirs.  And finally Pinot lovers will receive 3 bottles each of the 2017 Filligreen Farm Pinot Noirs. 

Boxes will be shipping the first week of October weather permitting. If you'd like to make changes to your allocations, please choose from what is available on the website.  On the members-only page you can make these changes or email Juliana.  You will also find some additional items available once you log in.  

Harvest 2019

And finally, we are back in the vineyards and busy in the cellar! Sauvignon Blanc is in the egg, still fermenting.  The Gremlin Vineyard Pinot Noir has finished fermentation and is going through malolactic in barrel. In tank, we have Merlot from Dunaweal Lane, China Block Pinot Noir, two new blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon (more on them later) from old vines above Yountville and St. Helena, as well as Pinot Noir from Jewel of Skyland in the Santa Cruz Mountains. 2019 Harvest is going to be big overall, but has all the signs of a classic California vintage, and we are rolling through a bit earlier than in years past. 

You can follow along on all the Harvest pictures on our Instagram page.  It's a magical time of year! 

We look forward to introducing you to our wines at our table or yours. 

Cheers,

Juliana & Sean

Maybeck's SF Wine Dinner

We are so excited about a dinner collaboration with Maybeck's restaurant in San Francisco on June 25th, details below, RSVP here. If you're in town, this is one you won't want to miss!

While summer may not officially start until June 21, for all intents and purposes  its already begun. There are so many things to celebrate this month, from kids out of school to Father's Day.  Wine country is calling, so come up and see us. We hope to see you soon!   

Happy summer,

Juliana & Sean

Store closing soon, T-shirt coupon included.

Our online store will be closing soon for the summer. Only three weeks remain for shipping, so come check out and stock up on some Summer Sippers like our 2017 Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc ... or ship home a couple bottles of the newly released 2017 Gremlin Vineyard or Kim Giles Vineyard Pinot Noir. 

**Members of the Inner Circle -- Now is the time to login and order some swag for the summer. A ton of cool stuff is available in the Members Only section of the website, including new T-shirts, Magnums, and glassware. Purchase 2+ bottles and apply the coupon code below to receive a free T-shirt with any order. Shipping included on all Member orders.
 
Coupon code: Tshirt2019

Cheers!
Juliana & Sean

May Day Letter

We're pretty excited to announce the release of two new wines, our 2017 vintages of the Sean W. McBride Pinots from the Kim Giles Vineyard in Napa's coolest most southern region hugging the San Pablo bay, and from the Gremlin Vineyard in Sonoma's Los Carneros region just outside of the quaint town of Sonoma.  Both are sustainably farmed, micro-sized vineyards, and completely different in flavor profile. We couldn't be more excited to release these, more info on each of the wines below.

As the days are getting longer and definitely warmer, these are the last few weeks we can offer shipping on our wines until the late Fall.  Mother's Day, Father's Day, and summer barbecues are just around the corner...it's a great time to stock up if you don't happen to be lucky enough to live nearby.  What goes better with a barbecue or sitting poolside than our 2017 Rosé and 2017 Sauvignon Blanc....unless you'd prefer to hole-up inside with your air conditioning and a beautiful bottle of 2014 Merlot or 2015 Crosby's Reserve.  No judgements, we promise.

Cheers!

Juliana & Sean

Members Only

**Exciting announcement for existing members.  Check out the member's only page here with your login.  You'll see some fun new stuff available only for you.**

The Inner Circle includes two levels of membership, our Premier and Collector wine clubs, both with exclusive access to our limited production, high-quality Crosby Roamann and Sean W. McBride wines.

The Inner Circle membership is a one-year commitment to biannual club releases in the spring and fall. In addition to receiving access to our new releases and limited-production wines, each club level enjoys complimentary tastings at our Crusher District winery in Napa, an annual member gift and invitations to Inner Circle dinners and event, and special pricing on all orders beyond membership.

Spring Fever!

Spring has arrived! These early spring days have been rainy and cool but the growing season has officially started in Napa Valley. There has been an extraordinary amount of rain in Northern California this year -- the vineyards are thriving with mustard and wildflowers, the hills are a vibrant green, and flowering trees are awash in white and pink blooms. It's a beautiful time to visit Napa Valley, so make an appointment with us here and come taste our nascent 2018 vintage from barrel.

2017 Sauvignon Blanc:

Spring Fling

We can hardly believe it but Spring really and truly is just around the corner.  And that means two things for us here at Crosby Roamann.  First, it's time for our members to receive their first shipment of the year, and we're pretty excited about what will be in those boxes ...

• 2015 Merlot, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
• 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford, Napa Valley
• 2017 Pinot Noir "Kim Giles Vineyard" Napa Valley
• 2017 Pinot Noir "Gremlin Vineyard" Los Carneros, Sonoma

You can find tasting notes, sign up for our shipment and book tastings online at http://www.crosbyroamann.com/membership All members receive special pricing, tours and tastings, special gifts and swag throughout the year. Stay connected with us at @crosbyroamann

Second, we believe in spring cleaning, so on the first Saturday of Spring we'll be hosting an event in the tasting room called Crosby Roamann Declassified to blow out all the odds and ends that never make it to store shelves or restaurant wine lists. These are the little wines that we produce in the micro-est of micro-productions.  Boxes start at $40, and if it's anything like last year, we recommend you get here early.
 

• Doors open for members at 11am.
• High Noon For Everyone Else.
• Members of the trade -- contact us to reserve a box!

Finally, thank you to everyone who joined us at our Crosby Roamance Rosé release party in February!  We had a blast hosting our first evening in the cellar. You can find photos of the evening here.

Hope to see you Saturday, March 23rd!  Cheers,  Juliana & Sean

Crosby Roamann Declassified

Saturday, March 23.  12-4pm
Members-only preview 11am-12pm
45 Enterprise Court #6, Napa, CA 94558

Come and join us at the winery on the first Saturday of Spring for the opportunity to purchase library wines and mixed assorted cases starting at $40. We'll have a few bottles open to sip and preview as well as snacks. The record player will be spinning.  Come and help us spark joy in cleaning house and take home a few special bottles.  RSVP's welcome.  

We're so excited for the new releases of 2019! Members will be receiving two Crosby Roamann wines, and two Sean W. McBride wines (varying by level and type of membership).  The new wines included are the 2015 Oak Knoll District Merlot, the 2017 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, and the 2017 Kim Giles Vineyard Pinot Noir, and the 2017 Gremlin Vineyard Pinot Noir. Tasting and production notes will be included in each box with the wines, and as a reminder, members always have the opportunity to order more with privileged pricing.  

Members, please remember to check your email for shipping and tracking information, and if you have any specific changes to make you can always log into your member profile or  send us an email if you have any issues or would like us to make changes for you.
 

The Inner Circle membership is a one-year commitment to biannual club releases in the spring and fall. In addition to receiving access to our new releases and limited-production wines, each club level enjoys complimentary tastings at our Crusher District winery in Napa, an annual member gift and invitations to Inner Circle dinners and events.

Cast Iron Porterhouse with Bérnaise, French Fried Potatoes & Green Beans

We don’t make or eat a lot of red meat, but when we do, we want it to be special, like when we make this easy cast iron skillet-fried porterhouse with a simple Béarnaise sauce, which helps to brighten the whole dish. We pair the steak with homemade hand-cut French fries, which are perfect for dipping in Béarnaise, and we usually add a green bean side dish sautéed with shallots and garlic, and sometimes a bit of small green zucchini to add sweetness. (Sean worked as a short-order cook in college, and he used to hand-make three hundred pounds of potatoes per day. He still uses the same recipe he picked up during those years, calling for hand-cut potatoes fried twice.) The trick, if you can call it that, is getting everything off the stove top at the right moment, so we pre-prep all three dishes, and prepare the Béarnaise sauce first and set it aside in the fridge while we fry the steaks and potatoes and sauté the green beans. Bon apetit!

We love to pair our 2014 Crosby's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with this steak dinner. The soft but concentrated wine compliments the porterhouse perfectly!

Special equipment:

• A cast iron 12”-skillet
• A meat thermometer
• An immersion blender
• Something to deep fry potatoes with: we use a 3-quart sauce pan with a 6-quart fry basket, but a deep fryer would work just as well

 

Ingredients for the steaks:

• Two thick-cut porterhouse steaks, at least 2" thick
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Ingredients for the French fries:

• Four large russet potatoes
• About 8 cups of vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Béarnaise Sauce:

• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, minced
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for the green beans:

• 1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 small green zucchini, ends trimmed
• 1 shallot, sliced thinly
• 1 bulb garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Coarse sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Serves 4.

Pre-prep & make the sauce:

• Season the steaks liberally with salt, set aside.
• Prep the French fries:
  • Skin the potatoes
  • Cut the potatoes into 1cm-thick slices, then into 1cm-cube sticks
  • Wash the cut potatoes in cold water, making sure to rinse off as much starch as possible, then pat dry with a clean dish towel or paper towels
  • Set the potatoes to the side
  • Bring your cooking oil to 350 degrees in your fry pan
  • Working in batches, fry the potatoes for 5 minutes, just until they start to take on a bubbly appearance and brown only lightly at the edges, then remove them from oil and set aside.

Prepare the sauce:

• Combine the dry white wine, Champagne vinegar, and 1 tbsp fresh minced tarragon leaves in a small saucepan.
• On medium heat, reduce the vinegar mixture for two minutes, or until the shallots are translucent, then set aside to cool.
• Melt the butter
• Meanwhile, place the 2 large egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk in the vinegar tarragon and blend briefly with the handheld immersion blender on high
• Next, add the remaining 1 tbsp. tarragon and slowly add the melted butter to the egg mixture with the immersion blender on high. (It may take a couple minutes to blend fully; make sure to incorporate all the solids.)
• Let the sauce chill in the refrigerator as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Prep the green beans:

• Thinly slice the shallot and garlic, then set aside
• Bring 1 quart of water to a boil, and blanch the green beans for three minutes.
• Remove the beans from the boiling water and run under cold water. Then set aside.
• Meanwhile, slice the zucchini on a bias roughly ¼ inch thick, set aside.

Now that you have everything prepped, it’s time to put it all together! Sauté the steaks at the same time as you re-fry the potatoes and sauté the green beans.

• Bring the oil for the fries back up to 350F and pre-heat the oven to 450F.
• Working in batches, re-fry the potatoes until they are golden brown.
• When done, transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
• As each batch of potatoes is finished, transfer them to paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt, then incorporate into them into the previously cooked batches.
• As your potatoes are cooking, bring your cast iron skillet up to high heat with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. When the oil starts to smoke, sauté the steaks 4 minutes per side, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven at 450F for 2 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the steaks every two minutes until it reaches 125F. Then remove the steaks from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes.
• As the steaks are cooking, bring a medium sauté pan up to medium-high heat. Add olive oil. After a minute, add shallots, garlic, zucchini, and green beans. Sauté, turning consistently, until the shallots and garlic have browned and the zucchini has softened and lightly browned. Cook the green beans to taste … we prefer them still a little crunchy. When they are done according to your preference, remove immediately from the heat, and top with coarse sea salt and a cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.