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Estate Bottled White Wine and New Member Shipments Spring/Summer 2021

“After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on — have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear — what remains? Nature remains; to bring out from their torpid recesses, the affinities of a man or woman with the open air, the trees, fields, the changes of seasons — the sun by day and the stars of heaven by night.” — Walt Whitman  

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We have lost sense of time. The days pass languidly. Everything is slow here in wine country. Most mornings you can find us briefly in the vineyard. The sun rises around six and the early mornings are still cool, routinely in the 40s, sometimes dropping into frost territory on the coldest nights. We are marking out the end posts, measuring off the distance between the grape stakes. We love the feeling of the dust on our hands, love the wisp of dust cloud it makes as we clap our hands together. We have taken to digging up the strangest rocks we can find on the property. All of it is endlessly new. The days are growing slowly warmer. The vines are just beginning to flower.
 
We are replanting the vineyard to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, and there are two new rows of Bordelaise clone 317 Sauvignon Blanc clone at the entrance to the vineyard. Where some of the oldest vines died over the winter, we are spot-replanting with cuttings we made in early spring of the healthiest vines. We are cultivating the soil with the lush organic cover crop of peas and barley we planted in November and let develop into April. Everything is progressing smoothly.
 
It is hard to contain the sense of excitement and thrill we have about the wines for release in the new member shipment: the 2020 Estate Bottled Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley and the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley.
 
2020 Estate Bottled White Wine Napa Valley
 
We harvested 1.9 tons of Sauvignon Blanc from our estate vineyard on September 5, 2020, a mix of Musque and clone 317, 23.5 Brix at harvest. We gently whole-cluster pressed the juice to concrete, and fermented on native yeast for five weeks. The wine then aged seven months in one-third new oak, one-third neutral oak, and one-third stainless steel. We performed a light pad filtration and cold stabilization prior to bottling by hand at the winery, with minimal sulfur. Delightful now, the wine will gain complexity over the next year and reach its apogee in 2022-2023. 117 cases produced.
 
2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
 
Our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard sources are in Coombsville – Harmony School Vineyard, a one acre block of clone 6 – and Calistoga, one and a half acres of clone 337 at the edge of the Vaca Mountains. The grapes are sorted and destemmed by hand into stainless steel and receive a five-day cold soak. Temperatures rise and native fermentation initiates by day seven, with an average 35 days in tank. We press entirely by hand in our old hand-crank press, and the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel, aging twenty-four months in mostly new French oak. Cabernet Franc from Summer Hill Vineyard and a small amount of Merlot is added during aging for spice and complexity. This very small production cuvee is destined for eight-ten years of development in bottle, with at least three years to reach full maturity. 107 cases produced.
 
The Spring/Summer 2021 Membership includes a mix of Estate Bottled White Wine and Cabernet Sauvignon. Premier Members receive three bottles each, shipping included with a 10% discount -- $270. Collector members receive six bottles, shipping included with a 20% discount -- $480. (Crosby’s Reserve Club Members may opt in or out of this release with shipping included and a 10% discount.) Please contact us here to add the SS21 shipment to your Membership.

Memberships will be charged May 10, 2020. All boxes will begin to ship the last week of May, weather permitting.

All our best,
Juliana & Sean 

Harvest Update 2020

Dear Friends,

We hope this letter finds you and your friends and family doing well. Perhaps it goes without saying – it’s been a crazy vintage!

If time is short, here's the release in a nutshell:

• Life is good ... but we miss you in the winery! Schedule a tasting here.
• We purchased a vineyard in Carneros and are transitioning to 100% estate fruit.
• We have a new website for our Pinot Noir wines, www.seanwmcbride.com
• The New Release: Members receive a six-bottle wood box of Crosby's Reserve 2017 the last week of October, $360 (shipping included)
• All wines are carbon neutral
• Each membership plants 10 trees in California
• Collectors (12 bottles+) also adopt an African Elephant
• Spread The Word.

Here in Napa, we have so much to be grateful for. We have been spared the worst of the fires this year, and the past week has seen clear blue skies and mild fall weather, but let us start with you, our dear friends who have been on this winemaking journey with us for the past … oh, let’s just call it the past decade – we could not do this without you and are so grateful for your continued support. If you would like to stop by the winery for a tasting, check our schedule here or email the winery.

The News from Napa Valley.
First, we are so excited and thrilled to be making an estate wine this year from a vineyard we purchased in Los Carneros, Napa Valley. This Sauvignon Blanc is tasting so deliciously already we cannot wait to share it with you – but that will have to be in the Spring Release!
 
And despite the difficult growing conditions this year, we are making lots of rosé and red wine, and our first sparkling wine. We pressed Old Saint George into rosé for a sparkling wine, and also pressed a portion of Gremlin Vineyard into a light bodied rosé for everyday drinking. 2020 will also see single vineyard designate Pinot Noirs from The China Block and Gremlin Vineyard. We are also producing a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from two vineyards we have worked with for a long time, and fermentations are nearly complete – fingers crossed!

The New Website.
As Crosby Roamann begins the transition to 100% estate fruit, we have also taken the next big step in expanding and differentiating our set of single vineyard wines under the Sean W. McBride label. Going forward, you will find all the new Pinot Noir wines at our new website -- www.seanwmcbride.com. Please check it out! Members with existing Pinot Noir Memberships will transition to the new site by the end of the year. We will be sending more news and information about this process as we go.

The New Releases.
This season, we are offering Premier Members our six-bottle wood boxes of 2017 Crosby’s Reserve Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley, shipping included, at $360/box (regular price $540). Premier Members may also purchase additional bottles of our current releases at a 10% discount. Collectors will receive a six-bottle wood box of 2017 Crosby’s Reserve Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley plus three bottles of 2017 Merlot and three bottles of 2018 Chardonnay.

Find the new wines here.
 
All boxes will ship the last week of October, weather permitting.

Giving Back.
Every Member Plants Ten Trees In California – In response to this year’s fire season and the state of California’s natural forests, this year the purchase of each Membership box will plant ten trees in California. It’s our goal to plant 2500 trees before the end of the year.
 
Collectors and Additional Purchases Adopt An African Elephant – Working in concert with the World Wildlife Foundation, this year Collector Members and Members who purchase an additional six bottles of new releases will also see a portion of their purchase price placed towards the adoption of an African Elephant at https://www.worldwildlife.org. It is our goal to adopt a herd of African Elephants by the end of the year – that’s 100 Elephants! You can help by purchasing a Membership here.
 
We are Carbon Neutral – And last but certainly not least, rest assured that your purchase of Crosby Roamann wines is a net-zero carbon transaction. By working with www.cooleffect.org, we have paid to offset our carbon footprint 100% -- including all energy, production, and shipping. All the wines in this year’s release were produced and shipped Carbon Neutral by purchasing winery carbon off-sets through cooleffect.org, so you can feel good about your purchase.

Spread The Word.
Perhaps you like the idea of planting a tree with every bottle of Crosby Roamann wine? Perhaps you enjoy the idea of adopting a herd of African Elephants as a part of your membership in our winery? And perhaps you have a friend or loved one whom you think might benefit from enjoying the same privileges of Membership that you do? If that’s the case, then forward our missive along! Most of our Members arrive at us by word of mouth, so if you know someone who you think may enjoy saving the planet and enjoying some great wine along the way, then please forward our email along.

With all our hearts,
Juliana & Sean 

Rosé All Day

As the weeks stretch on in these crazy times, we hope that you are staying healthy.  Each week this month we will be offering something special, because in the absence of connecting with you in person, we hope we can connect in other ways.   

As the days are getting longer and slightly warmer, and most of us are at home waiting for 5pm, we can't think of a better time to release our new 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir. This Rosé is that most magical, effortless of wines...crisp, light, deceptively easy-seeming on the surface, brooding just beneath and bursting with flavors of strawberry, apricot, citrus and clove, pairing with just about anything or nothing at all.  No need to wait until 5pm. Enjoy a glass at lunch, or at 3pm on its own just because.  

We are offering our 2018 Rosé of Pinot for just $18/bottle (normally $21) for this release week only, because we all need a little of that summertime feeling in a glass. Produced from Pinot Noir from the Gremlin Vineyard in Sonoma, we made just 90 cases (4 barrels).  

We also still have a little of our screamingly delicious 2017 Rosé left at the winery.  We are offering this until it's gone at $15/bottle.  (6 bottle minimum orders for shipping apply).  10% discount applies on all 12 bottle orders.  

Stay healthy and happy!

 

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.

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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

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.