As a winemaker, sending wines out for critical review is a bit like finishing a big test or waiting for final grades in college. It’s a bit exciting, a bit nerve-wracking. You have a “feeling” about how you did; but are not at-ease until the scores are finally posted.
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This year, we’re happy to announce the addition of a Rosé of Pinot Noir to our wine lineup. “While Pinot Noir is my first love and passion, it’s fun and challenging to work with different wines” says winemaker Alex Kanzler. “Moreover, we wanted to bring diversity to the portfolio and craft a wine for every occasion”. The introduction of the Russian River Valley Chardonnay in 2014, and now the Rosé of Pinot Noir in 2015, brings us closer to that goal.
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We know we have a good thing going on inside our wine bottles. But for the outside to match the quality of the inside we realized it was time for a packaging overhaul. So, we went to work. We hired April Damron, formerly Director or Marketing at Silver Oak to help us revamp our brand and Affinity Marketing to create a new look and label. It was a fun project and we we learned a lot working with pros like April and Affinity. We spent countless hours brainstorming and considering. No detail went unnoticed. We hope you enjoy the improvements. We’ve shared some pictures of the process, all the way through to the celebration dinner with the team.
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Breauna and I first met in at the University of Colorado nearly 10 years ago. It took 8 years, but on a trip back to Colorado, ostensibly to visit friends, I proposed to her only steps from the place where we first met. It’s a good thing she said yes, because I arranged to have her family and mine join us there and witness the proposal, so we could all celebrate together.
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I have to smile when I look at these labels. They tell our story as much as words do. When we created that first label we had no idea where it would lead. It was a wedding gift for our daughter. We had no thought of being a winery at that point. But the wedding wine changed all that. We started thinking … well maybe we should… maybe we can…
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Your loyalty and support makes it possible for us to pursue our passion. Thank you!
We are especially grateful this year as we approach the 20th anniversary of planting Kanzler Vineyards and our 10th year of making wine and sharing it with you. We have a lot to celebrate in the coming year. Stephen and Lynda’s son, winemaker Alex Kanzler and his fiance Breauna Cooper are getting married in January. We’re thrilled to welcome Bre to the family and excited for you to meet her. Please join us in a glass of wine and a toast to the happy couple, a joyful Holiday, and a healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Warm Regards,
Stephen, Lynda, Alex and Breauna
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As always we had a great time at Pinot On The River. It’s a fun filled weekend of all things Pinot Noir, in the charming Russian River Valley town of Healdsburg, Ca. We enjoyed sharing our wines with all of you that stopped by and said hello to Stephen, Lynda and Alex at Sunday’s Grand Tasting. We’re already looking forward to next year!
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It’s been a hectic month as Vintage 2015 came at us fast, furious and early! Fall is always the busiest time of year for us at Kanzler Family Vineyards but this year Mother Nature decided fruit was ready 9 days earlier than in 2014, which was itself an earlier than average year. It’s just the three of us (my parents and I) and we all have our plates full. I work long hours at the winery while my parents are busy keeping the business side going. It’s all a bit stressful, but fun and rewarding because harvest is the culmination of another year of hard work in the vineyard. As farmers first we know the vineyard is really where the magic happens.
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September and October are a succession of long nights in the vineyards followed by even longer days at the winery. We pick all our fruit by hand, at night, because that’s when it’s coldest. We want the grapes to arrive at the winery as cold as possible because it keeps them fresher and inhibits spontaneous fermentation. We want the grapes to soak in their own juices for a few days (a process called “cold soak” or maceration) before starting fermentation to concentrate and intensify the flavor and color of the fruit.
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