Our Pinot Noir producer...Amber Ridge Vineyard was recently sold to Far Niente/Nickel & Nickel...but business is still as usual here at Tobacco Road Cellars!
Here's the full story: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,3830,00.html.
As you’ll see, Amber Ridge is the most expensive vineyard per acre ever purchased in Russian River!
The owner, Frank Darien, has done a fantastic job creating the vineyard but felt that someone with deeper pockets needed to be involved to take it to the next level. Even though the farming has been excellent so far, there is still room for improvement with newer precision viticulture techniques that require more investment to implement. The same vineyard management company is farming the site this year and likely into the future. We have the same sections of the vineyard we had last year and our current contract goes through 2010.
So the net from a quality perspective is that this is a positive development. We will meet with him next week but expect that 2007 will be business as usual and then likely see new techniques applied by next year.
The owner, Frank Darien, has done a fantastic job creating the vineyard but felt that someone with deeper pockets needed to be involved to take it to the next level. Even though the farming has been excellent so far, there is still room for improvement with newer precision viticulture techniques that require more investment to implement. The same vineyard management company is farming the site this year and likely into the future. We have the same sections of the vineyard we had last year and our current contract goes through 2010.
So the net from a quality perspective is that this is a positive development. We will meet with him next week but expect that 2007 will be business as usual and then likely see new techniques applied by next year.
