Skirt Magazine Article: December 1, 2008

Jason Earnest and Dusty Field are big winers.

In 2004, these two friends set out to come up with a great holiday gift idea. They flew out to Napa Valley and created their own cabernet sauvignon, bottled 25 cases, and gave them out to friends and family. “After a few glasses, we realized we really had something,” Dusty says. After bouncing around a few ideas for their label, a 2:30am email exchange finally produced the perfect moniker: Tobacco Road Cellars. Jason says the name represented, to them, “a tradition of excellence.” Like they’ve done with all their ventures – Dusty owns a successful real estate development company; Jason is a serial entrepreneur – they went full-force into Tobacco Road. Their 2005 cabernet sauvignon, “Vitality,” won gold at this year’s Riverside International Wine Competition in California.

What’s your favorite thing about wearing a skirt? Dusty: “The breeze.”

Jason: “I get to show off these legs.”

And about reading skirt!? Dusty: “It helps me get over to my sensitive side.”

Jason: "I read it so I can better understand women - the question is, what will they read so they can better understand me?"

~Faith Dwight

www.skirt.com

Radio Interview

Dusty and I were recently interviewed by Pirate Radio 1250.

http://www.piratealumni.com/s/722/images/editor_documents/audio/081011PiratesLife.mp3

Taste the fall with new vintages from Tobacco Road Cellars

For many, great wine is worth going to great heights. Such was the thought behind Tobacco Road Cellars (TRC), a boutique winery combining California Grapes with Tar Heel roots. Co-Founders Jason Earnest and Dusty Field, fueled by their passion for fine wine and penchant for California Grapes, traveled cross-country to Napa Valley to try their hand at winemaking. The result: a unique winery that marries excellence with approachability – a hobby-turned-business venture that is here to stay. The winery now boasts ten California varietals from some of the most revered vineyards in the region.

Changing leaves, falling temperatures, wine is a great accessory to the new season. And this fall proves to be an especially great time for it, as Tobacco Road Cellars releases five new varietals, including their first white wine, October 15, 2008. “We’re extremely excited to release these vintages as they are truly a labor of love,” said Jason Earnest, Co-Founder of Tobacco Road Cellars. “We look forward to introducing the flavors and scents to all of our customers. Our 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Vitality” is already a crowd-pleaser in this area with its signature Carolina Blue wax,” added Co-Founder Dusty Field.

The highly-anticipated new wines are as follows:
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Vitality”
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Tradition”
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Private Reserve”
2007 Pinot Gris Anderson Valley
2007 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

For detailed descriptions on the vintages, please see below.

Tobacco Road Cellars’ wines are available in select restaurants and independent wine shops in North Carolina.

About Tobacco Road Cellars
What do you get when two forward-thinking entrepreneurs share a passion for California Grapes? The answer: a boutique winery poised to become an exciting force in the winemaking industry. Following the principle of excellence associated with Tobacco Road in North Carolina, Jason Earnest and Dusty Field founded a wine label committed to producing world-class Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Syrah from the celebrated California region. By pairing superior California vineyards with a world-class winemaking team, Tobacco Road Cellars creates interesting, hand-crafted wines. Forget the pretension. Forget the inapproachability often associated with wine. Tobacco Road Cellars delivers without either of these; it has soul. Simply stated it is California Grapes, Carolina Attitude.

Tobacco Road Cellars can be found online at http://www.tobaccoroadcellars.com/.

-more-

Fall 2008 Releases

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Vitality”

79.5% Cabernet Sauvignon
20.5% Merlot

100% Napa Valley: Rutherford, Calistoga, Howell Mountain

Mid to deep red with soft purple rim, lifted bright fresh berry fruit showing red currant and blueberry notes. Rich mouth filling weight that swamps the palate with ripe, juicy flavor that runs through to a long and fine tannin finish. Moorish and incredibly drinkable whilst young but with very fine, classy tannin weight on the end of the palate that will benefit aging for those patient enough.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Tradition”

91.9% Cabernet Sauvignon
8.1% Merlot

100% Napa Valley: Rutherford, Howell Mountain

Mid to deep red with dark purple notes. Soft berry aromas that show hints of spice and smoky oak aroma’s. Full weight palate that fills the palate with ripe berry fruits of red and black currant. A medium weight tannic finish shows great potential for aging over the next 5-10 years but honestly most people will not be able to wait that long.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon “Private Reserve”

91.8% Cabernet Sauvignon
5.4% Merlot
2.8% Cabernet Franc

100% Napa valley: Oakville, Howell Mountain, Rutherford

Only 600 bottles produced. Individually numbered and signed.

Mid to deep red with black/purple tints. Deep, dark berry with hints of smoke and black fruits behind. Latent in its power this wine fills the palate with far more tannin than the aromatics suggest. “A sleeper”. Powerful palate weight with layers of fine grained, exquisitely crafted French oak tannin. Flavor lingers after a powerful, palate wholloping tannin “smack!!” that goes on and on. Great with that deliriously decadent rib-eye and a 120 inch screen ball game


2007 Pinot Gris Anderson Valley

100% Sonoma: Hein Vineyard

Mid straw with yellow hues in the glass & crisp green apples with soft warm honey aromas. Followed by mineral, almond and dried tea aromas. A lovely mid to full weight palate with luscious rich round mouthfull. Nice long persistence that runs with a seamless vigor and a feeling that lasts on and on. Supportive acid and alcohol create a firm and crisp finish, which should age well over the next 2-3 years.


2007 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

100% Sonoma Russian River Valley: 50% Amber Ridge Vineyard; 50% Bohemian Vineyard

Mid to deep red color with hints of purple showing the wines youth. Intense strawberry, cola nut and barrel ferment aromas overlay sweet, rich pinot cherry notes that integrate seamlessly with the spicy oak tones. Luscious mouth filling fruit weight with a soft and incredibly supple tannin finish. Long and intense palate length finishes balanced and clean. Should age beautifully over the next 5 years for those patient enough to wait.

Don't Take Our Word For It

The most important things to us at Tobacco Road are our supporters, our wines and having fun. This email came to me today from a waiter at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Charlotte, NC. I just wanted to share his words with everyone. Thank you again for everyone's continued support.

"I just wanted to say that I am a waiter at Ruths Chris Steak House in Charlotte. Since tasting your wine a friend at work Stuart and myself have contests between us to see who can sell the most. We can't keep it on the self I have to say we have to be some of the top sellers. The response from our coustomers is just like your video WOW . We hope you don't run out too quick. Thank you so much for creating such an outstanding wine, and it is a great pleasure to talk people into buying something you truely believe in . We have it on our list for $210.00 which is a steal. Sincerely Steven"

Pinot Noir Vineyard Update

We have decided to move south to Santa Lucia Highlands to source our Pinot Noir. We have found three premier properties which we are excited to announce as our partners with our 2007 Pinot Noirs.

Hook Vineyard:

Got an update from the vineyard manager and everything is going well. I am expecting great things from Hook and so far the news is all good. I would expect a late Sept. harvest and we'll keep you posted. The weather will obviously have a significant effect on our harvest date.

Doctors Vineyard:

Brix: 20.0pH: n/aTA: n/a
Got an update from Andy, the vineyard manager, and everything looks great down in the Santa Lucia Highlands. I am expecting a mid to late Sept. harvest but a lot of that depends on the weather and the individual clones. We'll keep you posted.

Lone Oak Vineyard:

Brix: 18.6pH: n/aTA: n/aCommentsEverything is going well at Lone Oak. I got an update from vineyard manager and the grapes have picked up about 1 brix over 1 week. I would estimate the end of Sept, but a lot depends on the weather. We will keep you posted.

Tobacco Road Cabernet Takes a Gold Medal at International Wine Judging

Napa, CA, May 15, 2008 – Tobacco Road Cellars (TRC), a boutique winery with Tarheel State roots, received a major accolade in the winemaking world, taking home a Gold Medal at the 2008 Riverside International Wine Competition. Wine industry experts awarded Tobacco Road’s 2005 “Vitality” Cabernet Sauvignon the prize at the 27th annual judging, which was held May 2-4, 2008, in Riverside, California.

“Based on the very positive feedback we had received from customers who tasted our Vitality Cabernet, we entered the wine in the competition knowing that we would be competing against the world’s finest Cabernets,” explained Jason Earnest of Raleigh co-founder and principal of Tobacco Road Cellars. “Winning the Gold at Riverside confirms our belief that our winemakers have indeed created something truly special.”

The Riverside International Wine Competition provides wineries from around the world an opportunity to have their wines judged by panels of experts that include winemakers, wine writers, wine merchants and others from across the industry. The judging process begins with a “double-blind” tasting by four judges in each category. Judges seek to identify the one entry that best exhibits varietal character, balance and structure, and contains other “exceptional qualities.” Panelists discuss their impressions and deliberate among themselves before voting on the top wine. TRC’s Vitality vied against other Cabernet Sauvignon entries in the Riverside Competition’s 300 Series. This year’s competition attracted a record-breaking 2,136 entries from 417 wineries around the globe, including major industry names such as Kendall-Jackson, Cakebread and Rodney Strong.

Tobacco Road Cellars is a unique winery venture that combines the finest hand-harvested Napa Valley, Russian River Valley and Santa Barbara County grapes with imported French oak casks and a collaborative, detail-focused winemaking process led by experienced industry professionals. The winery bottles a limited production of specialty Cabernet, Syrah and Pinot Noir for premier steakhouses, bistros and country clubs, and to discerning consumers via high-end wine merchants and from the winery directly through TRC’s website and membership, the Regency Club. “The Tobacco Road brand symbolizes the tradition of excellence that exists in our home state of North Carolina,” explains Mr. Earnest, who founded the winery in 2004 with Dusty Field, president and CEO of Boylan Investment Company in Raleigh. “We embrace these values and capture them in every bottle of our wine, ensuring that customers of Tobacco Road Cellars enjoy a superior taste experience that they will never forget,” Mr. Earnest says.

Tobacco Road Show

Cover Story of Realtor Review Magazine

The trend in marketing in recent years hasn’t simply been selling the product. More often, especially in luxury goods, the mantra is selling the lifestyle. Whether it’s designer handbags, luxury cars or fine wines, each product tells a story, a way of life – the good life. So why not apply that approach to the biggest lifestyle product of them all – the home?

That’s exactly what business partners and wine connoisseurs Dusty Field and Jason Earnest did back in October with a $3-million-plus plantation home in the Anderson Heights area of Raleigh. To help them introduce prospective buyers to the lifestyle they might discover in such a home, they paired it with another high-end product: wine.

The home, which boasts its own full-size wine cellar, was chosen for the launch of a 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Tobacco Road Cellars, a California boutique winery with a North Carolina flair founded by Field and Earnest four years ago. “The pairing of an exquisite home and our luxury, high-end wine, it’s a perfect combination event,” Field says. “We wanted to release it with a bang and provide a first class wine experience at a first class location,” Field says. “At that price point, it has to have the ‘wow’ factor.”

Real estate agent Jason Stegall with MidAtlantic Realty was the owner and listing agent of the home and Field and Earnest were looking for a unique location for the launch that could accommodate a large number of people. At the time, Stegall had already offered the home for various charitable events. “We’re trying to tap into different circles of people in that price range,” Stegall says. “I knew I wanted to build a house for philanthropists. That’s how it was designed.” Stegall notes that other homes in the neighborhood are known for their large social events. The more than 8,000-square-foot home was the perfect venue for the invitation-only event, which drew about 150 people. Invitees were identified through the Triangle Wine Experience, an annual wine event, as well as from among friends and colleagues who would have an interest in both wine and the home. To complement the home and the wine, the event was professionally catered and the house decorated. Not only were attendees able to tour the mansion, but also get a feel for the home as a place for hosting their own events. In addition to its very own wine cellar and basement pub, the five-bedroom home also features a 600-square-hoot home theater, which the hosts put to use by playing video of the winery’s vineyards and operations. Other features include an all-handmade brick exterior, large brick patio, outdoor fireplace and a spacious 1.17-acre lot complete with formal gardens and an orchard. Architectural details of the home were taken from famous plantations throughout the South, Stegall says.
Field considers the combined event a success and looks forward to doing it again. “I think it created a buzz. People were able to see a level of detail in the house,” they wouldn’t otherwise have seen, he says. “We release three wines a year, a cabernet, a pinot and a syrah,” he says. “We may be looking to do three or more events like this each year.”

So, whether it’s an exclusive event such as the launch of a fine wine or a charity event that raises awareness, giving potential buyers a taste of the lifestyle they could be enjoying in a home may prove an effective strategy with that particular luxury property. And who knows, that next glass of wine your buyer sips could be from his or her very own wine cellar.

2006 Pinot Noir Release March 1

Tobacco Road Cellars is a boutique winery dedicated to producing a limited supply of high-quality Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from the beautiful California region. This narrow focus combines great vineyard partners and a world class winemaking team to create premier hand-crafted wines. Our wines exemplify our philosophy of hand picking, sorting and pressing; we believe these processes give our wines immense richness, maturity and drinkability.
The 2006 growing season gave us heavy rains in the spring, putting our vines behind schedule and threatened the size of the crop at Amber Ridge Vineyard. But warm, dry weather soon followed, allowing the vines to catch up. The July heat spell was another threat, with temperatures reaching as high as 115 degrees and anytime the temperature reaches beyond 95 degrees, the vine shuts down. Thanks to quality vineyard management our vines were able to survive the heat quite nicely because of those spring rains. "The challenge was really to hold down the growth of the vines," winemaker Michael Zitzlaff says. "The vines this year wanted to keep growing because they had a lot of water and the heat wave ended up being a real blessing. The heat wave put things back in balance."

Located in the heart of Russian River, Amber Ridge was planted to three Dijon clones (115, 667, 777) in 2000 on gently sloping hill. The typical weather pattern in Russian River is fog until at least 11 in the morning. Then it breaks off, warms up and then the fog starts to come in again around 4 or 5 which cools down the valley. As fall approached we began harvesting clone 777 on September 28th, clone 667 on October 7th and 115 on October 15th at an average of 25.9 brix.

Another fun, exciting and challenging harvest for Tobacco Road. Today, we are happy to offer our 2006 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley from Amber Ridge Vineyard. It is our hope that you will enjoy sharing these wines with your friends and family as much as we do. Wine lovers know-finding unique, limited-production wine is the best excuse to gather together, share a nice bottle or two, and explore the stories of the wine and each other.