Tobacco Road Cellars Wine Series Set to Begin Billed as 'Not Your Typical Winemaker Dinner'

Boutique winery, Tobacco Road Cellars, is hosting a wine series at Solas in the Glenwood South entertainment district of downtown Raleigh beginning Wednesday, January 27th and following on February 24th and March 24th.

Winery owner Jason Earnest will walk the dining room and introduce Tobacco Road Cellars to diners as well as offer special pricing for some of his winery’s highly acclaimed vintages like Tobacco Road ‘s Vitality Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker notes about Vitality include, “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.” Also featured on January 27th is a Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highland, one of California’s up and coming viticulture regions. In fact, many wine writers and enthusiasts agree that the Santa Lucia Highlands stands shoulder to shoulder among the top names in Pinot. From Santa Barbara’s White Hawk Vineyard, Earnest is introducing a beautiful Syrah created through a 100% signature single vineyard. This region is quickly being recognized by wine connoisseurs the world over as a top producing wine region.

“Drinking good wine is an experience, something special; it’s a celebration of sharing, connecting with someone and making memories,” says Earnest. The North Carolina native started Tobacco Road Cellars in 2004 after going to Napa Valley on a whim to create own wine to give as holiday gifts. After bottling 25 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and tasting his bounty, Earnest was bitten by this new passion. Earnest has not lost sight on what brought his vision to where he is today. He plans on keeping Tobacco Road Cellars very intimate, keeping it a one-on-one personal experience that is lacking in today’s world.

“From the succulent grapes that we hand pick, to the high-end French oak barrels we use for aging, to the delicate hand-dipped wax seal, we pay attention to every single detail and demand the highest quality at every level,” remarked Earnest. Today, Tobacco Road Cellars has a half-dozen bottlings under its belt, a host of loyal collectors and wine enthusiasts vying for a bottle of their limited production, and the endorsement of Gary Vaynerchuk of winelibrary.com—one of the nation’s best-known wine aficionados. Tobacco Road Cellars also was just named “Winery of the Month” by Amanda Hagood of The Traveling Grape. Reservations are recommended for the Tobacco Road Wine Series at Solas where diners also will enjoy an award winning meal from Executive Chef Cliff Vogelsberg.

What: Tobacco Road Cellars Winer Series
When: January 27th, February 24th and March 24th
Time: 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Where: Solas - 419 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh
Reservations: Call Solas now at 919-755-0755
Media Contact: Sharon Delaney McCloud; 919-810-5085; sharondmccloud@gmail.com

The Traveling Grape features Tobacco Road Cellars as Winery of the Month

What a way to start 2010!

It is an honor to be considered winery of the month by Amanda Hagood of The Traveling Grape. So much of my time is spent on the road with our distributors visiting restaurants and wine shops or in the homes of our supporters doing private tastings, so it's an amazing feeling that people are starting to hear our story. We set out to make world class wine to share with our family and friends and now that we have just released the thrid vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon I am as excited as I have ever been on the quest to share our wines with people.

As you know I recently spent some time in the South Florida market with our new distributor, Strategic Importers and the buzz that surrounded Tobacco Road Cellars was awesome. This is what I enjoy most...sharing our wines and telling our story with people. If someone connects with our story and shows our winery support all the better but what is most important is to expose people to new wines and explore wine in general. Enoying wines is an experience that most people like to share with their friends, family or colleagues...all wines are different, they all are made differently, have a different story and if we can turn a new wine drinker on to the world of possibilities and convert them to a passionate drinker then I feel like we have accomplished something.

History of New Year's Traditions

Whether your popping bottles of Tobacco Road Cellars "Private Reserve", your favorite box wine or bubbly this New Year's, I found it interesting where the celebration all came from. New Year's is the oldest of all of the holidays and it started in Babylon about 4000 years ago when they recognized the beginning of spring. They considered it the season of rebirth, planting new crops and enjoying the new warm weather. The Babylonian New Year lasted for 11 days and each day had its own celebration...I think I know why they call it "Amateur Night" now.

The Romans continued to observe the holiday in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors, so the Roman Senate and Julius Caesar eventually declared January 1st the beginning of the new year.

People believed that their luck could be affected by what they did and who they were around on the first day of the new year, so it became common for people to celebrate around the middle of the night with family and friends. As far as the idea of eating black eyed peas, cabbage and ham to bring good luck...uhh I think I will pass. After doing several dozen body shots and enjoying a few cocktails then throwing back the bubbly...I'm thinking an order of hot wings, pizza and a milkshake are more in order. I hope the restaurants don't care when I show up in my pj's. (http://tinyurl.com/yfc82km)

Celebrate Life's Great Occasions!

TRC in South Florida Restaurants and Wine Shops

Just finishing up with our distributor Strategic Importers out of Boca Raton in the South Florida market. We have had a great time introducing our wines to South Florida and especially meeting all of the wonderful people. We shared our wines with fine wine retailers and restaurants from Palm Beach to South Beach and everywhere in between.

Our Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet "Vitality" and Cabernet "Private Reserve" can now be found at such places as the Boca Resort, The Addison, Rustic Cellar and Ferraro's Ristorante in Boca Raton. We are also featured in La Bottega and Uva 69 in Miami. We will be back in South Florida in March for several wine maker dinners and in-store wine tastings and will be sure to keep everyone updated.

Thank you for your continued support and we hope everyone had an amazing holiday. Please send us any pictures of you and your family enjoying our wines this holiday and New Year's. info@tobaccoroadcellars.com

Celebrate Jimmy V Week

Today is the last day of the inaugural Jimmy V Week -- a week-long initiative featuring special content across ESPN platforms and programs to drive awareness of and donations to The V Foundation for Cancer Research. It may be the last day of Jimmy V week, but it is not the end of our battle to eradicate cancer.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the Foundation has raised more than $70 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation, which has received five consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Review Committee. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

At Tobacco Road Cellars, we embrace the history of tradition and reputation for excellence that one of the richest characters in Tobacco Road history helps create…Jimmy Valvano. It was an honor to create the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from the world’s premier vineyards in Napa Valley and pay tribute to Mr. Valvano with our limited edition “V”. This special bottle will make a great holiday gift and we will donate 10% from all proceeds of the “V” bottle to The V Foundation for Cancer Research. See the bottle at http://tinyurl.com/yhdjmh9

Tobacco Road Cellars To Introduce Four New Wines In Stylish-Red Carpet Event

August 18, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Tobacco Road Cellars, a boutique Napa Valley winery owned by Jason Earnest and Dusty Field of Raleigh, North Carolina, will introduce four new Cabernets during a stylish red-carpet celebration and silent auction to be held Thursday, October 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the RBC Plaza pool deck high above downtown Raleigh.

The event is entitled “Bacchanalle: A Cultural Intervention.” According to Tobacco Road Cellars co-owners Jason Earnest and Dusty Field, the evening will include tastings of the new wines, catered dining that will pair the wines with haut cuisine, music, VIP suites for the winery’s Regency Club members, and lavish decorations.

The evening’s silent auction will offers such items as an original handpainted surfboard by Raleigh artist Clark Hipolito of ArtCo Surf that will be signed by the Carolina Hurricanes, other signed items by such sports luminaries as the Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and various wine packages from Tobacco Road Cellars. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Frankie Lemmon Center School & Development Center in Raleigh.

Clark Hipolito has also created an original work of art for one of the Cabernets’ labels and will be unveiling his new series “Cultural Intervention” during the event.

Earnest calls Bacchanalle “an alchemist experience blending visual art, high design, fine wine and extraordinary personalities.”

The Cabernets Tobacco Road Cellars will introduced during the Bacchanalle event are “Vitality,” “Tradition,” “07 V” (honoring former NCSU basketball coach Jim Valvano with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Jimmy V Foundation), and the Private Reserve.

Earnest describes “Vitality” as a “deep, mid-red with violet hues with great blue fruit and black berry aromas, lifted raspberry and black cherry with dark, brooding notes of fig, coffee and spice. It’s an excellent mid-weight palate entry with dense fruit weight supported by heaps of fine-grained oak and fruit tannin. The wine has fruit-forward style that’s very well backed up by layers of deep, softly drying tannin.”

“Tradition” offers “sweet, ripe, black berry with a warm alcohol lift of spice and nutmeg,” he said. “It has rich, mouth-filling black fruit flavors with solid, blocky tannins. Very firm finish, drying but sweet at the same time. The Palate lingers and shows lots of classy French oak palate weight. Firmer acid helps lift the tannic finish, which will soften nicely over the next three to five years.”

Of the Private Reserve, Earnest notes, “This is a very solid, deep, dark red/black wine with purple hues. It offers aromatics of black fruit, chocolate, mocha and berries that draw you into the wine. It has a lovely solid entry with gobs of firm tannin. Its rich fruit weight is a class above other wines and supported by an amalgam of French oak flavors of vanilla, toasty oak and spice. It has a huge palate that just keeps going and going. Big blocky tannins appear a little proud at present, but given time it will soften into a true classic Napa Cabernet for those patient enough to wait.”

And the ’07 V is “supple, fleshy and very defined as berry fruits lead into a classy, sexy, fine-grained tannin finish that lingers on and on,” he said. “The French oak is evident but not obtrusive -- quite elegant and fine boned but overall very classy and seductive. It’s delicious!”

Tickets for the Bacchnalle event are $100 and only 250 will be sold. An after-party will also be held at Solas restaurant and lounge on Glenwood South for ticketed guests only. To order tickets go to http://www.bacchanalle.com/ or call 888.770.3635.

For more information on Tobacco Road Cellars, visit http://www.tobaccoroadcellars.com/.


About Tobacco Road Cellars

Award-winning Tobacco Road Cellars was conceived when two North Carolina-based entrepreneurs and wine enthusiasts, Jason Earnest and Dusty Field, went to Napa Valley to create a wine to give as holiday gifts. The results were so successful that they decided to create their own boutique winery committed to producing world-class wines from California grapes. The partners now have several years of bottlings and have been endorsed by Gary Vaynerchuk of winelibrary.com, who called Tobacco Road Cellars’ 2005 Private Reserve “stupid good.” The winery’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon received the 2008 Gold Medal in the International Wine Competition held in Riverside, California. For more information visit http://www.tobaccoroadcellars.com/.


The origin of the word Bacchanalle:

Bacchanalle – pronounced bak-uh-ney-lee-uh – was coined by the Tobacco Road Cellars owners and Raleigh interior designer Clark Hipolito. It incorporates the root word bacchanalia that, in Greco-Roman religion, refers to any of the several festivals of Bacchus, or Dionysus, the wine god. And it mixes with the word, “Biennale”, which is Italian for "every other year" and can be used to describe any event that happens every two years. It is commonly used within the art world to describe an international manifestation of contemporary art -- for example, the Biennale de Paris, which was created in 1959 by André Malraux. The term is most commonly used in the context of major repeating art exhibitions. According to Jason Earnest of Tobacco Road Cellars, it also refers to Hipolito’s visual style for his design projects: “faux paint effects, banquet-hall tapestries and lighting, large furnishings, etc.”

2007 California Pinot Noir is Unparalleled

In the September 30th issue of Wine Spectator Magazine, the cover story is on the best ever California Pinot Noir. The surge in quality for the over the last decade in California is a reflection of so many new wineries as well as emerging growing regions such as Anderson Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Rita Hills. The 2007 vintage has been so well received due to the purity of ripe fruit flavors, finesse and complexity in aromatics. The flavor profile of many of the 2007 vintage display a range of flavors from wilted rose to wild raspberry, cherry and blueberry to more mineral and spice. Everything just fell into place with this vintage and the two most important factors were the perfect weather and low yields. The weather wasn't too hot and not too cold which allowed us to get the fruit as ripe as we wanted without pushing the sugar levels too high. The article claims that the 2008 vintage won't be nearly as good due to the frost damaged vineyards which is a benefit to how we make wine at Tobacco Road Cellars. One of our properties in the Russian River Valley was hit pretty hard by frost in the 2008 vintage and our vigorous vineyard management and planning saved our Pinot Noir that year by moving the entire production to three vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Our wines are tasting truly amazing in barrel right now and we believe will stand up quite nicely to the 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir that we made.

James Laube of Spectator makes a point to say that Sonoma is the place to begin when looking at what California Pinot Noir is all about, especially the Russian River Valley. One of his highly rated Pinot Noirs comes from Kosta Browne and Amber Ridge Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. He scored the wine an impressive 94 points and priced at $72. This makes us extremely happy to know that we are delivering mid 90's scoring wines for $49 to our customers and restaurants. Most recently the Pinot Noir has been picked up by such restaurants as Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse in Charlotte, NC and Dolce Vita Wine Shop in Greenville, NC. We greatly appreciate the continued support and look forward to continuing to make world class wine for each of you in the future.

Give us a call at the winery, 888.770.3635 if you would like to know more about our 2007 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley or any of our wines.