LOV Letter

Happy New Year

To each and every one of you. In many ways we are sad to see 2005 end as it was a pretty good year for us in most respects. We made great progress on the transition to our new Alexander & Wayne brand name and introduced a lot of new wines. Unfortunately, we also sold out of many of our red wines before the new vintages were ready for release, so we have suffered with a dearth of red wines for a few months. We experienced our usual turnover in the tasting room but for the most part kept the core of our great staff together allowing us to maintain our high level of customer support. On the other hand, we welcome the new opportunities that 2006 opens up to us. We hope to mostly complete the transition to Alexander & Wayne, and early on we will eliminate the red wine problem with the introduction of four new red wines, one of which is a completely new variety for us. In 2004 we had some Tempranillo grapes become available to us, which we thought were of a high enough quality to try. In March, we will release the 2004 vintage of this wine. We also have a larger lot from 2005. Beyond that, we will see. Tempranillo is the best Spanish red grape. It is the core component in the great wines of Rioja and Ribera. The 2004 vintage turned out a bit lighter than I expected, medium bodied like a Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo, but with great flavor. It will be a unique addition to our current selection of varieties and I hope you enjoy it. Hope to see you soon. Art White

This Month’s Wines

This month’s shipments includes two of the great Bordeaux varieties, other than Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Franc is a wine that I personally enjoy very much. Unfortunately, it sometimes gets overlooked in the mix with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. We are sending this wine just before it runs out. The Santa Ynez Valley is one of the best places on earth to grow this variety, so give this wine a try. The second bottle is the Westerly Vineyard Merlot, always one of our most popular choices. Enjoy!

2001 ~ Valley View Vineyard ~ Santa Ynez Valley ~ Santa Barbara County

CABERNET FRANC

Cabernet Franc is one of the three most prominent French Bordeaux varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the others. Always blended in Bordeaux, it is often bottled as a primary grape in California, especially in Santa Barbara County which produces many fine examples. You are first struck by the beautiful, very dark color of this wine, which would normally be associated with a wine such as zinfandel or syrah. On the palate there is lots of dark fruit with just the right amount of tannins, yet the wine is smooth and soft. It has excellent body with a certain richness, almost sweetness, that can be attributed to the glycerine and alcohol in the wine. This is an interesting wine to warm up in your mouth before swallowing. It will intensify most of the flavors that you might otherwise miss, including the chocolate on the finish. I suggest serving this wine warmer than cellar temperature or you may miss most of the joy. 250 cases made.

2001 ~ Westerly Vineyard ~ Santa Ynez Valley ~ Santa Barbara County

MERLOT

Merlot is one of the great red wine varieties native to the Bordeaux region of France. In its native region it is almost always blended, usually with Cabernet Franc and sometimes with Cabernet Sauvignon or both. In California, it is more common to find wines, such as this one, which are one hundred percent Merlot. It is our style to produce big, full-bodied wines, and the deep ruby color of this Merlot is the first indication that we were successful. The nose shows off some jammy fruit characteristic of fine Merlot and invites you to taste the wine. On the palate, the fruitiness is complimented by nuances of chocolate that add to the wine’s complexity. 335 cases made.