Filed under: New releases, News | Tags: Amber Ridge, Hein, Pinot Noir, shipping, Waits-Mast Family Cellars
With the Crushpad move to Napa comes a move for the logistics facility, which will now be located in American Canyon (just south of Napa). Waits-Mast inventory will be moved up to this new facility sometime next week and after that, we will no longer offer the “local/pick up” shipping option on our webstore.
This option has been available for customers in the San Francisco Bay Area who wanted to pick up their wine orders at the SF warehouse and avoid paying any shipping charges.
That option will be going away by early next week, so we recommend that if you want to take advantage of this, order wines at our webstore no later than Friday, July 16.
Waits-Mast on the Shelves
Within a few weeks, we may be able to offer a work-around for free local deliveries for SF customers. Please contact us in the future to arrange for either a delivery or drop-off for orders in and around San Francisco.
Either way, we continue to make our wines available in retail locations around the Bay Area and hope to expand that availability to other parts of California and the country as our winery continues to grow. Our latest release, the 2008 Amber Ridge Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, is now available at the San Francisco Wine Trading Company in the West Portal/Sunset district and at Red + White wine bar in Glen Park in San Francisco. Our 2008 Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir is available at Canyon Market in Glen Park and Draeger’s Market in Los Altos.
Filed under: Events, New releases, Wine bars | Tags: Amber Ridge Vineyard, Bird & Beckett, Canyon Market, Glen Park, Pinot Noir, Red & White wine bar, Russian River Valley, Waits-Mast Family Cellars
Red & White in Glen Park
Hey! We’re havin’ a party! A Spring release party in Summer. Yes, you read that right. Spring just got away from us, so we decided that it was better late than never to hold a party in honor of our newest Pinot Noir.
So, please join us Sunday, July 11 at our favorite neighborhood wine bar, Red & White in Glen Park, as we celebrate the official launch for the 2008 Waits-Mast Family Cellars Pinot Noir from Amber Ridge Vineyard in Russian River. To read more about the crush and pressing of this wine and see tasting notes and specs, see our blog post from the Spring.
We’re excited to share this wine with you, as it marks our return to the very first vineyard from which we made wine in 2005 and we just got word that it scored a silver medal in the 2010 San Francisco International Wine Competition.
2008 Waits-Mast Amber Ridge Pinot Noir
We’ll be pouring our 2008 Amber Ridge Pinot Noir at promotional prices — $12 for a glass and $6 for a taste (half-glass) — during the event and you will also be able to purchase bottles to drink at Red & White or to take home with you. Red + White also has some great food to nosh on with our wine, as well as a unique selection of red, white and sparkling wines by the glass or bottle.
Details:
Location: Red & White Wine Bar
Street: 678 Chenery Street (near Diamond) in the Glen Park neighborhood (accessible via BART or MUNI)
City: San Francisco, CA
Date: Sunday, July 11, 2010
Time: 4:00pm – 7:00pm PT
View and RSVP to the invite in Facebook.
New to Glen Park? Glen Park is a great little hamlet, tucked within the hills of the southern part of San Francisco. We feel very lucky to live just up the hill from this burgh. Here are a few ideas to make a day of it:
- Take a hike in Glen Canyon, located at the West end of Chenery Street.
- Pick up some sandwiches or cheese for your hike at Canyon Market on Diamond Street, a great local market with everyday and specialty foods (and wines, including ours!)
- Browse away the afternoon and maybe catch some poetry or live music at Bird & Beckett, an amazing independent bookstore located on Chenery Street.
- Cross the street to continue browsing wonderful gifts at Perch and say hi to our friend Zoel.
- Getting hungry? Lots of options. One of the best Neopolitan pizza places in the Bay Area is Gialina. Or get a reservation at Chenery Park, a great upscale neighborhood restaurant with contemporary American food with a Cajun touch.
We hope to see you there! And if you can’t make it to the party, swing by Red + White another time and you should be able to order the Amber Ridge Pinot Noir by the bottle to share with friends at the bar or take home to enjoy with dinner.
Filed under: New releases, Tasting notes | Tags: Amber Ridge Vineyard, Kosta-Browne, Russian River Valley, Waits-Mast Family Cellars
2008 Waits-Mast Family Cellars Amber Ridge Pinot Noir
For our Spring release, Waits-Mast Family Cellars welcomes back an old friend — pinot noir from the Amber Ridge Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. This wine holds a special place in our heart as it was the one that got us hooked into making pinot noir. Our first venture into winemaking was in 2005 when we decided to make one barrel of pinot noir purely for the learning experience — and to drink and share some really good wine that had our name on the label.
Jumping into this whole winemaking thing was a big investment for us at the time and we spent hours tasting different barrel samples from various vineyards before finally arriving on Amber Ridge, an up-and-coming vineyard in Russian River Valley, as our choice. So, we jumped in and got our hands dirty to make this wine, and it ended up being an incredibly nuanced, aromatic and elegant pinot noir.
Suffice it to say, it exceeded our expectations. It also exceeded the expectations of our friends, who loved it so much they wanted to buy cases of the stuff.
This was the defining moment that took Waits-Mast from one barrel to a 200-case production micro-boutique brand that we are today. Okay, not quite the humongous rise to stardom, but a lot of good things have happened to us since we made that first wine – notably lots of other amazing wines that we have made since then.
When we finally got our hands on these grapes again, it was 2008. The 2008 harvest came in a little early on September 3rd and the clusters were small to medium and looked beautiful. The base clones for this wine are 115 and 667, together providing elegance and structure, respectively. To punch up the fruit a bit, we blended in a small percentage of 777 clone just before going into bottle.
The 2008 Amber Ridge Pinot Noir was bottled in September of 2009 after 12 months of barrel-aging in 33% new French oak. The nose pops with strawberry and red cherry and a little baking spice, along with hints of herbs. On the palate is the classic Amber Ridge that we love: sweet cherry, lush fruit, and a smooth, creamy finish. This wine is drinking very well right now and stands on its own by the glass or paired with pan-roasted pork tenderloin with Asian five-spice seasonings.
2008 Amber Ridge Pinot Noir
The 2008 Amber Ridge Pinot Noir is priced at $44/bottle and is now available in our online store. Enjoy!
Technical specifications:
Clones: 115/667/777
Alcohol content: 14.4% by volume
Fruit: 100% whole berry (no stems)
Fermentation: native yeast
Barrel aging: 12 months in French oak, 33% new (Francois Freres, MT)
Bottled: September, 2009
Production: 25 cases
Drink now through 2015
Price: $44/bottle
Release date: April 11, 2010
Filed under: New releases, Tasting notes | Tags: Bacon, Bourbon, Hein Family Vineyard, holiday meals, Little Kings, Londer, Meetinghouse Biscuits, Pinot Noir, South Bend, Thanksgiving, Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, Wentzel Vineyard, wine pairing
The "in progress" Cornbread, Bacon, Pecan Stuffing
It’s a treat during the holidays to experiment with new recipes and find dishes that pair beautifully with a particular wine.
This year for Thanksgiving, Jennifer found a cornbread/pecan/bacon stuffing recipe and with the help of all members of the immediate Waits-Mast clan, we were able to try it out.
We were absolutely amazed by how beautifully it paired with our newest release, the 2008 Waits-Mast Pinot Noir from Hein Vineyard in Anderson Valley.
The stuffing was truly decadent, utilizing a heaping helping of bacon fat, which lent an enchanting smoky quality to the dish and it was perfect for Pinot Noir.
The remaining bits of wine after dinner
In addition to the stuffing, we served a brined Heritage turkey.
Jennifer’s mom made some family favorites: spiced yams with marshmallows, jello with sour cream and fruit, and fresh cranberry sauce.
Jennifer’s sister provided pumpkin pie as well as green beans piled with bacon (also an excellent match to the Pinot). Brother-in-law Martin added a new vegetable dish featuring winter veggies and carrots.
Also on the table: Stove Top stuffing (the family would mutiny if we didn’t) and our traditional pairing of Meetinghouse Biscuits with Shirlee Londer‘s raspberry jam (a bonus for Londer Vineyards wine club members every year).
For dessert we sampled the aforementioned pumpkin pie, chocolate truffles and cookies from Trader Joe’s, as well as Jennifer’s homemade salted caramel ice cream. Yes, there were a lot of left overs!
In an effort to find out about other magical pairings with our wines, we solicited stories from a few friends who also imbibed a little Waits-Mast for Thanksgiving. Here are their tales:
Dave’s Thanksgiving Dinner with the 2007 Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, Wentzel Vineyard (Anderson Valley)
“The last time I had Thanksgiving Dinner with my parents in our family home outside South Bend, Indiana, was probably in 1984. I would have Amtracked back from college in Massachusetts that year, getting in several hours late as usual, but presumably in time for dinner.
The train was always due in South Bend around 8am, but generally arrived around 11 or noon. “Lametrack” was in fact one reason why eventually I stopped coming home for TG while I was in college. Little did I know then that I’d go to grad school in England and then end up living in Europe, and that 25 years would fly by before I’d make it back home once again, in 2009, for our family’s Thanksgiving meal.
On my 1984 trip back home for Thanksgiving I hung out with my high-school friend Brian Mast. He was a freshman at Notre Dame that year so he was in “the Bend” over the long weekend. Brian and I probably hung out at his dorm room rather than at his parents’ house or mine because hanging out in a dorm would have been so much cooler. We also probably drank…but not wine. [editor’s note: it was Little Kings]
Dave's Thanksgiving in South Bend: Mr. J raises a glass while Julie digs in
On my 2009 trip back home for Thanksgiving I didn’t see Brian in person, as he has long since moved on to warmer climes where grapes grow. But he was with us in spirit (and “en bouteille”).
We had his and Jennifer’s wonderful 2007 Anderson Valley Pinot with dinner. Yum! Another high school friend of Brian’s and mine, Julie, provided the bottle. (Sadly, I cannot –yet– get the wine in Switzerland.)
My Dad, in particular, loved that Waits-Mast Pinot. He and Julie may even have had a bit too much of it, to judge by their faintly giddy and giggly demeanor in the attached photo. But hey, Nihil in moderatione, right?”
Sande’s Thanksgiving with the 2006 Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, Hein Vineyard (Anderson Valley)
“Of course our wine for the evening was Waits-Mast. It was actually fairly simple, turkey breast, stove top stuffing and asparagus. However the sauce Anders [the Swedish chef] made was killer and went so perfectly with the wine it was unreal…almost spicy. I’ll ask him about the sauce when he wakes up because that was the key. FYI, I also had the wine with turtle pie for dessert…no kidding. Stay tuned. Christmas should be better.”
Sarah’s Thanksgiving with the 2007 Waits-Mast from La Encantada Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills
Aftermath of Sarah's Thanksgiving
“We poured (and drank) two bottles of 2007 Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills to enjoy with our bourbon roasted turkey, pear chanterelle stuffing, and acorn squash with apple (don’t forget the cranberry-orange and red onion w/ bourbon jam – bernard).
This is probably our favorite wine right now, perhaps because we’re especially fond of Santa Barbara pinots.”
Thanks to all of our friends for sharing their Thanksgiving stories with us. It’s always gratifying to hear how people have enjoyed our wine, especially amongst friends and family.
Filed under: Events, New releases, Tasting notes | Tags: Anderson Valley, Canyon Market, Hein Vineyard, Mendocino County, Pinot Days Chicago, Pinot Noir
Introducing the 2008 Waits Mast Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir
In honor of our trip out to Chicago to pour our wines at Pinot Days Chicago, we are launching our fall release wine, the 2008 Waits-Mast Pinot Noir from Hein Vineyard in Anderson Valley. The Hein Family Vineyard is located in the “deep end” of this valley in Mendocino County, about 3 hours North of San Francisco. In the deep end, the cooling influence of the fog extends flavor development and results in a balance of fruit and earth. A co-ferment of Dijon 115 and Pommard clones, this Pinot exhibits some similar characteristics of our 2007 Wentzel Vineyard from Anderson Valley (which has recently sold out).
The aroma is earthy, mushroom-y and has a smoky/woodsy note. On the palate, you’ll find a tart cherry and cranberry that finishes smooth and juicy. An acidic core keeps it bright and structured. All in all, it’s what we crave from Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Good acidity and subtle tannins provide structure and backbone to make this an enjoyable, food-friendly wine.
Availability: the 2008 Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir will be available on our webstore starting on Friday, November 13. For SF locals, we’ll be getting the Hein on the shelves of our favorite local market, Canyon Market, next week.
Specs:
Clones: 115/Pommard
Alcohol content: 14.0% by volume
Fruit: 100% whole berry (no stems)
Yeast: RC212
Barrel aging: 11 months in French oak, 33% new (Francois Freres, MT)
Bottled: August, 2009
Production: 25 cases
Drink now through 2014
Suggested Retail Price: $44/bottle (750ml)
Release date: November, 2009
Filed under: In the news, New releases, Promotions | Tags: Alma Rosa, La Encantada, Richard Sanford, Santa Rita Hills, Sideways, Wentzel Vineyard
At last, it is ready: after all of our babbling about La Encantada Pinot Noir on this blog, you’re now able to get some of your own! Please welcome our second wine from the 2007 vintage. It’s a lovely and lush Pinot Noir from La Encantada vineyard in Santa Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County) and those that have had a preview of this wine are truly enchanted. The vineyard is owned by Richard and Thekla Sanford (of Sanford Pinot Noir fame) and along with their other vineyards, La Encantada was one of the first vineyards in Santa Barbara County to be certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). It has been said that wine is “bottled poetry.” If this wine was a poem, it would be a dark and brooding selection of verse that you read, put down and then come back to again and again.
But how does it taste, you implore? It is very fruit-driven, with fragrant cherry and strawberry on the nose, good tannins and a deep ruby color, leaning towards crimson. The palate unfolds with lush sweet cherry and blackberries, spice, floral notes and a hint of cola. The La Encantada has great structure and is a fantastic wine for both sharing with friends now and tucking away in the cellar for later. For more info and specs on this wine, click here.
Pinot Noir clusters at La Encantada vineyard
We visited the vineyard last summer and experienced great hospitality from Richard and his crew and enjoyed a few Sideways moments. To read more about the vineyard tour and see photos, see our blog post here.
To celebrate the release of this lovely wine, we are offering a special discount of 10% off one or more bottles of Waits-Mast La Encantada Pinot Noir. Just enter the discount code ENCHANTED to take advantage of this offer. Patrons who order a total of 6 bottles or more of either of our current releases (for example, a mixed 6-pack) will receive a total of 15% off the list price. Just enter the discount code 2ENCHANTED to take advantage of this offer. Our release offers are good until March 31, 2009, so if you’ve got a hankerin’ for some good Pinot Noir, act fast! To start shopping, click here.
Filed under: New releases, Promotions | Tags: La Encantada, poetry, valentine's day, Wentzel
With a few short weeks away from Valentine’s Day, we’re excited to be able to share our take on the classic V-Day tokens of affection with you: wine, chocolate and poetry.
For a limited time only we are offering a 2 bottle Valentine’s Day gift set of Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, featuring a 4 piece varietal box from San Francisco’s renowned boutique chocolatier Recchiuti.
This special gift pack features a bottle of our 2007 Wentzel Pinot Noir and an exclusive pre-release of our 2007 La Encantada Pinot Noir (due to be released in late March). The set comes packaged in a custom-shipping box with a hand-selected poem inside. With amazing Pinot Noir, chocolate and poetry, you’ll have all the makings of a romantic evening.
The Recchiuti varietal box includes four chocolates offering different tastes from cocoa grown in Madagascar, Venezuela, Columbia and Ecuador and is gift-wrapped for the occasion.
Valentine’s Day Gift set contents:
2007 Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, Wentzel Vineyard (1); suggested retail: $42
2007 Waits-Mast Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vyd (1); suggested retail: $49
Recchiuti varietal box of chocolate (4 pieces; 2oz); suggested retail $11
TOTAL: Valentine’s Day Special price for both wines and the chocolate gift box: $97.99 + shipping and tax
To purchase, visit the purchase section of our website.
In order to ensure your gift arrives by Valentine’s Day, please follow these deadlines for GROUND shipping:
East Coast: Order needs to be placed by 2/4
Mid West: Order needs to be placed by 2/6
West Coast: Order needs to be placed by 2/9
Waits-Mast hand-selects romantic poems to include in its Valentine's Day gift pack
We also offer 2- and 3-day air shipping. For sub-freezing climate customers,we recommend that you ship via air to ensure the safety of the wine. We currently have a hold on wines being shipped via ground to the Midwest, for example, to avoid any wines being frozen/damaged.
Customers in the San Francisco Bay Area can save on shipping costs by choosing “local pickup” from the shipping options. You can then pick up the wine at the Crushpad shipping and logistics center in San Francisco. Call (415) 558-9181 to schedule your pickup.
Filed under: New releases | Tags: Anderson Valley, Caps for Sale, Pinot Days Chicago, Wentzel Vineyard
Wine for sale! Wine for sale! One of our daughter’s favorite books is Caps For Sale, a 1938 classic children’s book by Esphyr Slobodkina, and I feel like I want to run around town and the countryside, just like the mustachioed cap salesman, but in our case, yelling “wine for sale! wine for sale!” Luckily, there are no monkeys nearby. Let’s just say we’re excited about our news.
Waits-Mast 2007 Wentzel Vineyard Pinot Noir
At long last, our web site is done, our web store is open and our 2007 Wentzel Vineyard Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley is available for sale. Frankly, this wine was ready for drinking back when it was in the barrel last summer. We bottled it in August and it has only gotten better. From the west end of the Anderson Valley, our Wentzel Vineyard Pinot Noir is showing lots of nice red and dark fruit up front and the nose has a warm, toasty aroma with dark cherry high notes and a touch of espresso. The wine envelops your mouth with fresh plums and blackberries, keeps it lively with a touch of tart cherry and then finishes with a surprising hint of anise.
Jennifer and I have been taking trips up to Anderson Valley since we first started dating – and we’re honored to make Pinot Noir from this valley. The winemakers and growers up there are a down-to-earth and tight-knit community – always accessible and often helping each other out. And they make great cool-climate Pinot Noirs – distinctly Anderson Valley with a nice balance of earth and fruit, good acidity and lots of personality.
We poured this wine at Pinot Days Chicago and let’s say we had alot of repeat customers. It has good acidity and structure to pair with your favorite meal. So if you’re thinking about having this with a holiday turkey or prime rib, good call. It will go nicely with lamb or a pork tenderloin with a cranberry sauce. Or, if you just want to open it with some friends to sip and gab about the stories of the day, then that will work too. Either way, grab some while you can, as our Wentzel Pinot Noir is in limited production. Go to our website, www.waitsmast.com, and click on purchase. We hope you enjoy it during the holidays and the coming new year!
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