VAULT29 & Girls Inc.

We hope everyone has been enjoying our Harvest 2015 updates! A big thank you to the awesome wine teams who have given the VAULT29 community behind the scenes access.  And thank you to all winelovers who have posted their summer wine experiences using the VAULT29 app!

What we’re up to….

A few weeks ago, Naya and I were introduced to a wonderful organization called Girls Inc, headquartered here in Downtown Oakland.  As two female entrepreneurs, we strongly believe in giving back and supporting the Girls Inc mission: to encourage and motivate underprivileged girls to pursue their dreams via higher education.  In a few weeks, Girls Inc will host their highly anticipated annual fundraiser, TASTE.  Oakland’s celebrity chefs and restaurateurs will treat business leaders, celebrity sports figures, and individual donors to a special evening of culinary delights.  In support of this great organization, VAULT29 has been honored to introduce award winning, female owned and operated wineries to Girls Inc.  Naya and I would like to give special acknowledgement to Windracer Wines (Jackson Family Wines and Sally Drews), Trombetta Family Wines (Rickey and Erica Stancliff), and Erin E. Wines (Erin Bush) for their gracious support and participation in this event.  

To learn more and for ticket purchases, please visit the link here. 

#WineBuzzin': Race Cars & Wine Collide at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

A very cool story coming out of Sonoma!  

La Pitchoune Winery has partnered with the championship winning race team K-PAX Racing. Two of the McLaren 650S GT3's will be sporting the winery's logo!  

Congratulations to La Pitchoune Winery Co-Founders Tracy & Peter Nielsen, and our friend and Master Winemaker of La Pitchoune Winery, Andrew Berge! Don't miss it sports fanatics!

Pirelli World Challenge Race schedule at Sonoma Raceway:

• Qualifying: Saturday, August 29, 12:30pm
• Race 1: Saturday, August 29, 4:50pm
• Race 2: Sunday, August 30, 10:55am

For tickets to this weekends races please visit: racesonoma.com

Don't forget to capture your wine experiences using the VAULT29 app! 

#WineBuzzin': #Winetasting Extravaganzas!

It's every winelovers dream: imagine one large room, with 100 wineries pouring over 500 incredible wines to taste. With a limited window of time, where does one start? And how does one pace themselves? 

Throughout the year, we have the privilege and opportunity to attend such wine tasting extravaganzas. Typically, there is an underlying theme: a specific varietal (Pinot Days); a specific region (Taste of Mendocino); or Family Winemakers of California. 

We love these events because it gives us the chance to reconnect, catch up with our winery friends, and taste newly released vintages. But most of all, it's a great opportunity to discover new smaller, lesser known brands who are just starting out in the industry. Many of these wines won't be found in your local grocery store or wine shop because they don't yet have representation behind them. Not to worry, though. We've got you covered with a few of our favorites! 

Center of Effort

Wren Hop

Mattina Fiore

Barber Cellars

Flying Goat Cellars

Pech Merle

• Center of Effort (Arroyo Grande, SLO County, CA)- Located in Central California, the wines are crafted with Edna Valley grapes. Don't miss the refreshing Pinot Noir Rose for long, summer days! #CenterofEffort
• Wren Hop (Windsor, Sonoma County, CA)- We love everything about this newcomer! The wines are excellently crafted with care and Jim's passion shines through as he walked us through the tasting. Bonus points for the creativity behind their labels which are designed as book covers. #WrenHop
• Mattina Fiore (San Luis Obispo, SLO County, CA)- Andrea and her husband Scott got the wine "bug" after crafting 2 barrels of Syrah, and quickly expanded their portfolio to include their popular Albarino and GSM blend. It also helps to have one of California's hottest winemakers, Robert Hensen, at the helm! #MattinaFiore
• Barber Cellars (Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA) - Be on the lookout for Mike and Lorraine's tasting room in Petaluma coming soon, thanks to their cool Kickstarter campaign! Passion packs a punch with their awesome Zins! #BarberCellars
• Flying Goat (Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA)- Kate is a gem and owner of Flying Goat Cellars., along with her husband/winemaker Norm. Their focus is on making vineyard designated pinot noir and sparkling wine. Tasting room in the "Lompoc Wine Ghetto."
• Pech Merle (Geyserville, Sonoma County, CA)- We loved meeting Bruce and hearing about his passion about these small lot wines, like his 2012 Laguna de Santa Rose Pinot Noir. 

Download the VAULT29 app to see more of our experiences at the 2015 Family Winemakers of California event. Simply search by location ("Palace Hotel"), hashtag "Taste15", or by winery hastag (ie #WrenHop). If you're interested in attending future events, feel free to reach out to us for more information.

Cheers! 

2015: A Summer of Sauv

This summer, Sauvignon Blanc has our heart!  Whether you spend $10 or $30, the varietal works for all occasions and pairs with just about every food group. Our favorite pairing? SUSHI! 

Here's what we're drinking:

• $10 - 2014 Simi Sonoma County
• $23 - 2014 Cuvaison, Solitaire
• $24 - 2014 Frogs Leap 
• $25 - 2013 RUDD
• $30 - 2014 Galerie 

To learn more about what we thought of these Sauvignon Blancs, as well as others, download the VAULT29 app and search #sauvblanc or #sauvignonblanc! We encourage you to capture YOUR world of Sauv Blanc too!

Happy Sauv Hunting  & Drinking! - Team VAULT29

Photo credit to Wine Folly (@WineFolly): "FLAVORS IN SAUVIGNON BLANC"

One Extraordinary Ordinary Day

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of experiencing three very unique tastings in the Sebastopol/Russian River Valley area with friends. The day was nothing fancy; these weren’t wineries with art galleries, mouth-dropping views or petite bites prepared by an estate chef to pair with the wines. That said, it was one of the most memorable.   

It got me thinking: What made this day stand out from the others?

In one single day, to be able to hang out with three different winemakers – in their dining room; with their families; and in their backyards – was pretty special. The conversations were all different, but the take away was always the same – everyone has their individual wine journey. It starts with one of life’s fateful experiences: a chance meeting or an unforgettable bottle of wine. From there, wine affords a lifetime of opportunities to taste parts of the world and meet others with a shared passion and appreciation. And for some, even chase dreams.

Create your own experiences by tasting at:

Trombetta Family Wines with Erica and Rickey and enjoy their family home, gorgeous gardens and hen house!

DRNK Wines with Ryan, Katie and Henry in their awesome caves!

Teac Mor with Steve and Stefanie deep in the vineyards!

---

See more of our day by downloading the VAULT29 app and searching for the wineries mentioned above or search by hashtags: #DRNK, #Trombetta or #TeacMor!

Wine Buzzin'

 "A Day in the Central Coast"

If you have been following our Wine Mic Monday series, we've had the pleasure of sharing stories from some of the best wineries in this area. After a quick drive from the Bay Area down the picturesque 101, we were able to check out these great wine experiences we've read about for so long!

On our itinerary -

1.  Presqu'ile Winery: Located in Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County), this state of the art winery is not to be missed. As you make your way from the dramatic entryway up through the vineyard hillsides, you'll find a modern tasting room with all the amenities including a Tesla charging station. Inside the tasting room, floor to ceiling windows open up to breathtaking views of the Murmur Vineyards and Pacific Ocean to the West, and renowned Bien Nacido Vineyards to the East. 

• Naya's pick: 2012 Pinot Noir, Presqu'ile Vineyard ($60)
• Jen's pick: 2012 Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley ($35)

2.  Laetitia Vineyards & Winery: Head 20 minutes north on the 101, and you'll find Laetitia. This is a must stop for anyone who loves quality wines for unbelievably affordable prices. Naya loved the bubbles; I loved the Pinot Noirs. There is something for everyone here: expansive wine list, picnic tables, bocce court, a trail through the vineyards and even music on the weekends.

• Naya's pick: 2012 Laetitia Brut Rosé ($30)
• Jen's pick: 2013 Pinot Noir, Clone 777 ($34)

3.  ONX Estate: ONX is located about 45 miles north in the Templeton Gap region of Paso Robles. After reading about the various oases on the property in their Wine Mic Monday piece, Naya and I couldn't wait to experience the winery firsthand. We were greeted by Annie who invited us into their tractor shed turned tasting room, and we later moved to their tasting deck under the large oak trees. Rather than a seated tasting, you can book to take a vineyard tour in a spruced up golf cart.

• Naya's pick: 2014 Indie, Rose of Tempranillo ($20)
• Jen's pick: 2014 Field Day, White Blend ($28)

4.  Caliza Winery: After featuring Caliza's Wine Mic Monday story on Monday, 6/8, we had to stop at Caliza Winery and meet Carl and Pam. If you're looking for one centralized place to taste great wines, we highly recommend this area of town in Paso. Tucked at the end of Anderson Road is the cute tasting room surrounded by vineyards. If you're lucky, Nicky the dog will greet you! 

• Naya's pick: 2012 Syrah ($54)
• Jen's pick: 2011 Cohort, Red Blend ($60)

---

Search the VAULT29 app to view additional wine experiences happening at these locations. We encourage you to get out and explore the Central Coast, too! 

Wine Buzzin': Auction Napa Valley

Jennifer Loh, cofounder VAULT29

Last week, we had a once in a lifetime opportunity to be attendees of Auction Napa Valley - one of the largest events held in the Valley benefiting community health and education. In the history of the event, $145 million has been raised. No doubt, many more millions were added over the weekend.

On Thursday night, wineries throughout the Valley hosted intimate dinner parties with 10-40 guests. It is an unforgettable experience to share an incredible meal in the company of proprietors and other passionate winelovers. My assigned winery was Chateau Potelle; a quaint little house and garden located off Hwy 29 in St. Helena. 

I was really moved by the welcoming speech of proprietor Jean-Noel. He told his story of coming to Napa Valley in 1980 when he worked for the French government. He was tasked with the job of coming to see what Americans were doing in the wine industry. And he loved it so much, he never left. 

When asked how one "rates" wine, Jean-Noel keeps it simple: either very good shit or very bad shit. He strongly believes wine is a personal interpretation and depends on context: your current mood, where you are, the occasion you're drinking and the people with whom you are sharing the wine. He feels experts should not be deciding whether a wine is "good or bad." Your wine journey is yours; constantly in flux and forever evolving with each new discovery. What you love today, you may not love tomorrow. This is a belief we firmly believe as well, and the reason we work so hard at VAULT29.

Moral of the story: love what you love! 

---

Find more of Jen's wine experiences by downloading the VAULT29 app and searching "Jen Loh" or "#ANV15" on the global Wine Wall. Favorite her experiences and create your own - Cheers!