2021 Karo-Kann Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 750 ml

The winemaker had already sold half of his 2021 production—but he was still spooked.

“Look,” he told us, as he poured us a big taste. “Tasting room sales are down. Winery visits are down. Luckily, the club is strong as ever”—he paused to knock on the wooden bar—”but I know restaurants are starting to slow. I can feel it. And it’s tough to sell there, bottle by bottle, even when things are going great!” 

We’d been tipped off by our buddy in St. Helena, who’d known this winemaker for about a decade. A UC Davis grad with a boutique operation in Alexander Valley, he’s used to selling out his whole production of hundred-dollar bottles to a well-heeled clientele, mostly through the winery. The rest goes to fine-dining restaurants around the West.

He muddled through the pandemic by scraping together novel sales channels to make up for zeroed-out winery visits and restaurant sales, but that exercise had taken its toll.

“I’m just not sure I can do it the same way again,” he said. “I’m a winemaker. I’m not a marketer. I’m not a sales director, and I want to do it different this time. Half of the vintage is about to go out to the club, and I’ll keep a chunk for reorders. But I just don’t have it in me to chase the smaller sales this season. 200 cases is a lot when you’re selling bottle by bottle. I’d rather be coaching my kid’s baseball team!” 

We told him we’d help him. Keep making great wine. Coach the baseball team. We’ll get it in the hands of Wine Access members—and that will be that.