Fall 2024 Newsletter
THANK YOU!
Another year in the books! First and foremost, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering love and support over the years—especially through these last few, which have brought unique challenges for all of us. As we’ve collectively adjusted to life in a post- COVID world, it’s been your steadfast enthusiasm and encouragement that have fuelled us, allowing us to continue being the De La Montanya Winery you know and love. Your loyalty means the world to us, and we’re thrilled to have you by our side on this journey.
A YEAR OF EVENTS
At the beginning of 2024, we were filled with anticipation and excitement, looking forward to another memorable year at De La Montanya. With new wine releases lined up and a full calendar of events for our amazing wine club, we couldn't wait to bring our community together more often.
Thanks to your enthusiasm and presence, we hosted so many unforgettable gatherings this year! From our cozy Valentine’s Day celebration and lively 1776
Release BBQ to all our fun-filled pizza parties, every event has been a joy— and we’re not slowing down just yet!
Private parties are growing ever more popular, especially in our lush, tranquil garden. If you're dreaming up a celebration of your own and want the charm of our winery as your backdrop, reach out to us for more information. We’d love to help make your special occasion unforgettable!
Contact:
jarod@dlmwine.com
(707) 433-3711
HARVEST AT A GLANCE
Thanks to the abundance of beautiful fruit from last year's 2023 harvest, we’ve been able to bring back many of your beloved wines.
As you all know by now, 1776 returned for yet another encore, and this time, we managed to yield a little more than usual! We’re thrilled to give you all a chance to snag a bottle (or two!) just in time for the holidays, especially since last year’s batch practically flew off the shelves. And Tempranillo? It’s been taking our wine community by storm, swiftly establishing itself as a new favorite and earning a well-deserved place in your cellars. It’s a real treat to see this variety grow in popularity. Another shoutout goes to our recent Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux blends, which have been tasting exceptionally exquisite—don't miss your chance to enjoy them!
This year’s harvest has been a little gentler for our team —Andrew, Jarod, Dylan, Dennis, and Anna—after last year’s marathon of a season. We even had a bit of fun placing bets on when the crush frenzy would begin, and no surprise, Jarod took the win!
If you’ve been following our Instagram updates, you’ve likely seen the stunning progress of our Felta Creek Zinfandel vines, with their deep purple berries almost ready to make their way into your glass. This harvest has kept everyone busy and all hands on deck as we bring in fruit by the truckload. We’re as eager as ever to see what the 2024 vintage has in store!
As we reflect on this unforgettable year, we want to give a heartfelt shoutout to one of our most dedicated team members: Jarod.
With over 13 years of unwavering dedication, outstanding leadership, and a true passion for connecting with each of you, Jarod has been an essential part of the De La Montanya family. His hard work and commitment are deeply appreciated, and we are so grateful for all he brings to our team and to you, our wonderful community. Jarod, thank you for everything—here’s to many more years of sharing great wine and great moments!
NOTE FROM THE WINEMAKER
As I sit to write this, we are almost finished receiving fruit for the 2024 vintage. A heat wave in early October brought in almost all our reds, so I expect to have all the wines in a barrel around Thanksgiving, almost 2 weeks earlier than last year. The quality of the fruit has been very high, and I am excited to see how the wines turn out. Harvest is a busy time for all of us, as the entire crew pitches in to help with crushing and punch-downs. My kids Jack (4) and Nora (2) miss me on weekend mornings during this time, but they love coming to the winery when they can, mostly to climb on the forklift.
While the 2024 vintage has occupied my time for the past few months, I continue to be thrilled by the quality of the 2023 vintage both in bottle and in barrel. We will be bottling the Chardonnay, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandel in early December, after which I plan to enjoy the holiday season, a glass of wine in hand, and Christmas music on the stereo. As always, thank you for supporting the winery, it’s a pleasure to be your winemaker.
Cheers, Andrew Schwendeman
A MESSAGE FROM DENNIS DE LA MONTANYA
Wine club members & friends,
Our fall wine club shipment has come at a time of reflection and anticipation. Harvest has just concluded, and for the second year in a row, we were blessed with a long growing season uninterrupted by rain. We are expecting this to yield exceptional-quality wine.
I would like to bring a couple of new items to your attention. First, I’m proud to announce the release of the 20th Anniversary Pinup Cabaret. (who would have thought). Our model reprised her pose for the photo shoot for a beautiful side-by-side. And with this vintage, it has officially retired. We will, however, be offering special verticals, signed magnums and 3-litre bottles for very limited quantities, later this year. The Pinup Cabaret wine will continue in the future with a static label, of which we will let our wine club members select one of three, early next year. We worked hard on this special anniversary wine and think it’s one of our best.
Recently, we released our Honey Solstice. This product is a part of our Twisted Jill label and a unique experience to behold. This honey-based wine was blended with our solstice white blend wine (70/30), slightly effervescent with a hint of sweetness. These qualities make this not quite wine but with more lenience towards some type of cider, beer, or wine blend. Some will love it, some will not but this effervescent oddball has its charm. The honey used to craft this bend comes from the hives on our property, tended by our son Dean, the beekeeper. Although not very common, this is worth a try.
Lastly, I’m sure you all heard of the big wine industry recession. Whether it comes down to too many grapes and wineries, the next generation electing to not drink wine, etc. Rest assured De La Montanya Winery is doing great. We generally don’t pat ourselves on the back but recently we have received many prestigious awards and accolades from the Sonoma County harvest fair, one of the few competitions we enter. We look at it as our yearly report card as it genuinely doesn’t help our sales. What has made us successful in these difficult times is our wine club members and their referrals and friends. It’s also the dedication of our staff to customer service. I’m very proud to have Jarod, Dylan, Anna and our winemaker Andrew represent Tina and I.
