Centennial Club Newsletter

Estate Update

Stephanie Wycoff  |  Estate Director

While the hardships of 2020 may not have vanished at the stroke of midnight on December 31^st, we’re feeling a deep sense of gratitude as we enter 2021, along with a renewed sense of hope and optimism as we look forward. One of the toughest elements has been that we haven’t been able to visit with you in person at the winery as we so love to do. We’ve had to stay on our toes, adapting through the seasons – sun, rain, smoke and all – to provide the safest and best experience for our team and for you. In 2020 we celebrated our 125^th Anniversary – a reminder that we’ve persevered through a pandemic before… as well as a great depression, a couple of world wars, and the very dry 13-year stretch of prohibition. While the path forward remains to be seen, our Seghesio spirit will sustain us through this hurdle as well, strengthened and supported by the extended Seghesio family we have found in you. Thank you for continuing to be there for us and with us through it all – in heart, in mind, and in every glass of Seghesio wine.

Winemaking Update

Andy Robinson  |  Winemaker

While we’re fresh off the 2020 vintage, we can’t forget that many 2019 wines are still aging and approaching their bottling date. We’re very fortunate to have our own bottling line, giving us the flexibility to bottle each wine at the ideal moment to capture its pinnacle expression. By the end of winter, all 2019 wines will be safely tucked away like time capsules awaiting release over this coming year.

We are also attentive to our 2020 wines right now, and this is an important time in the aging process. As our wines finish fermenting, they remain unprotected from the effects of oxidation and microbial spoilage. Our main defense is keeping vessels completely topped up with wine to reduce exposure to air. We also look to rack our wines off their lees in a timely fashion, though some wines may benefit from extended lees contact (decisions made by detailed sensory analysis and historical knowledge). After the new wines settle, we decide which barrels in our cellar best showcase the region, vineyard, vintage and varietal for each complete bottling. This is the most exciting part of winter for us, as we take stock of how well we did last year and how we can improve in the coming year.