Hello Blue Rock Friends, Family, and Ambassadors,

Thank you for you many kind prayers and for wishing us well during this difficult year. We have been dealing with fires, smoke, COVID19, and drought and we are still standing! I am happy to report that our crew is safe, and we have not lost property because of the fires.

I am sure that you have read the news about the possibility that the 2020 wines are ruined because of smoke taint. The news can be sensational and not always accurate. Having said this, I want to be fully transparent about our 2020 crop and our intentions.

We have spent 35 years with a love and dedication to making Blue Rock a great brand. To me, ”brand” represents a philosophy that the customer will never be disappointed. A great brand is one that will sacrifice, if needed, to over deliver upon the highest of customer expectations.

Some, possibly many, vineyards in Napa and Sonoma will have a smoke-impacted harvest. Science is still attempting to understand the full effects of smoke on grapes. Australia and California have been dealing with wildfires near their vineyards for over 10 years, making the quest for a solution ever more urgent. What we do know is that the proximity to the fires and smoke, and the duration of exposure both have an impact. Some varietals are more sensitive than others, notably delicate varietals such as Pinot Noir. If finished wines are indeed impacted by smoke, high-tech filtration can remove most of the undesirable smoke-related aromas and flavors. However, this type of filtration also removes some of the desirable qualities from the wine, making it an unsuitable solution for reserve level bottlings.

Our vineyards were far from the fire epicenters and the western location of the Blue Rock Estate allowed for winds to help clear the air. Unless quite severe, smoke taint cannot be tasted in grapes; the compounds that cause it are released as a byproduct of fermentation. Most of our fermentations are complete and we are relieved that there is no evidence to indicate a problem. In fact, we are pleased with the concentration of aromas and flavors resulting from a tiny crop. I wish I could say we are out of the woods, but it will take time for the wines to settle down, finish malolactic fermentation and reveal their full character and potential. We will have a much clearer reading over the next three months, and ample opportunity to rigorously evaluate all the wines as they age and evolve over the next couple of years in barrel. Please pray for us!

Rest assured, we will only bottle wines in which we are 100% confident and that meet our highest standards for excellence. This is our commitment to ourselves and to you, our Ambassadors, friends, and fans. Stay well!

Cheers,

Kenny