It just occurred to us that 2022 marked our fourteenth vintage of making Gros Ventre wines. It’s hard to believe. It felt like a leap into the unknown when we started the brand in 2009, with so much to learn. It hasn’t always been easy. But we’re so grateful for it. We couldn’t imagine our lives without it. And we thank you all for being part of the Gros Ventre family.

Harvest was like ripping a band-aid off – it was so fast, it hurt. But it was also behind us before we could blink, meaning we could catch our breath during October. We’re incredibly grateful that there were no local fires during the 2022 vintage. However, the El Dorado appellation got hit again, first with frost and then with smoke. We weren’t able to salvage any fruit, and there will be no 2022 El Dorado wines. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted.

As many of you know, smoke can be very damaging to fruit on the vine. (or not damaging at all, depending!) We wanted to make sure we communicate that we have never, and will never, release any wine tainted by smoke. We make the best decisions we can during harvest and then conduct stringent sensory and laboratory evaluations to make sure our wine is pure. Wine quality (and our reputation) is always our number one priority. Thanks for supporting us and all the wineries who continue to release world-class wines under extremely difficult circumstances.