November 2022

 

Dear Customer,

 

We would normally now be offering you our 2020 wines. Sadly, we will not be releasing any wines from this vintage because of smoke damage to our grapes from wildfires caused by lightning in eastern Napa County in August that year. Despite every precaution and the rejection of certain lots of wines from this year, none of the remaining lots was free from guaiacol and other smoke taint compounds. While we are very disappointed, we know that we’ve made the right decision. We are grateful that our 2021 and 2022 wines are free from smoke, and we have high expectations for these two excellent vintages, to be released in late 2023 and 2024.

 

This year, we will be offering again our excellent 2019 wines, the Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet and a small amount of the Tanbark Hill Vineyard Cabernet. They are Estate Bottled, as are all our wines, meaning we use only the grapes that we grow here at our ten acre, 2000 foot elevation vineyard on Spring Mountain. The 2019 Philip Togni Cabernet is made from a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

 

James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator has written, “This is very much alive, sporting a wide array of sweet bay leaf, savory and menthol notes, along with zesty raspberry, red currant and blackberry fruit flavors. Built on acidity as much as grippy, tar-laced tannins, this leaves a mouthwatering feel on the long finish. A beautiful version of the throwback style.” 96 points, July 2022.

 

We also have received positive comments from Antonio Galloni of Vinous (96 points) and Joe Czerwinski of The Wine Advocate (95+ points.)

 

Also being offered is our ten year re-release, the 2012 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet. We do not have a twenty year re-release as we did not make a Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet in 2002.

 

Finally, there is the Ca’ Togni, a very sweet wine made from our own Black Hamburgh grapes, which Steven Tanzer called “… one of California's most distinctive and satisfying sweetwines." (Vinous, May 2014) 

 

Unfortunately, the Black Hamburgh grapes that we grew to make this wine died from a vineyard disease, Pierce’s Disease, so our last vintage of this wine is the 2017, which will be released a year from now. This year we are re-offering our 2016.

 

           Best regards,

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           Lisa, Birgitta and Philip Togni