Fantastic News!

We are so very excited that our winery and tasting room project was finally approved by the California Coastal Commission. I am posting a thank you letter below on behalf of my parents, Don & Charlene Stolo:

TreViti Wines Friends & Family,

On Thursday, April 15, Stolo Family Winery, home of TreViti Wines, received a 9-1 favorable vote from the California Coastal Commission. Translation: After 5 long years of working with SLO County and the California Coastal Commission, we are finally able to begin planning and constructing our winery and tasting room on our property in Cambria. Needless to say, we are beyond happy.

Our gratitude for this approval goes out to many. First, our extremely competent advisors, Kirk Consulting, were unwavering in their dedication, hard work, and faith in our project. Jamie Kirk and Rachael Kovesdi not only brought their knowledge and experience, but also the advice of other professionals such as David Neish Sr. and David Neish Jr. as well as Steven Kaufmann, esq. to the team.

Second, and equally important, are our many friends and neighbors from North and South who dedicated their day to make the trip to Ventura for the hearing. Over 40 people were in attendance and many came prepared to speak in support with great articulation and impressive passion: Maria Bennetti, Matt Bennetti, Tony Bennetti, Jim Bahringer, Bruce Black, Mary Ann Carson, Bob Clark, Dawn Dunlap, Beth Kendall, Bill Kesselring, John Linn, Joe Prian, Peggy Sonoda and Barbara Walter. We are positive that these speakers and the more than 200 letters & petition signatures that were sent to the California Coastal Commission on our behalf had a huge effect on swaying the vote. Thank You, Thank You!

We know that without the constant support of you all, our success would not have been possible.

Most exciting, and what we've been waiting to say for a long time is, we look forward to welcoming you to our winery and sharing a glass of wine with you in the very near future!!

Heartfelt Thanks,

Don & Charlene Stolo

An Open Letter Urging Your Support

March 31, 2010

Dear TreViti Supporters,

First, thanks to all those who have supported us with letters to the California Coastal Commission Staff. We greatly appreciate the time you took to put your thoughts in writing.

On April 15, we finally have our opportunity to impress upon the twelve Commissioners the importance a small winery and tasting room on our property will be to our family business and the positive impact it will have on improving Cambria tourism. Physical support at the meeting on April 15th is critical. Individuals that simply attend the hearing or attend and speak in support of the project do sway the Commissioners. A large turnout will be seen as proof that the project has the support of many. There will not be a second chance. Commissioners will vote up or down to allow our project to proceed. We urge anyone who can possibly attend to please come and join us.

Details:

California Coastal Commission Hearing for the Stolo Family Winery & Tasting Room

April 15, 2010

approximately 10:00 am

Location:

Venture County Board of Supervisors

800 S. Victoria Ave.

Ventura, CA

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at mariabennetti@treviti.com

Thanks again for your generous support,

Matt & Maria Bennetti
TreViti Wines
Stolo Family Vineyard

Matt's Birthday Giveaway

We are offering the below to all Facebook members and TreViti blog followers:

It's Matt's birthday! In honor of the big day we are offering 2 free bottles of TreViti Wines shipped to you when you sign-up for our Wine Club

Our Easy Membership Includes:

* 6 bottles a year (3 shipments of 2 bottles each)
* 15% off all orders, including wine club shipments
* Exclusive access to tour and taste at Stolo Family Vineyards in Cambria

Sign-up Here!

One Elite Vineyard
One Unique Location
One Passionate Family
TreViti Wines

Offer good through February 28, 2010

-for more wine club details click here
-each wine club shipment costs between $35-$55 depending on what is shipped (tax & shipping not included)
-wine club is shipped every April, August, and November (weather permitting)

January Tasting Events: Off to a Great Start

Two back to back weekends of tasting events last month. First, Red Wine and Gold at my old alma mater, Rosary High School, in Fullerton, CA on January 23. We poured our 2006 Stolo Family Vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah along side some really great wineries from Napa, Sonoma, & Central Coast. The yearly event is a fundraiser for the Trudy Mazzarella Scholarship Fund. This is the second year TreViti's participated in Red Wine & Gold and we always have a fantastic time. The evening was a huge hit, we had lots of interest and lots of fun. (The wires got crossed this year and, for some reason, we were entered in as TreViti Vineyard. Attention to detail.... I can't tell you how many times I heard that from my english teacher- oh, the memories.)





The Cambria Art & Wine Festival was next up, January 30th. We poured our 2007 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and 2006 Syrah amidst the 20 or so other local wineries in the town hall. It is such a fun, quaint, local event. Lots of locals and many visitors from both L.A. and S.F. came out to taste. I do have to say that more often than not, I had people coming back for 2^nd and 3^rd pours of all three. I received many compliments on the wines and many touted the Pinot as the best wine of the day. Always good to hear!
We also gave a sneak peak of our new label and logo to the event goers. Positive response all around. You all will have to wait a bit longer for the big release!

I am a terrible blogger

Let me be the first to point out that, yes, I have not written anything in over a year. I am a horrible blogger. I can come up with 100 excuses as to why I haven’t written. The biggest being the birth of our second son, Nico. But please, I couldn't’t find the time to post something? I now resolve as part of my “proactive & positive” 2010 outlook to keep you updated at least once a month on our journey to creating a small wine label and managing a growing family business.

2009 Recap:

Like many wineries, small ones especially, we saw a decrease in sales and wine club sign-ups due to the poor economy. TreViti is very lucky. Thanks to the continued support of family and friends, we are still up and running. I know of a few wineries that have sadly had to sell off their inventory and close their doors. It’s very scary and sad at the same time. Okay, enough bad economy talk. Let us look forward towards a prosperous 2010 for everyone.

TreViti's 2007 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were released last year with much anticipation. 2007 was deemed one of the better vintages in recent California history. Berry size was small and concentrated lending to bolder and more concentrated wines. Stolo Family Vineyard had a lower yield, but the intensity kicked up a notch or two. I am very pleased with the vintage and the direction the vineyard is headed. Where's the 2007 Syrah you ask? I tried it in December and felt it needed a bit more time to mature. We are planning to release it February 2010.

The newly planted vineyard (we call it the south vineyard) is maturing at a steady pace. We should have our first harvest of whites, Sauvignon Blanc & Gewurztraminer, in 2010. The Pinot Noir will have to wait another year. We are very excited to see what the vineyard will give us.

On the down-side, we still have had no movement on securing the right to house a small winery and tasting room on the vineyard property in Cambria. The California Coastal Commission has again managed to stall us for another year. We won’t give up! (positive 2010 thoughts here). We, and I mean my mom & dad, Don and Charlene Stolo, have been working non-stop to meet the demands of the Commission and come to some sort of agreement. Maybe 2010 is our lucky year….

More on what now has become a very long story with the California Coastal Commission in the next post.

2010 To Do/Wish list:

• open a small winery and tasting room at Stolo Family Vineyards

• harvest our first batch of Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer- so cool!

• unveil our new look…. I know, so secretive

• get Wine Spectator to notice us. What does a label have to do to get these guys’ attention?

• oh yeah, and keep the blog updated

Thanks for checking in!

San Jose- 2006 Vintage Release Party

What's Up with the Chardonnay?

TreViti's 3rd annual San Jose release party was held this past Saturday. Matt's parents, Tony & Barbara, once again graciously opened their home to an ever growing guest list.

On tap: TreViti Wines' 2006 line-up.... and a lot of appetizers.

The day unfolded smoothly & the wines performed beautifully. This was the first time all 4 wines: 2006 Stolo Family Vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, & 2006 Wolff Vineyards Syrah, were tasted by people other than the family. I was a bit nervous because I knew that the reds were still young- definitely drinkable now- but will be smokin' in about 6 months.

I should have never doubted the taste buds of our loyal followers. They loved the vintage. We drank and ate the afternoon away. Matt and I received glowing responses to all 4 of the wines; but the orders don't lie. The clear favorite of the event was the 2006 Stolo Family Vineyard Chardonnay.

It's always interesting to me that the TreViti Chardonnay garners the same two comments, year after year:

1. " I love Chardonnay and yours is really good. Can I have another taste?"

2. " I'm not a Chardonnay drinker, but I really like your Chardonnay. Can I have another taste?"

What? I feel like our Chardonnay has a split personality. It appeals to Chardonnay lovers, but also entices those who don't like Chardonnay. No matter where or when I pour it, I either get one or both of those comments. So, I just smile and nod in agreement... kind of puzzled.

Let me clarify by saying that there is a definite line drawn between people who like and drink Chardonnay and people who don't. I would say it's as defined as the line drawn between people who don't drink white at all and people who do. Usually, wine lovers who don't like Chardonnay, really don't like Chardonnay. They tend to swing toward Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier for a white wine choice. This is what is so puzzling to me. Our Chard is a classic Burgundian style chard; light body, low alcohol, bright and acidic with hints of stone fruit- it's delicious! It should appeal to the avid Chardonnay drinker and not to the non-Chard drinker. Are they just being nice? Not likely- most of the non-Chard drinkers end up ordering bottles of Chardonnay. So do the Chard drinkers.

What is it about this wine that breaks the barrier?






more pictures here

The Pinot Report Chimes In

Nervously we submitted our two 2005 Pinot Noir's to The Pinot Report a few months ago. The Pinot Report is a wine lovers publication that is written by Gregory Walter. He focuses solely on Western Pinot Noir. Meaning, he mainly tastes and scores high end Pinot Noir grown in California and Oregon. If there ever were an expert on Western Pinot Noir, this guy is it. So off they went.

It's stressful sending wines in for review. It's like putting a little piece of your heart and soul out there for scoring. We take so much care, from vineyard to bottle, to create the highest quality wine. We want people to enjoy it; we want customers to have a little piece of our vineyard. You, your friend's, neighbor's, and people at tasting events may love them, but the expert's have the final say- and it's public. If they don't like it, the readership will know about it. If they do like it.... well, that's what you hope for. Getting a good score is like getting an "A" on that calculus final you endlessly studied for. The validation that you are doing a great job and bringing forth a quality product that the experts would highly recommend to others is well worth the stress.

Below are the scores and notes that we received in Issue #53 of The Pinot Report. We are very proud. Receiving 90pts. as a relatively unknown vineyard and winery is outstanding, especially on only our second vintage. Gregory Walter is right. The Bien Nacido will be amazing if held for another year or so. Read on....

TreViti
Pinot Noir Central Coast 2005
Medium-deep ruby color; spicy, herbs and stewed cherry aromas; ripe, rich, spicy stewed cherry flavors with some herbs and sweet oak notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Rich, balanced style of Pinot with layers of flavors—quite nice to drink by itself.
98 cases made $30 Score: 90

TreViti
Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Vineyard 2005
Deep ruby color; deep, closed, cocoa and spice aromas; ripe, closed, bit tight, deep cherry cocoa flavors; moderate oak and tannin; long finish. Deep style that's a bit closed right now. Make sure to give it plenty of air in the glass and be patient in the cellar.
146 cases made $30 Score: 87