LINK FIXED! Clark Smith's Postmodern Wine and Book deals - Prep for Special Wine Guest week

I’ve been making and selling wine since 1972. Last summer, I released Postmodern Winemaking, named Wine and Spirits Magazine’s 2013 Book of the Year. My intent was to enhance dialogue between winemakers and winelovers.

The book contains fresh thinking on wine technology, wine structure, longevity, oxygen, oak barrels, modern vs traditional winemaking, the so-called Natural Wine Movement, regional character, minerality, effects of music on wine sensory perception, and the surprising nature of wine itself. It’s a challenging book to digest, so I’m eager for some Q&A with berserkers of all stripes.

February 10-14 I will have the privilege of being offered for crucifixion as your Special Wine Guest. As I told Todd French, it will greatly enhance our e-chat if you have had a chance to experience wines from my teaching brand WineSmith, made largely to demonstrate these traits.
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Minerality, for example, has many meanings, as we all know. Let’s not revisit that. Instead, let us taste some wines together so I can point to how I use that term and its significance for winemaking and ageing.

I’ve selected two unusual wines that together illustrate structure, aromatic integration, micro-oxygenation, alcohol adjustment, living soil, Eurocentric style, minerality and graceful longevity. For BerserkerDay only, we are offering them at a ludicrous discount including free shipping.

I am also dealing the book dirt cheap in hopes that most participants will read it so that we can advance the discussion rather than taking time rehash its contents.

For the more adventurous, I’ve selected six-wine and twelve-wine postmodern samplers with substantial one-day-only deals.

We will ship these anywhere in the lower 48. Let the ba*****s come and get me. [berserker.gif]

Postmodern 2-Pack $59.99 with free shipping anywhere

(1) WineSmith 2006 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon
(1) WineSmith 2003 Napa Chardonnay

Postmodern Winemaking hardcover, signed by Clark Smith $30.00 including tax and shipping
Wine and Spirits Magazine’s 2013 Book of the Year
and New York Times’ Top Five Wine Books


Postmodern 6-Pack $129.99 with free shipping anywhere
(1) WineSmith 2006 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon
(1) WineSmith 2003 Napa Chardonnay
(1) WineSmith 2004 Napa “Faux Chablis” (successor to the 2003 Chardonnay)
(1) PennyFarthing 2007 Barbera
(1) PennyFarthing NV Dry Rosé
(1) Planet Pluto 2006 Meritage


Postmodern 12-Pack $299.99 plus 1¢ shipping anywhere
(1) WineSmith 2005 Napa “Crucible” (our flagship Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon)
(1) WineSmith 2006 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon
(1) WineSmith 2003 Napa Chardonnay
(1) WineSmith 2004 Napa “Faux Chablis” (successor to the 2003 Chardonnay)
(1) WineSmith 2006 Sonoma Cabernet Franc
(1) WineSmith 2005 Fiddlestix Pinot Noir
(1) PennyFarthing 2007 Barbera
(1) PennyFarthing 2009 Santa Barbara Chardonnay
(2) PennyFarthing NV Dry Rosé
(2) Planet Pluto 2006 Meritage

One final caution concerning our February 10-14 discussion. I did not write Postmodern Winemaking to flog my own point of view. The purpose of the book is to stimulate discussion and promote openness. Many wineberserkers are highly qualified to state their own way of looking at these issues, and although some of you are not professionals, we want to hear your questions and offer a full spectrum of answers.

If we all agreed, the book would be pointless. This will be a week of open discussion like the good old days (the 1970s), and not the Gospel According to Dr. Evil.

Catch you in February! [cheers.gif]

The one many have waited for, in preparation for the forthcoming Special Guest discussion Feb 10-14

I’m one of those that you’re talking about Todd.

Really excited for the Special Guest discussion. I’m in for a 6-pack.

Thank you Clark!

Welcome Clark,

I’m about halfway through the book now, and it just keeps getting more and more interesting.
Looking forward to seeing you here.

And that Barbera is so tasty,
the Cabs too…

I’d have to say I’m proudest of the Cabs, which are very “Old World” style, sort of Pauillac-like, with dense, fine tannins and <14% alcohol, very ageworthy and old enough at this point to really drag you into the glass with 'subtle tertiary bouquet.

The Barbera is just lip-smackin’ good. I tried for an Alba style, but there’s just so much fruit it is clearly New World. But it still fits within the postmodern school because it’s got great integrity and balance and will age well. Not a raisin wine.

I am in for a 6er. I plan to get together with a couple of other Humboldt Wine guys. We’ll see what kind of questions we can come up with for him after we finish 6 bottles.

Looking forward. I’ve finished the book - PMW - and have a few questions. I would like to taste Clark’s version of minerality, so I’m hoping the 2-pack will do the trick.

Cheers,
Wil Franklin
Sun Valley Vineyards

Love Clark’s wines! Recently took delivery of a WineSmith mixed case + 3 of the '06 Lodi Cabs or I’d be in for some more…

I got “this coupon has reached its maximum redemption limit” messages for both the 6 then the 2 packs. I take this to mean the offer is sold out? Maybe it’s for the best. If I were to experience minerality in a high pH Lodi cab, I’d have to abandon many cherished prejudices and the cognitive dissonance might be too much to handle.

I think it’s kind of cool that 3 of the people who responded to this thread are winemakers (not including Clark himself, of course).

Can’t wait to try these wines. [cheers.gif]

We found a glitch. I think you should be okay. Thanks for the heads-up. Please try it again.

Your cherished principles may remain in place. The Lodi Cab is not in the two-pack as an example of minerality. You’ll get all the minerality you can handle from the Chardonnay, which is ageing amazingly and still green/straw in color. I attribute this to Steve Krebs’ living soil practices.

Peterson Farms does encourage a nice covercrop, but it’s still not an obvious example. It’s in there to demonstrate the virtues of ripe-but-not-overripe, alcohol adjustment, and micro-ox phase 1, all of which (counter-intuitively) result in a wine of wonderful aromatically integrative structure and astonishing longevity potential. It’s really a hell of a wine, but it’s not very minerally.

It worked. Looking forward to the discussion. Another 4 or 5 times thru the vicinal diphenol cascade chapter and I should be right up to speed.

Book is ordered!

Hey, what good timing! A new review of the book just out by Canadian natural wine blogger and all around smart dude. We wrassle with the eternal: The Contradictory Consultant .

Thanks to everyone for your support of the book. We should have some very lively discussions in February. It will go so much better when you can taste the wines I’m talking about.

I am all wined-out for the day, but I think I may be ordering the book… It’s signed!

Definitely curious. Looking forward to Feb 10-14.

Got my book today. Whoa! Gonna be some heavy duty reading. Can’t drink wine while I read this.

Looking forward to it.