And the crazy ass price tag to match!!!
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Knee deep in harvest but just saw this thread. Iāve not actually had the bottled wines and have not been to the property since the winery was completed. Time flies! I did have sample bottle blends of this release a couple of years ago but I am sure Nigel made some changes after his arrival to the final blends. Pam has IMāed me a couple of times in the last month but between my release and now harvest, have been unable to get up there. I need to get up there after harvest. Jeff Nemanick posted about Bergman often in the last 2 years and has been up there a few times. Would be curious what he thinks of the final product. Has he chimed in?
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Looking forward to your thoughts !
Iām not sure about the Grimes to MacDonald switch, but I did hear that they switched from Graeme to Nigel because Graeme was juggling a few projects so they wanted someone a little more hands on.
Not sure how valid that is given they seem to juggle the same amount of projects, just what I heardā¦
For what itās worth, Pam lives and breathes this project. I know youāre probably thinking that an owner should be heavily involved, but she lives on the property the majority of the year, is up at 3am doing harvest with the vineyard team, responds to all the emails, travels around showcasing the wines, manages their social media accounts, etc. There is no estate director, social media manager, director of hospitality/sales. It is Pam, and she alone (with perhaps some help on the website, label design, etc.). I would not call this a vanity project - the wine and its quality will disprove this. Pam is a friend, so perhaps I am biased, but if most folks knew the effort sheās put into this, you would understand this is not just āa fun projectā for the family.
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I agree with Kevin 100%
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Agree I would not call it a vanity project.
They did not just buy expensive grapes from named vineyards, hire some fancy consultants, and then put their name on a label.
They revitalized a plot of land for over 10 years, put time and effort into sustainability and doing things the right way, and eventually made some wine. It happens to be quite good too.
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When I mention that I had a great experience on my new road bike that has electronic assist, sometimes people respond with something negative or judgemental about e-bikes. My response is always: āYou havenāt ridden one, have you?ā Of course the answer is ānoā 100% of the time.
My wife and I visited the Bergman Estate yesterday. Based on information I found on these WB boards, I had purchased an allocation. We were planning to be in the area for just one day this week. I sent an inquiry, hoping to taste the wines that we didnāt plan to open for years to come. and Pam replied with a welcoming response the same day.
It is plainly evident that the Bergmanās development of the the site and the team they assembled to contribute to winemaking there reflect a true passion for wine and the region and a truly impressive comittment to excellence and collaboration. I honestly felt like I was seeing what I hope my best self could achieve with unlimited time and budget.
The tasting included the 2020 product of a partial harvest, not representative of the site but nice wine. We also tasted the 2021 and I left a note on CT: "Open 4+ hours before tasting: Spring florals, complex/layered leaning toward a mountain (red) fruit profile, a touch of dried herb, a mineral lift.
A bit of tannic wall still present, but it was beautiful with outstanding balance and length: weightless power. Left with cork in bottle for another 6 hours, the tannins had receded and black raspberry and dark chocolate emerged.
There is a looong life ahead for this masterpiece.
To me, this is a perfect wine, my first 100 pt score."
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Glad you had a good visit!!