Dear Friends— It has been an amazing first quarter. Wine critic Robert Parker’s reviews on barrel samples of our 2008 red wines came out just before the New Year. He rated RED C at 90 points; Covenant Cabernet at 92 – 93 points; and our premier Covenant “Solomon” Cabernet at 93 – 94 points. (There are less than 100 cases of Covenant Solomon, which will be available direct from the winery only.) We’re bottling all three of our 2008 reds in late May for release in the fall. Stay tuned! 
Speaking of the 2008 vintage, many of you know that we released our first white wine—Covenant Chardonnay Lavan 2008—in February. Wine Spectator just rated it at 90 points, and the L.A. Times made it “Wine of the Week” just before Passover. The Times’ wine critic wrote that it tasted just like “great Burgundy.” It did indeed, and that’s the good news. The bad news (if you didn’t buy any) is that our entire production of Lavan sold out in 8 weeks. The 2009 vintage Lavan is resting gently in barrels and shows great promise; look for it next February.
A New York Times feature on Covenant last March helped spread the news about us worldwide. We received inquiries from a far away as Australia and Japan. If you missed it, the Times journalist Jordan MacKay actually got our story right in his well-written article, which you can find at www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/dining/19sfdine.html?hpw.
Apparently, the actress Gwyneth Paltrow read the Times article and called us to find out where she could buy Covenant in London. She liked the wine enough to include us in her Passover Newsletter at Goop.com. How cool is that?!! We were featured alongside Steven Spielberg’s recipe for “Uncle Morty’s Gourmet Matzos Brie with Truffle Salt,” which would probably taste really good with a glass of RED C Cabernet or Chardonnay Lavan.
goop.com/newsletter/76/ Oh yes, we almost forgot to tell you about Jeff’s new blogs. At the Los Angeles-based Jewish Journal (which also featured Covenant in a fine article by Jeff Smith in March), Jeff (Morgan) now has a blog called “Jews and Wine.” Look for it at www.jewishjournal.com. In addition, wine critic Steven Tanzer asked Jeff to write about food and wine pairings on his website at www.winophilia.com. It’s called “The Perfect Match.” Our wine prices have not changed since last year. Those of you who purchase a 6-bottle case of 2007 Covenant will receive a 10% discount, and you will receive a 15% discount when you purchase a 12-bottle case 2007 RED C. We are also offering free shipping on all case orders. To order our wines, please visit our website at www.covenantwines.com. Or contact us by email at
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or phone (707) 963-7385.
Many of you have come to see us in the Napa Valley. We love meeting you and showing you our wines, so please continue to call or e-mail for an appointment. But because there are only three of us working full-time (Jeff, Jonathan and Jodie) we apologize for not always being available. Please give us advance notice when possible and we’ll try to get you on the books for a tasting. Of course, last minute visits work, too, if we’re around. After all, there’s nothing like exploring wines with the folks who make them.
See you in the Napa Valley!
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