Greetings from Sonoma Mountain,

I hope the winter treated you well. Our weather has been off the charts this year, though only in terms of rain and not the record-breaking snow some of you have experienced. While cooped up indoors, we’ve been busy launching our new website and preparing for the release of a brand new Benziger wine label. All this creativity has precipitated a fair amount of discussion about who we are and how best to share what we love doing.

If you visit www.benziger.com you’ll see what we hope is a friendly, down-to-earth, informative site that contains everything you want to know without all the manufactured

gloss and snobbery that our industry sometime affects.

Included in this first Club selection of 2010, you will find the new face of the Benziger bottle. This label is quite a deviation from the Benziger look you’re familiar with, but just like individuals, our winery has evolved as it has matured. With this design, we took a less-is-more approach and focused on what is important to us – fine wine from renowned appellations, family, and certified sustainable vineyards. The embossed symbols represent earth, air, wind and fire. They’re our homage to the cycles of nature that, when in balance, produce authentic and memorable wines.

Take good care,

Mike Benziger, Winemaker

March 2010 Newsletter

Wine Club Newsletter

March Shipment 2010

Save the date! May 8th - Wine Club Open House

For more info please call: 800-989-8890

or email: wineclub@benziger.com

2008 Appellation Series Chardonnay

Tasting Notes: Made exclusively for our Wine Club, this Appellation Series Chardonnay has a luxurious, round mouthfeel and creamy texture without any taste or nuance of butter. In style it is reminiscent of Chablis, with complexity and minerality that is refreshing and honest. Carefully balanced acid gives structure to the wine and a crisp cleanliness that will make this a wonderful warm weather wine.

Vintage: “Extreme” would be a good description of the 2008 vintage. The elements played a huge role in our vineyard management, we were hard at work from start to finish. Initially, harvest began early in August, but

cooler temperatures slowed things down a bit and the rest of the harvest was evenly paced and lasted into October. The 2008 vintage was excellent for Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Winemaking: Five vineyard blocks were hand selected from Sangiacomo Vineyard to give this Chardonnay the balanced acidity and structure we sought. Loamy soil near Sonoma Creek gives this area of the vineyard a distinctive minerality and lean, crisp citrus flavors. All of the fruit was whole-cluster pressed before cold barrel fermentation. We fermented and aged the wine in Hungarian oak barrels (20% new) for eleven months. The traditional practice of bâtonnage was used to build body, texture and to integrate flavors.

Harvest Date: September 5, 2008Bottling Date: August 4, 2009pH: 3.25Total acid: .73Alcohol: 14.1%Time in Oak: 11 monthsType of Oak: Hungarian oak20% new barrelsProduction: 19 BarrelsAvailability: Wine Club Only

Grown in the heart of Sonoma Valley, Three Blocks is a part of our Signaterra line of signature wines. The 2006 vintage is made up of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot. Rich aromas of dark chocolate and cigar give way to layered flavors of currant, plum and coffee. The wine has a firm mid-palate and round, soft tannins. Enjoy now or cellar for 4-8 years. Three Blocks’ robust structure allows it to pair nicely with heartier fair like New York strip steak.

Earth: Rocky soils produce grapes with round, soft, almost sweet tannins, which are exactly what we had in mind for Three Blocks. The low fertility soils of Sonoma Valley have excellent drainage,

meaning strong roots develop in order to find water. Vines with deep roots are also best able to capture the distinctiveness of the growing site. Grapes are predominately grown using Biodynamic® methods and are selected from prime sections of Sunny Slope Vineyard, Gordenker Ranch and Stone Farm Vineyard.

Nature: Tucked in the eastern foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains in the heart of Sonoma Valley, the Cabernet and Merlot selected for Three Blocks are grown in vineyard blocks positioned for optimum sun exposure. Tall tree lines surround the vineyard, protecting the sites from the sometimes fierce Sonoma Valley winds.

Man: We harvested at night to protect the integrity of the fruit. Native yeasts fermentation added nuance and complexity.

2006 Signaterra Three Blocks, Bordeaux Blend

Harvest Date: September 26, 2006Bottling Date: June 24, 2008pH: 3.77Total acid: .57Alcohol: 14.5%Time in Oak: 18 monthsType of Oak: 100% French oak35% new barrelsProduction: 179 Barrels

March Benziger Family Wine Club Selection: Re-order before April 15th and receive 25% off 1-11 btls, 30% off cases2008 Appellation Series Chardonnay | $292006 Signaterra Three Blocks, Bordeaux Blend | $50

Current Releases By Benziger:

Club Members receive 20% off all Benziger wines2008 Paradiso de Maria Sauvignon Blanc | $332008 Signaterra Sauvignon Blanc, Parcel Seven | $192007 de Coelo Pinot Noir, Quintus | $692007 Signaterra Pinot Noir, Bella Luna | $492007 Signaterra Pinot Noir, Giusti Ranch | $492007 Signaterra Pinot Noir, San Remo Vineyard | $49 2006 Winemaker’s Claret | $382006 Caton Petite Sirah | $422006 Stone Farm Syrah | $372006 Bruschera Zinfandel | $45 2006 Rose Ranch Merlot | $372006 Gordenker Cabernet Sauvignon | $50 2006 Oonapais Sonoma Mountain Red | $50 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon | $492006 Obsidian Cabernet Sauvignon | $652006 Tribute | $80 2006 Port, Sonoma County | $35

Orders or questions: call 800-989-8890 or email: wineclub@benziger.com

Re-Order Form

Looking for your Wine Club

recipe? It is posted online at www.benziger.com. This move is one step closer to hosting all your Wine Club content digitally. In fact, we plan to do the environmentally sound thing and go paperless as early as this September. We’ll keep you posted.

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