Saturday November 23, 2024
the long game
the long game
Fair warning, I have lot on my mind lately, and I’m feeling compelled to get my thoughts on paper. So, pour yourself a glass of wine and indulge me for a bit.
Paula and I have been on this journey called kukkula for almost 20 years now. We decided to move our young family from Los Angeles to the west side of Paso Robles at the end of 2004. By 2006, we started planting a vineyard. In the summer of 2007 we moved into our new home on the kukkula. By the end of 2010, we finished construction of our winery and we were producing wines almost exclusively from our own fruit. Our kids grew up in the rural Adelaida community. It was, and is, a rewarding life choice on a whole lot of levels. There is a real sense of community here, with many equally passionate neighbors pursuing the same kind of life. It’s been a wonderful place to raise our family. We are proud of what we’ve built, and proud of the wines we’re producing.
I have been drawn to growing and winemaking for over 30 years, all learned through trial and error. Paula has been passionate about cooking for as long as I’ve known her. The melding of these two passions has led us to the life we live, and the immersion of our lives into food and wine. It’s a way of life I wouldn’t want to give up. At times it’s been tough, and at times it has been exciting. Lately, the pendulum has swung into the tough zone!
Despite recent challenges, I contend that one of the hallmarks of good winemaking is a commitment to excellence. You may have noticed that I’m a bit of a perfectionist. It kind of drives Paula crazy sometimes. I’m also fond of saying “It’s good enough for the girls I go out with”. For the record, there’s only one girl I go out with! We both like to use this expression when I get caught deep in the weeds.
So, with my penchant for perfection, it’s natural that, as the accolades from wine critics have gotten better and better over time, I’m not satisfied. I have this nagging need to keep pushing for an even better vintage, a drive to make better wines.
My father was fond of saying, “You don’t need to tell people you’re good, you need to show them”. Perhaps because of this drip therapy, I’ve never really felt comfortable talking a lot about “the ratings” as they’ve improved over the last several years. Many of you, have told me I should be more vocal about these successes. Recently, Eric Guido from Vinous had some kind things to say about kukkula’s ’21 vintage, so I thought this might be a good time to let you all know what he had to say.
His overall commentary on kukkula said “The 2021s from kukkula are simply fantastic, marrying the potent yet pure, fruit-centric style of the house with an energetic core of acidity that sends sparks across the palate.” His ratings for all of the ‘21 wines we submitted ranged from 93 to 96 points.
Highlights of his ratings are as follows:
- ’21 noir - Dark and brooding, the 2021 Noir, a blend of 85% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah, casts a perfumed blend of dusty dried flowers, crushed black cherries, menthol, and mint up from the glass. This is elegant to the core and truly harmonious, balancing intense ripe fruits with striking minerality and zesty acidity all over a bed of edgy tannins that mount toward the close. Hints of sweet spice contrast with dark chocolate and licorice as the 2021 finishes impossibly long and staining. Spellbinding. – 96 pt
- ’21 iso — The 2021 Iso is intense, smoldering up with a mass of dark red and black currant, stone dust, mentholated herbs, blood orange and hints of tobacco. This is surprisingly energetic and graceful in feel, splashing across the palate with silky textures and cooling acidity as a saturation of wild berry fruits adds gripping tension. A wall of structure takes hold through the finish, leaving hints of violet pastille and sweet herbs to linger on. The Iso is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah.- 95 pts
- ’21 sisu — Sisu is flashy and vibrant in character, with a burst of crushed cherries and blackberries complemented by hints of baking spice and mint. This is a total pleasure on the palate. Velvety in texture, yet spry with ripe red berry fruits and tactile mineral tones swirling throughout. Hints of sour citrus add zesty tension toward the close. While structured and long, the Sisu keeps the mouth watering for more. A pleasantly bitter tinge and sweet tannins linger on. In a word;fabulous. — 95 pts
- ’21 Lothario — Crushed black raspberry and ashen stone come together with hints of incense and dried roses as the 2021 Lothario seduces from the first tilt of the glass. It’s soothingly round and supple with a flourish of violet pastille and crisp mineral tones that add tremendous depth to the ripe red and black fruits within. This is beautifully balanced and remarkably fresh, silken and fruit-centric, yet structured and incredibly long, tapering off with hints of licorice. — 94+ pts
- ’21 kaamos — A whiff of confectionary spice and minty herbs gives way to dried strawberries and crushed stones as the 2021 Kaamos blossoms in the glass. It’s silky and soothingly round with juicy acidity to balance as tart wild berry fruits wash across the palate, leaving saline minerals under an air of blue and purple-toned inner florals. The Kaamos cakes the palate in floral concentration, as a resonance of red plums mixes with liquid stone. — 94 pts
- ’21 pas de deux — The 2021 Pas de Deux is darkly floral, as crushed blackberries, and wilted violets are lifted by hints of rubbed sage. This splashes across the palate with an abundance of energy, showing ripe red and blue fruits accentuated by a flourish of sweet spice. A web of fine-grained tannins settles on the senses creating a structured sensation through the dramatically long finale as stoney minerality slowly fades. - 93+ pts
- ’21 Aatto — The 2021 Aatto is wickedly fresh, bursting from the glass with a lifting mix of sweet herbs, cola and hints of orange-tinge dark chocolate complementing crushed strawberries. It’s juicy in character with a wave of liquid violet florals and crisp blackberry fruits that cascade across the palate. It finishes on a spicy note with a layer of crunchy tannins and tart blackberry. The Aatto is a blend of 44% Counoise, 36% Mourvèdre and 20% Grenache.- 93 pts
We are appreciative of his kind words! I feel good about how my craft of winemaking has evolved. Being a self-taught winemaker, it’s rewarding to know that with determination over time, this is doable.
These accolades (and maybe my recent retirement from 41 years at Merrill Lynch and upcoming 65th birthday) have me reflecting a lot about my hopes and dreams, about where we’ve been and where we’re headed. It’s made me reflect on the long journey, the disappointments, the frustrations, but also the passion I have for this craft, the joy of being able to create and share the literal ‘fruits of our labor’.
There have been many challenges over the course of our journey. To cite a few: the initial removal of a large part of the walnut farm we purchased, the conversion to a vineyard, home, and winery, the huge capital required to build this infrastructure, Mother Nature’s curve balls, creating an awareness of kukkula, and in the last seven years, the removal and replacement of 50 acres of vines due to Red Blotch. This is not a business for the faint of heart!
The total replant of our vineyards has been difficult emotionally and financially, yet I have come to believe it has opened the door to a really promising future for the wines we’re producing. In particular, I’m thinking about the ’18 and ’19 vintages, which were a notable turning point for wine critics thoughts on kukkula, and they were vintages where we were still incorporating fruit from our virused vineyard. Perhaps that says something about managing a difficult situation?
By the ’21 vintage, we were starting to harvest some of our new fruit again, as well as buying some amazing fruit from friends on the west side of Paso to bridge us during the transition. The ’21 vintage has been well received by the critics. The ’23 vintage may well be even better. In the 2023 vintage, with the exception of a few tons of Grenache and Syrah, all of the fruit was estate grown again.
It is a bit ironic that as perceptions of the quality of what we’re producing has consistently gone up, the consumption of wine across the globe has been in a decline and we are definitely feeling the pinch. It seems that the Gen X,Y, and Zs out there are either not ready to afford beautifully crafted wines, have not been exposed to these wines, and/or have many other alternatives beyond wine to explore. We believe that will change over time. As was the case with Paula and me, and many of our friends, wine became an integral component of our daily lives, to be enjoyed with the food we eat, and shared with friends and family.
I also suspect that an element of the sluggish wine market is economically driven. There is a fair amount of angst out there about where this economy is headed, so naturally, the purse strings are being pulled a little tighter.
Being the product of working-class parents from Europe, Paula and I have always been pragmatic about how we spend our money. By extension, we have tried to deliver our wines at a reasonable price to our fans. It’s gotten tough to hold the line, as the cost of labor and goods have skyrocketed in the last few years. Undoubtedly, our prices will have to rise if we are to be long-term viable as a business. But we are ever mindful about delivering an amazing wine for a reasonable cost. We are hopeful that our followers realize and appreciate our efforts here.
Economic worries are cyclical, and will pass. The generational concerns may take time. We’re doing our best to introduce fine wines to the younger generations. Let’s all bring more people into our tents to share and excite friends and family about the magic of fine wine and food.
In the spirit of this we will be introducing some new initiaves this Fall. Once we get through this harvest we will be posting some YouTube videos on wine and food which we hope will be fun and educational. We will also be offering an incentive for referring friends to our wine club, as well as make it easier to offer a wine club membership as a gift. Watch your inbox for more information on these efforts.
We are eternally grateful for your continued support, and we’ll strive to keep upping our game. To the long game!
Kippis,
Kevin