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The Saratoga Wine Exchange |
is pleased to offer selections of |
Cakebread Winery |
California
Wine, Napa Valley |
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| About
Cakebread Cellars
and Winery |
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Rutherford,
CA,
1998
-- Jack
Cakebread
came
to photograph
the
Napa
Valley
twenty-five
years
ago
for
a book
and
while
he was
here,
he casually
mentioned
his
interest
in owning
a vineyard
to some
family
friends
who
had
a ranch
in Rutherford.
When
he returned
home
that
afternoon,
the
phone
rang
and
it was
the
family
friends
offering
to sell
their
property.
He headed
back
up to
the
valley
that
same
afternoon
and
Cakebread
Cellars
and
Winery
was
born.
On
the
occasion
of
their
silver
anniversary,
the
Cakebread
family
is
reflecting
upon
profound
changes
in
the
wine
industry
over
the
past
twenty-five
years.
Although
there
are
innovative
improvements
in
grape
growing,
a
new
winery,
new
wines
and
new
ways
of
reaching
consumers,
the
key
values
have
not
changed
at
Cakebread
Cellars
and
Winery.
Dedication
to
making
the
highest
quality
wines
and
a
commitment
to
family
has
followed
a
continuum
as
the
small
vineyard
grew
into
a
thriving
internationally
distributed
wine
company.
Their
first
vintage--157
cases
of
1973
Cakebread
Cellars
Chardonnay--was
sold
to
Phil
Faight
of
Groezinger's
Wine
Shop
in
Yountville.
He
in
turn
sold
to
a
small
audience
of
premium
wine
drinkers
who
primarily
drove
up
from
the
Bay
Area
on
weekends
to
visit
the
country.
"Two
or
three
cars
an
hour
would
be
on
the
road
and
we
would
all
stop
and
look
to
see
who
was
coming,"
said
Jack
as
he
thought
of
his
original
neighbors
who
became
some
of
the
"legends
of
the
wine
industry
-
Mondavi,
Martini,
Heitz,
BV's
Tchelistcheff
and
Christian
Brothers
"Brother
Tim."
Today,
traffic
is
about
30
cars-a-minute
as
the
world
comes
to
visit
the
Napa
Valley
wine
country.
|
| A
Move
Toward
a Healthy
Lifestyle
|
| "When
we first
got
started,
I would
prepare
lunches
at home
to offer
to visitors
who
came
to our
ranch,
"
Jack's
wife
Dolores
explained.
"We
would
ask
friends
and
wine
trade
guests
to bring
old
clothes
and
boots
and
we'd
put
them
to work
before
we all
gathered
in the
shade
to share
a glass
or two
of wine
and
some
food."
Today,
thousands
of visitors
each
year
are
treated
to wine
tasting
and
if desired,
a tour
of the
garden,
vineyards,
kitchens
and
state-of-the-art
winemaking
facility.
What
has
changed
in
the
sales
environment
of
the
wine
industry?
Dennis
Cakebread,
Director
of
Sales
at
Cakebread
Cellars
and
Winery
has
noticed
that,
"there
is
less
talk
about
technical
facts,
like
the
percentage
of
malo-lactic
or
the
length
of
time
in
oak,
and
more
interest
in
personal
anecdotes
about
enjoying
a
bottle
of
wine."
"We
believe
wine
is
fun,
so
we
do
fun
things"
said
Dennis,
just
before
leaving
to
go
ice
fishing
with
trade
associates
and
consumers
in
Chicago.
Dennis
created
the
"Good
Life
Series"
to
build
memories
with
consumers
and
give
them
an
opportunity
to
appreciate
healthy
food
and
great
wine
with
some
of
their
favorite
pastimes.
Cakebread
Winery
and
Cellars
and
has
been
at
the
forefront
of
the
American
healthy-eating
movement
since
the
early
1980's.
"We
realized
that
if
we
wanted
to
live
to
see
the
business
grow,
we'd
have
to
eat
healthier,"
Dolores
joked.
In
addition
to
overseeing
hospitality
and
her
famous
organic
kitchen
garden,
Dolores
is
responsible
for
Cakebread
Winery
and
Cellars'
"American
Harvest
Workshop"
-
an
annual
four-day
seminar
where
top
chefs
from
around
the
country
interact
with
the
winemaker,
local
farm
purveyors
and
media
representatives
to
discuss
wine,
food
and
a
healthy
lifestyle.
Karen
Cakebread,
who
assists
Dolores
with
the
workshop,
observes
that
since
the
program
began
in
1986,
there
is
"more
of
a
focus
on
wine
as
an
important
part
of
the
meal
with
an
interest
in
creating
finer
dining
for
customers,
chefs
include
wine
selection
in
the
menu-planning
dialogue,"
Karen
says.
"They
are
also
more
interested
in
buying
fresh
foods
from
local
farmstead
and
cottage
producers
than
in
previous
years."
|
| The
Evolution
of Wine
Production
|
The most dramatic changes
and
extraordinary
improvements
in
the
wine
business
are
found
in
the
vineyard
and
winery.
"Years
ago,
the
vines
would
get
one
long
drink
in
the
spring
which
was
believed
to
be
enough
until
harvest,"
Bruce
Cakebread,
Winemaker
at
Cakebread
winery
and
Cellars,
said.
"Today,
Cakebread
Winery
and
Cellars
uses
a
neutron-probe
irrigation
system
which
allows
us
to
accurately
measure
how
much
water
specific
vines
are
using
and
how
much
watering
is
needed
to
grow
better
grapes."
"In
early
years
at
harvest,
we
brought
all
the
fruit
in,
de-stemmed
and
crushed
it
and
put
the
wine
in
barrels
as
a
matter
of
routine.
The
only
variations
were
for
red
or
white
grapes,"
Bruce
remembered.
"Today,
we
have
'game
plans'
for
each
block
in
every
vineyard
which
are
written
during
the
summer,
so
we're
ready
for
harvest."
A
game
plan
includes
how
to
press
(de-stem
or
whole-cluster),
fermentation
instructions
and
which
barrels
to
use
(different
oak
and
toast)
-
all
based
on
data
from
previous
vintages
and
reflecting
the
current
growing
season.
"We
don't
repeat
undesirable
combinations
and
the
entire
crew
knows
ahead
of
time
what
the
game
plan
is
so
we
get
the
best
we
can
from
the
fruit."
This
increase
in
sophistication
and
knowledge
in
winemaking
has
given
Cakebread
Winery
and
Cellars
the
opportunity
to
offer
a
broader
selection
of
wines
to
their
customers.
In
addition
to
a
diverse
selection
of
new
varietals
available
at
the
winery,
two
new
wines
have
been
released
that
demonstrates
the
difference
between
vineyards
located
in
the
Eastern
and
Western
slopes
of
the
Napa
Valley.
Both
are
Cakebread
Cellars
Cabernet
Sauvignons
that
represent
the
distinctive
terrior
of
the
opposing
sides
of
the
valley.
|
Looking
to
the
Future
|
| One
thing
that
hasn't
changed
in twenty-five
years
is the
family-members'
participation
in all
activities
when
it comes
to growing,
making
or promoting
their
wine.
"We
didn't
know
we were
going
to build
a winery,"
said
Jack.
"There
was
no strategic
business
plan
like
you
have
today.
We just
believed
in our
heart-of-hearts
that
it would
work
to bring
our
family
here."
Today,
a team
of seven
Cakebreads
leads
Cakebread
Cellars
and
Winery
into
the
new
millennium
with
a positive
and
enthusiastic
outlook.
As
the
wine
industry
has
grown,
anti-wine
and
anti-alcohol
activists
have
effected
changes
in
regulations
imposed
on
wine
producers,
like
warnings
required
on
bottle
labels.
Continued
education
about
the
benefits
of
moderate
daily
wine
drinking
balances
negative
messages,
however,
and
Cakebread
Cellars
remains
among
the
forerunners
who
continue
to
promote
California
wine
and
locally
grown
foods
for
a
healthy
lifestyle.
"The
Food
and
Drug
Administration
(FDA)
recently
included
wine
in
their
official
"Diet
Guidelines"
Dennis
Cakebread
noted.
"When
people
have
a
wonderful
experience
with
food
made
better
with
wine,
they
appreciate
it
and
don’t
really
know
why,
they
just
know
they
love
it,"
Dolores
has
witnessed
over
the
years.
"In
some
ways
we
could
say
nothing
has
changed,
only
enhanced."
"When
we
started
out,
we
made
a
barrel
and
we
sold
a
barrel.
We
made
two
barrels
and
sold
two
barrels,"
Jack
stated.
"We
are
very
grateful
for
our
ability
to
sell
the
wines
we
make
to
such
supportive
customers."
In
spite
of
their
ability
to
transform
with
the
times
in
all
aspects
of
the
winery
business
and
their
continued
success,
they
are
still
asked
daily
where
the
name
of
the
winery
comes
from.
The
family
forebears
were
bakers
in
England,
primarily
of
a
dense
round
loaf
called
a
cakebread.
|
Cakebread
Cellars
2003
Sauvignon
Blanc
“Rated
88
-
Brilliant
straw
hue.
Melon,
grass
and
dried
flower
aromas.
Medium-full,
this
has
good
weight
on
the
palate
with
some
oak
and
an
earthy
finish
with
nice
persistence
of
fruit.”
–
Beverage
Testing
Institute
4/1/04
Cakebread
winery
1999
Cabernet
Sauvignon
"Rated
89
-
Combines
rich
chocolaty
currant,
cedar,
anise
and
minerally
flavors
with
a
sense
of
elegance
and
finesse.
Not
as
opulent
as
the
Benchland
Select
bottling,
but
still
deftly
balanced,
with
fine-grained
tannins.
Drink
now
through
2008.
800
cases
made."
-
Wine
Spectator
Cakebread
Cellar
2001
Cabernet
Sauvignon
"Rated
88
-
Supple
and
harmonious,
with
a
graceful
core
of
spicy
black
cherry,
plum
and
wild
berry
fruit
that's
delicately
balanced,
finishing
with
smooth,
fine-grained
tannins.
Drink
now
through
2012."
-
Wine
Spectator
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