ATF Follies

[Jerry D Mead]

Re Raymond...you're right about everything except Amberhill. It is a definite step up from Woodbridge, being made from mostly Monterey vineyards that Raymond owns or controls. It's pretty good juice. I have editorialized about line extensions of famous brands...have scolded Mondavi numerous times, Raymond, BV, Round Hill (which recently went back the other way...eliminating the low end and the high end, renaming the latter Van Asperen), Inglenook (when it was still a real entity), and others.

The following appeared in my year end column:
SILVER to Round Hill Cellars in Napa for eliminating confusion. There used to be four levels of quality and price all under one brand. Gone all together are the least of the wines, labeled burgundy and chablis, and the top level "Reserves" have now taken the name of the owners, Van Asperen. They only get a silver because they should have done it ten years ago.
BRONZE to Robert Mondavi, Beaulieu, Raymond and several others for doing the opposite of Round Hill, and creating more levels and price categories under a single brand name. We're not complaining about the wines, they're excellent, but when us professionals can't keep it all straight, how can you expect consumers to?
JDM