Tsillan Cellars is proud to officially introduce a very special collection of 2022 Reserve wines created exclusively for our Wine Club Members to showcase the result of some of our most thoughtful and time-intensive winemaking practices to date. These wines were crafted from our favorite lots of this stellar vintage, blended with intention, and aged longer in both barrel and bottle to truly let them shine.
Winemaker Garrett Grubbs tells us the origin story of these wines:
We are always pushing ourselves in the cellar to create exceptional wines with what mother nature has given us for each vintage. At the time, we were working very closely with GM Bob Hargadon on a mission to create more opportunities for our wine club family. Sometime around late 2023 or early 2024, we were noticing there may be a creative opportunity to make some true reserves from our beloved Bellissima Rossa and Sinistra blends, and also a chance to make a Founder’s Reserve. Nic and I ran the numbers, looked at the potential blends on paper, and then started putting together some rough blends. The thought was that we don’t just throw the word “reserve” around lightly, and we are extremely honest and authentic with our wines. So, to create our Reserve Bellissima and Reserve Sinistra, we blended up both lots, kept two “non-reserve” wines that were bottled in July of 2024, and then put back about 400 cases worth each into barrel for extended aging. We wanted these wines to spend 30 months in barrel and a year in bottle using an even higher-end cork for longer bottle life. The chance to compare them with their “non-reserve” expressions of Bellissima and Sinistra was also important, to see a true difference between our normal red wine program and what longer aging in barrel, in bottle, etc. can accomplish.
For our Founder’s Reserve, we knew we had to take it to another level. The 2022 vintage on our estate vineyard came in 20-30% heavier than normal, so we had a few lots that delivered more gallons than we would need for case production. Again, we took this opportunity from day one that we might have a chance to make a new wine for our wine club. After a year in barrel, it was very clear we had some exceptional wines and some particular barrels that were standing out. We ran the idea by Bob H. that we wanted to make a top-secret wine, which then turned into a special wine to honor Dr. Bob. This set into motion what would turn out to be the Estate Founder’s Reserve. This wine is a blend of some of Dr. Bob’s favorite varietals, vineyard blocks, etc. We blended this wine and barrel-aged it for 30 months, which ultimately wouldn’t be officially released until it had also been in bottle for well over a year. We also created a unique back label to commemorate Dr. Bob and this special wine forever. Mind you, we have zero plans to ever make this wine again. There were a very limited few who had any knowledge of this effort, and we were able to keep the surprise for Dr. Bob until April of 2025. This past fall, we held a special Founder’s Dinner to honor him, where he and our guests were finally able to drink this wine.
In short, these three reserve wines represent our most honest expressions of this vintage, our effort, and our authentic approach to winemaking, as we continue to elevate the program and add more value for our wine club family. We hope each of you take advantage of your exclusive opportunity to own and drink these very special wines and share them with family, loved ones and friends.
– Head Winemaker, Garrett Grubbs
