My Sincere Thanks to All for a Great 2009 Vintage!

As the 2009 vintage comes to an end, I want to thank everybody that helped make the Atlas Peak wines. It was a lot of hard work, but I think we had a lot of fun along the way, while making some fantastic wines!

Sixteen months ago, in August of 2008 Atlas Peak moved its winemaking operations from our home of 20 years in Napa, to the Buena Vista Carneros winery in Sonoma. It was difficult to leave the place were we made Atlas Peak wines for more than 20 years. However, I believe we made this decision putting quality first and getting an upgrade in winery facility and equipment.

The Buena Vista Carneros winery is a state of the art winemaking facility in the heart of Carneros. The "Open Top" room is lined with small fermenters that are perfectly suited for small lot Cabernet Sauvignon winemaking. In the 2009 vintage we fermented 20 % of our wine in 10-ton fermenters, and 80% of our wine was fermented in 7-ton fermenters or smaller; a luxury that we could have never achieved in the Napa winery.

A special thanks needs to go to the entire winemaking staff at Buena Vista Carneros for their contributions in making the Atlas Peak wines. Jeff (Winemaker for Buena Vista Carneros), Jaeson (Associate Winemaker for both BVC and AP), Sam (Production Manager), and Monica (Production Assistant). And to Nicole who sources amazing grapes from some of the best mountain top Napa Valley vineyards. From these grapes we craft our Napa Valley blend as well as individual bottlings from Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District, Howell Mountain, and Atlas Peak.

And finally to Anna (Assistant Winemaker), whom me missed this vintage as she filled in as associate winemaker at Geyser Peak Winery. We all look forward to your return. The vintage was just a little too quiet without you!



There are also many people to thank, so I am going to try to list them all. It is quite a big team that keeps the winery running. The cellar crew is led by Sam, Mario, and Eron. The cellar crew for 2009; Ray, Xochilt, Mario, Kris, Maria, Myra, Scott, Graham, Nick, Lisa, Jualberto, Sonia, Oscar, Rudy, Jose, Juan, Alfonso, and all the international interns, Viorel (Republic of Maldova), Radu (Republic of Maldova), Jon (New Zealand), Rodrigo (Chile). Thanks to Dick, Norm, Luis and Margarito, for keeping the place running. Thanks to Debby for keeping all the records in order and to the sorting crew that stood there hour after hour making sure that every leaf and every piece of stem are removed so that we have only the highest quality of grapes going into each fermenter. And to the lab with Jose, Daniela (Republic of Maldova), and Raj, who kept the lab analysis coming all season.


Cheers,

Darren C. Procsal


Winemaker


Atlas Peak

Atlas Peak-Buena Vista Carneros Dueling Winemaker Dinner at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar

Join us for a fantastic afternoon of friends, food and wonderful wines!

Earth Wind & Fire
In celebration of Earth Day (April 22)

Sunday April 19, 2009
2:00 Reception
2:30 Dinner

$95.00, plus tax and gratuity

Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar:
1325 Broadway Street
Sonoma, CA 95476
707-931-2042
http://www.thelodgeatsonoma.com/sonoma-valley-restaurants.html


Make reservations by calling the Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar at 707-931-2042


Atlas Peak
&
Buena Vista Carneros

19 April 2009


Earth Wind & Fire
In celebration of Earth Day (April 22)


water
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Pt Reyes Oysters
Clam Fritters
Buena Vista Carneros 2007 Pinot Gris


wind
Pasta “Carbonara”
Buena Vista Carneros 2005 Chardonnay, Ramal Vineyard


earth 1
Pork Sphere, Truffle Tremor, Fava Beans
Buena Vista Carneros 2005 Pinot Noir, Ramal Vineyard


earth 2
Wagyu Ribeye, Morels,
Atlas Peak 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon


fire
Pancetta Wrapped Spiced Venison, Swiss Chard
Atlas Peak 2004 Claret


heaven
Crispy Chocolate Mousse
Buena Vista Carneros Syrah Port


Chef Janine Falvo
Sommelier Christopher Sawyer


Wine & Food pairing discussion with each course, led by Janine Falvo, Chef de Cuisine, along with banter from Napa Valley mountain man, Darren Procsal of Atlas Peak,
and cool-climate winemaking specialist Jeff Stewart of Buena Vista Carneros, California’s first winery.

Not to be missed!


ABOUT JANINE FALVO & CARNEROS BISTRO
In April 2005, Janine arrived at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar and was quickly promoted to Chef de Cuisine in January 2006. In her new role, Janine upholds the restaurant’s tradition of celebrating the best of local ingredients by offering up the finest organic meats, artisanal cheeses, local produce and baked goods. Falvo’s signature dishes highlight the distinct flavors and rich tastes of Northern California’s wine country and complement the restaurant’s exclusive Sonoma County wine list. Janine’s culinary savvy has earned her recognition as Restaurant Hospitality’s “Rising Star Chef 2007.” As a celebrated Bay Area chef, Falvo has made appearances on ABC’s View from the Bay and Bringing It Home with Laura McIntosh.

ABOUT ATLAS PEAK
Atlas Peak’s winemaker, Darren Procsal, crafts five distinct wines sourced from four of the most renowned appellations in the Napa Valley: Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Howell Mountain. Atlas Peak’s most valuable resource is literally underfoot: the elevation of its vineyards, between 1400 and 1800 feet high above the Napa Valley floor. For more information, please visit www.atlaspeak.com.

ABOUT BUENA VISTA CARNEROS
California's first winery, now under the direction of winemaker Jeff Stewart, focuses on cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah off their Ramal Vineyard Estate, in the heart of the Carneros appellation. The 482-acre vineyard is set along a series of south-facing hillsides overlooking the San Pablo Bay, with more than 107 blocks delineated by geology and topography, have positioned Buena Vista as a leading quality wine producer from the Carneros region. For more information, please visit www.buenavistacarneros.com.