The Toad Hollow Gazette

Since 1983
"All the News That's Hoppinin' in The Hollow"

Fall 1999, Issue 11

I simply cannot believe that it's time for our Fall Newsletter. Where does the time go?

Right now, we are holding our breath and praying for no rain and continued warm weather for the next several weeks. The summer of 1999 was much like the summer of '98 -- periods of unseasonably hot weather followed by periods of unseasonably cool weather, which slows the ripening of the grapes, so we anticipate a rather late harvest (mid-October). If the rains stay away, we should have a good harvest; we don't wish to think about the alternative.

Toad Hollow has been thriving and growing in 1999. We released our first Zinfandel, "Cacophony," our first Merlot, and you should be seeing our first sparkling wine, named "Amplexus" by mid-September (just in time for the holidays!). The 1998 Chardonnay has been very well received in the market place. While very rich and tasty, the 1997 vintage had a bit more residual sugar than the norm, but the 1998 found us back on track with a much dryer, crisper wine. Seems more and more people are fancying our style -- no oak, stainless steel fermentation -- which results in a very crisp and clean wine that pairs well with food but is equally enjoyable on its own. Let the fruit shine through -- what a good idea! We anticipate being sold out of the Chardonnay by the end of the year. Since the next vintage will not be released until April 1, 2000, we recommend that you stock up while you can.

By now many of you should be familiar with our 1997 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, which we released in June of 1998. This wine has won many medals, and most recently received two golds at the California State Fair, one of which was for best of class of region. Yea for us! Another highlight of the year was being invited to pour our Pinot at the Oregon International Pinot Noir Celebration in late June. This is a very prestigious event, and we were proud and excited to be included. This wine event is in a category all its own -- absolutely wonderful wine and food served in a great setting, fun and interesting classes -- several spectacular meals, tastings, etc. over two and one-half days. Tickets are quite pricey and difficult to come by, but we recommend anyone particularly interested in Pinot Noirs to make the effort. We promise, you won't be disappointed.

Our 1997 Reserve Merlot is a real gem. Dr. Toad refers to it as his baby girl. It is 100% Merlot, off the vines right in front of Toad Hollow World Headquarters. This is a very young vineyard, producing incredible fruit. Since we released only 2000 cases of the 1997, you may have to search around to find this wine in your market, but it is definitely worth the effort.

A word to the wise -- 1997 was an incredible year for wine (particularly the reds), both in quality and quantity. While you will see some fine wines from 1998, you will certainly not see them in great abundance. Once again, a good reason to stock up. We will be releasing a 1998 Zin next year, but we will not be releasing a 1998 Pinot due to the uncooperative weather. The Pinot grape is particularly difficult to grow even during a perfect growing season. And, we will also not have a 1998 Merlot due to some problems encountered during the harvest. In other words, get your Toad Hollow reds while you can.

The Eye of the Toad Rosé has been sold out since mid-summer. Expect to see a new release in April of 2000. I'm happy to report that we've made many, many converts with this wine. I'm only sorry that we have to go without for a few months, especially since this is my favorite.

Note to restaurants and retailers: Toad Hollow provides fun shelf talkers and case cards for each of its wines. These should be available through your local distributor, but call us directly if you need assistance.

Our new sparkler is an import from Limoux, France, from Sieur d'Arques, the same producer as our Le Faux Frog Chardonnay and Merlot which were out a year or two ago. This is a very dry crémant brut, tiny bubbles -- with a creaminess not normally found in a sparkling wine so reasonably priced. And people are loving the package -- another weird and wonderful label thought up by the good Dr. Toad and brought to fruition by our wonderful artist and dear friend Maureen Erickson. What better way to ring in the new year -- let's make Y2K the Year of the Toad!!!

We still have available for your wearing pleasure Toad Hollow t-shirts and golf caps -- $12 each, including tax and shipping. In addition, we have a limited number of khaki colored (100% cotton) embroidered golf shirts which will sell for $25. We also have two posters -- Cacophony and Breakfast at Poppies. The posters are $10. Let us know if you wish to have them personalized by Todd.

We're also planning to carry long sleeve shirts in khaki twill, as well as dark blue denim. These shirts will sell for $35. I must warn you that once we receive your request and check, you may have to wait 6-8 weeks to receive your order. This is due to the fact that we will only be able to keep a small stock on hand due to the high cost. Feel free to call to see what we have on hand at any given time -- and if you assure us that a check is on its way, we can always put your order aside. These shirts are high quality and run pretty large, so keep that in mind when ordering. (I would suggest ordering one size smaller than you normally wear.)

Check us out on our web site (www.toadhollow.com) for info on the wines, our travel schedule, soft goods, etc. And don't hesitate to call to ask about our logo wear, where the wines can be purchased in your neighborhood, or just to chat about Toad Hollow in general. We love hearing from you toadies.

We anticipate releasing a reserve Pinot Noir from our new vineyards and another reserve Merlot in 2001. We are hoping to release a larger volume of Chardonnay in 2000, and we may be introducing some Le Faux Frog wines around the first of the year. Due to our incredible growth over the last few years, we find ourselves outgrowing our current digs. We are working out the many details involved in either doing a building expansion or even a new building -- but in the meantime, we have banished the Toad to a trailer behind the main building. The sign to his office now says "Trailer Trash." But seriously, while going through these growing pains, if you find us neglectful or tardy in following through with our toad duties, remember that there are very few of us here (especially when Todd and I are traveling), and our supporters seem to be spawning like schools of tadpoles. Don't get me wrong -- we love it -- we're just having some trouble adjusting to not being able to keep everyone happy all the time.

Another new part-timer has joined the crew here at Toad Hollow World Headquarters -- Laura Boverhuis.

Since I am the Food Police (aka Keeper of the Toad), I've found it necessary to travel full time with Todd this past year. It has been wonderful to meet so many good people and to experience different parts of the country. I can't believe how many new friends we've made. Thank you all so much for your support -- you mean the world to us.

info@toadhollow.com