Cult Comes From Cultivate
The root of the word cult means grow. But what do you think of when you hear the term, “cult wine”? Do you think of growing popularity and growing prices? What made wines like Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, and Harlan cult wines? First and foremost, it had to be the consistently high quality, vintage after vintage that fuels the desire for these wines. Scarcity that comes from micro-production volume and high demand also increases the hysteria, feeding into another meaning of the word cult, “admiration and devotion.”
But this doesn’t happen in a vacuum, which brings us back to “grow”. Tremendous wines can be made that nobody ever hears about. The early cult wines became so by cultivating relationships. The farmer, the winemaker, the vineyard manager, and the wine writers all had to come together to advocate for certain wines over others. As with the finest restaurants, wine scores led the way. Collectors turned to the opinions of revered wine journalists to point them in the direction of these wonderful, but elusive labels.
This brings us to now. The first wave of cult wine enthusiasts are aging out. How will social media, changing consumption trends, and the priorities of younger consumers play out for the latest micro-production wineries that are trying to cut through all the noise? Where will their next consumers come from? It’s not a lack of money. There are plenty of newly minted rich. But what drove the previous generation towards the cult wine pioneers of the last century may have less meaning to a population of younger wine consumers with different values.
We want you to experience the very essence of cult wine – great winemaking. Our independent winemakers are the real deal – experienced, thoughtful land stewards and true artisans. They are all cult in our book!