ARTICLES
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Metro Society "Blackbird vineyards brings New World wines with Old World élan to the table..." |
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Robb Report - Host's Guide "2010 Arriviste Rosé - a refreshing rosé that achieves a beautiful harmony ($24)..." |
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InStyle "Try a little taste. Finally, a miniature bottle that delivers maximum value. The Flock Box Collection ($48) allows you to taste wine that would cost more than $400 when it comes in standard bottles." |
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O Magazine - The O List "Tour a winery without leaving your kitchen thanks to Blackbird Vineyards' extraordinary sampler of six 50ml bottles of red and rosé (Flock Box Collection)..." |
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San Francisco Chronicle - California Bordeaux-style blend recommendations "It is logical that wine regions noted for Cabernet Sauvignon, such as Napa Valley, can also produce noteworthy blends of traditional red Bordeaux varietals. Our recommendations... 2007 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration Napa Valley Red Wine." |
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Uncork Life! Blog - Wine Review Wednesday: Blackbird Vineyards "Blackbird relies on sustainable farming, noninterventionist vinification, rigorous fruit selection, and a willingness to produce less wine if that means raising its quality and staying true to the vintage. I recently had the chance to taste the new releases, and was utterly blown away by the wines' expressiveness right now and potential for evolution in the long term." |
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Gentry - Art and Wine "Michael Polenske has honed his skills over the years as a master of public relations, keenly understanding the synergy between good press and good business. His latest ventures in Napa Valley have made him a media darling, but the hype would be short-lived if his products weren't great - and they are." |
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Rosewood Magazine - Influentials: From City to Rusticity "In Napa Valley, where many winemakers go from profitable wine making to art collecting, Michael Polenske, the valley's most recent vintner turned gallerist, is an exception. His interest in art began when he was a boy scout in Washington D.C. where his father, a military pilot, worked under Nixon." |
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Sophisticated Living - The Business of Leisure "Blackbird Vineyards is one of the many outstanding vintners participating in the Lexington Cancer Foundation's 2010 wine auction (Thursday, April 29) at Keeneland. Blackbird Vineyard founder Michael Polenske has been an ardent supporter of the LCF, not only through his participation at the event, but also as a host for related vintner events taking place in Napa Valley." |
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San Francisco Chronicle - Michael Polenske's Blackbird winery takes flight "After making his fortune teaching others how to build theirs, Michael Polenske quit the world of financial planning to pursue his dream of becoming a Napa Valley vintner. Making Merlot, no less, a wine whose sales were eviscerated by the 2004 movie "Sideways," in which the fictional wine snob Miles delivers a now-famous (and profane) rant against the varietal..." |
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Chicago Tribune - Seasonal wine splurges "Whether the bottle is meant for Christmas present or Christmas future, these Napa Valley wines combine a fruit-forward friendliness with the tannic structure needed for aging. 2007 Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian: A big hit with the tasting panel, this is a blend of 46 percent cabernet franc, 34 percent merlot and 20 percent cabernet sauvignon..." *** $90 |
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Playboy - The Imbiber: Grape Expectations "Napa is an international standard bearer for cabernet sauvignon, but Blackbird is hell-bent on putting NoCal merlot on the map. If the just-released 2007 vintages I tried - Arise ($50) and Illustration ($90) - are any indication, consider its rep redeemed. Both are extremely approachable and well put-together..." |
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Robb Report - 100 Perfect Pours "Renowned for its miraculously complex Merlot-based wine, Blackbird Vineyards has historically flouted Napa Valley tradition by emphasizing red Bordeaux varietals..." |
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Luxury Las Vegas "Bottled Poetry. Blackbird debuted its first vintage in 2003. Its name derived from the French patois for Merlot, 'Little Blackbird'. Appropriately, their vineyard in the Oak Knoll District is planted to Merlot, and their wine style reflects Pomerol wines..." |
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Cooking Light "Top 10 gift wines" |
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Town & Country "Blackbird Vineyards helps an oenophile craft a personal blend of its Illustration Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine..." |
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Men's Journal - "2008 Best List" - Best Red under $100-Blackbird 2006 Illustration Proprietary Red Wine "It's the first American merlot with the flavor and complexity of the great French Bordeaux. And it's still a bargain relative to other luxury wines..." |
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Robb Report - "101 Fabulous Fermentations" "These brilliant bottles are guaranteed to please the crankiest connoisseur and supply some welcome liquid cheer to beleaguered hosts..." |
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Men's Journal - "Merlot is Back" "For years, overdone merlot has been too embarrassing to order. But now vineyards are turning out great-value bottles you just can't miss..." |
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Sommelier Journal - Winery Spotlight - Blackbird Vineyards - Oak Knoll District, California. "A three-word, hand-scrawled change in an employment contract bought Michael Polenske his dream vineyard in Napa Valley... with Merlot overdue for a return to prominence, it looks like it's time for this little Blackbird to fly..." |
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Travel + Leisure GOLF "Every few years a flock of new, would-be cult wines appears in Napa Valley. Most of them are turkeys; a few soar like eagles. One of the more impressive newcomers has been a merlot-dominated blend from Blackbird Vineyards..." |
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Robb Report - "Best of the Best" "Several of the most coveted and long-lived wines of Bordeaux—Chateau Petrus and Chateau Le Pin, for instance—are Merlot-based. Michael Polenske, entrepreneur and proprietor of Blackbird Vineyards, is among these Merlot admirers, and his releases stand among Napa's most beautifully articulated boutique wines..." |
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Vanity Fair Blackbird Vineyards released its acclaimed 2005 Napa Valley Proprietary Red at a V.I.P. dinner, hosted by Chanel, honoring the Host Committee of the charity P.S. Arts. The gala event was held at Cut, Wolfgang Puck's ultra-chic Beverly Hills steak house, and the exclusive wine poured was the Proprietary Red. |
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Town & Country The 2005 Blackbird Vineyards "Paramour" Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine is endorsed by Town & Country as their "Perfect Gift for the Home." |
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Robb Report "Winemaker Sarah Gott has shown once again she is a virtuoso in handling this (Merlot) grape...The 2004 tempers powerful fruit with earth elements of roasted coffee, cocoa, and ginger, all of which are wrapped up in a texture like royal red velvet." |
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Stratos Merlot has fallen out of favor with some, but enophiles know it is the grape that powers Chateau Petrus, among the most sought after wines in the world. |
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Food and Wine Ask Michael Polenske, 45, why he decided to give up an extraordinarily successful career in finance to start Blackbird Vineyards, his Napa Valley winery, and he'll say wryly, "Why take a vow of poverty, you mean?" |
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In Style Magazine The Perfect Gift...For The Proud Homeowner |
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C Magazine Gourmet Gifts "Never mind those cruel jokes in Sideways. Merlot can be marvelous, and the limited-production release of winemaker Sarah Gott's Blackbird Vineyards 2004 Merlot ($80; six bottle allocation) shows the subtle finesse of Napa's other red wine." |
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Distinctive Living Michael Polenske and His "Business of Leisure" "Funnily enough, it all started at Chico State, the place investment advisor and entrepreneur Michael Polenske calls "the very prestigious university in Northern California that was rated the Number One party school in 'Playboy' magazine two out of the three years that I was there." He must have learned something in those formative years..." |
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San Francisco Bay Club Enjoying the Business of Leisure "Bay Club member Michael Polenske does more than just enjoy the good life-he creates it. This full-time investment advisor and part-time entrepreneur has fashioned a collection of lifestyle-based ventures that reflect his passion for great food and wine, and the little things that make life sweeter." |
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7x7 Introducing the latest must-have Merlot "You've heard it before: Wealthy guy buys expensive vineyard in Napa Valley, produces small amount of expensive wine. It's the tale of Michael Polenske, the owner of Blackbird Vineyards, who was finally able to make his vinous dreams come true in 2003, after years of long hours in a lucrative financial business." |
