ARTICLES
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The Wall Street Journal 2009 Arise - "Mr. Pott consults to 10 Napa estates and also makes his own wine. He said he believes that one of the chief benefits of hiring a winemaking consultant is having someone with wide-ranging experience" |
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PressDemocrat.com "Blackbird's just-released 2012 Arriviste is a Napa Valley rosé...grapes come from some of the finest vineyards in Napa, from Stagecoach and Hudson to Crocker & Starr, a prime home for cabernet franc." |
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Forbes.com "2010 Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian calls to mind Edgar Allen Poe...surely a dark and serious wine awaits in the bottle." |
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Napa Valley Life Magazine "Featuring Michael Polenske - Chairman, Creative Director of Bespoke Collection" |
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San Diego Magazine "Look for a Blackbird Vineyards Wine Dinner at the Grand Del Mar on Friday, March 29, featuring the terroir-driven, Pomerol-inspired wines from Napa Valley..." |
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City & Shore Magazine "Wines from California and Oregon uncorked Best of Show and Best of Class honors at the American Fine Wine Competition, a homegrown South Florida competition now in its sixth year. 2010 Blackbird Vineyards Arise | Best in Class" |
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Nob Hill Gazette "The Beatles famously wrote about blackbirds singing in the dead of night, waiting for their moment to arise. Did you know there is a Napa Valley winery, tucked in the middle of our tranquil wine country, and amid an array of our fine feathered friends, inspired by this famous song?" |
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Robb Report "Blackbird Vineyards 2009 Illustration...The signature blend from this Oak Knoll District producer, this masterful Pomerol-style blend—another creation from winemaker Aaron Pott..." |
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Food & Wine Magazine "Aaron Pott is trying to take Napa Cabernet back to its roots...also true of the wines he makes for star properties like Blackbird and Seven Stones." |
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Forbes Life "...the Blackbird is an enlivening drink, taut and cascadingly flavorful, and one Michael Polenske might have named for himself, a blend dubbed The Contrarian." |
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Robb Report "(Blackbird Vineyards) owes its existence to the keen eye (and palate) of (Michael) Polenske, who in 2003 bought a parcel in Napa's Oak Knoll District that produced Merlot on par with Pomerol, France's most impressive estates." |
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Bloomberg "Chinese Wine Lovers Go Californian As Taste Widens" |
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Wine Spectator "Auction Napa Valley Raises Over $8 Million" |
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SF Weekly "Blackbird Vineyards is a great business story and makes some very nice wines..." |
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Wall Street Journal "The Mouth Behind Some of Napa's Best Wines" |
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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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 "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 |
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C Magazine "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 "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 "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 "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." |
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