Dear Customers;

I thought I should start off by letting you know that Castalia's web site is now up and running. Please visit castaliawines.com where you can order the wine or send me e-mail with questions or problems.

In 2006 the weather allowed the grapes to fully mature. The yields were back in balance, even a little low, The wine (328 cases made) shows very bright fruit tones, almost Burgundian in style. There is an earthy concentration with the dark fruit and cola that epitomizes the Russian River Pinot Noir. It is very similar in style to the '04 and '02 Vintages which makes it one of my better wines of the decade.

I have had to raise my prices for the first time in four years. With my production set at about 325 cases a year, inflation and gas prices are affecting my costs, making it very hard to maintain long term pricing. The only way I can increase my revenue is by selling more wine to my retail customers on my mailing list. So if you enjoy my wine, tell a friend, this will allow me to maintain a reasonable price point for my wine.

The wine is a blend of several vineyards. There are nine barrels of River Block and four barrels of the Flad Block The River Block is about 19 years old now and is showing the unique qualities and flavors that make it a top of the line wine wherever it is made. I was able to use an older vineyard (Flad Block) planted to the West Block clone, as is the River Block. Although the vineyard does not have a commercial name, I consider it to be of an equal quality to the River Block. The wine is kept in barrels for 15 months 30% in new French oak. Keeping the wine in barrels longer means that I lose a case of wine every time the wine is topped (four or five cases total). I also have to buy more barrels for each new vintage rather than bottling them early so they would be available. Since I only make 325 cases each year this can add up in extra costs. I do feel that the wine quality reflects this added effort.

*** The shipping rules for almost every State has changed. States that used to be reciprocal are no longer. Most States require special licenses and fees from shipping wineries, making it very hard for wineries my size. Please read the shipping rules to see if you are in a reciprocal State. Otherwise you MUST pay California sales tax. A lot of States will require 2 day air freight (see shipping rules) or an alternate shipper which can be a lot more expensive. Please check with Fitch Mtn. Pkg. to make sure there are no problems.

The wines are becoming expensive to ship, so I want you to be aware how much less expensive it is to ship to a business address! The shipping costs are very expensive to start with so please use a business address to ship to if you can. I use Fitch Mountain Packaging to ship all the wines. Please call them to confirm actual shipping costs and other details, because shipping has become too complicated (reciprocal, dry county, ups or air for example), to predict actual cost or other problems.

Thank you all for your support, enjoy the wine and remember to tell a friend.

Terry Bering