Cru & Cellar

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The 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages remain in barrel. Cru & Cellar

Direct-to-Consumer

Winery Worth $50 Million Has Never Sold A Bottle

Waitlist at 6,200 against 900 cases.

By Maeve Killoran

CALISTOGA, CA

Reporting a waitlist of 6,200 names against an annual production of 900 cases, a Calistoga winery confirmed Wednesday that it has never released a bottle to a customer and is currently valued at $50 million, sources reported.

The winery has run three allocation cycles since 2021. Each was oversubscribed. None resulted in a shipment.

Wooden wine cases stacked high and shrink-wrapped in plastic in a dim climate-controlled warehouse.
Three allocation cycles. Zero shipments.

“Our demand on paper is through the roof. We’re turning away four out of every five people who apply, and understand, that’s before we’ve made anything available to anybody,” said founder Whit Cranmer, adding that the winery had recently declined an unsolicited offer from a Hong Kong buyer for the entire vintage. “Would we ever actually sell one? Are you crazy? Right now we’re worth fifty million dollars. The only thing that could hurt us is if we actually had a customer. The second a bottle is out there, somebody drinks it, somebody has an opinion about it, and then we’re just a wine.”

The 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages remain in barrel. Cranmer said the delay is a quality decision.

At press time, the winery had opened applications for its 2027 allocation and raised the waitlist deposit to $500.

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