Dear Friends,
Harvest is here, and with it comes the pulse of the season—an exciting time of transformation and renewal, as the vineyards burst with energy and the year’s work begins its journey into the cellar. With the season of transformation in mind, I’d like to introduce our new winemaker Connor Bockman – I’m excited to work alongside Connor to further curate and create the AP portfolio. His background with Donkey & Goat, where vintage after vintage he sought to discover interesting and “off the beaten path” varietals and vineyard sites will only allow us to bring even more interesting, fun and playful wines to our collective members.
I’ll let him take it from here…
Cheers,
Dear Collective Members,
Connor here – reporting for duty at my first harvest with the Abbot’s Passage and Gundlach Bundschu teams. What a dream and a wild ride – I couldn’t be more excited to connect with you. What excites me most about Abbot’s Passage is its spirit of exploration—crafting field blends that honor place while embracing creativity. Here, I get to work with distinctive vineyard sites and co-fermentations that capture nuance and celebrate the beauty of imperfection.
As we head into harvest, our regenerative practices are flourishing under the watchful eye of our Sustainability Manager Meghan Murphy. From expanding no-till acreage and majorly increasing our diverse cover-cropping this past season to ramping up the use of sheep and livestock, each step is building healthier vines and richer biodiversity. A cooler summer has slowed ripening, giving me the chance to get to know each block in depth.
I’m especially looking forward to the Syrah and Viognier from the high-elevation Fenaughty Vineyard – wines full of energy and character that will be featured in our Fall/Winter Collective shipment next year. As we head into harvest, it’s inspiring to know that the work happening in the vineyards today will shape the wines we’ll enjoy together for months and years to come. I can’t wait to share them, and this exciting new chapter, with you soon.
With gratitude,
Connor Bockman
