San Francisco/New York, January 14th, 2009 – Geyser Peak winery is officially launching its highly anticipated artisanal line of Block Collection wines – award-winning winemaker Mick Schroeter’s expression of the complexity inherent in site-specific winemaking in Sonoma County’s Alexander and Russian River Valleys - at two signature culinary events: Wednesday, January 14 in San Francisco at Bacar and Wednesday, January 21 in New York, NY at Bouley Test Kitchen.

In the short time since their release, these limited production wines – the new vintages are less than 4,000 cases each - have already become highly sought after by sommeliers and select independent retailers. Pre-release samples have received ratings of over 90 points and the winery is already sold out of the 07 Sauvignon Blanc. The three wines in the Block Collection are the River Ranches Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley, CA); Water Bend Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, CA); and Walking Tree Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, CA).

“We are thrilled with the response from the leading wine buyers and opinion formers who have previewed the wines,” explains winemaker Mick Schroeter. “The Block Collection is the ultimate manifestation of our ‘Easy Going Attitude, Exceptional Wine’ mantra. These are approachable (under $25 a bottle), beautifully expressive wines of balance and character, crafted to greatly enhance quality dining experiences, and act as ambassadors for the Russian River and Alexander Valleys.”

Created as expressive wines of balance and character that are meant to pair with a wide range of cuisines, Mick has teamed up with renowned chef Morgan Mueller at San Francisco’s Bacar, where Mick’s meticulously sourced Block Collection wines made from individual parcels within the finest Russian River and Alexander Valley vineyards are being paired with Morgan’s meticulously sourced cuisine made from local farmers’ market ingredients. In New York, Mick is working with celebrity chef David Bouley, who is pairing the cuisines of his three different restaurants – his yet-to-be-opened Asian restaurant, his new Mediterranean restaurant Secession and his newly renovated Bouley – with each of the three Block Collection wines.

Unlike vineyard-designate wines, the Block Collection is a blend of special blocks within multiple vineyards to balance, enhance and show the specificity of the respective region in the finished wine– the Alexander and Russian River Valleys. The grapes from these parcels are vinified separately in small lots and resulting wines are then tasted blind to see which blocks “dramatically jump out of the glass” with elements that Mick feels are a true reflection of the terroir. From this tasting, four trial blends are created and then tasted blind again to select the best one.

According to Mick, his cool climate Block Collection River Ranches Sauvignon Blanc’s bright acidity and elegance pairs well with spicy Asian or Thai food, sushi and curries, while the structured and palate-cleansing Water Bend Chardonnay shows well with cream-based dishes such as creamy curries, cream-based Thai, and creamy pasta dishes. The Walking Tree Cabernet Sauvignon is created in a New World style with fleshy, voluptuous, rich, upfront fruit. With its dominance of berry fruit, this wine is typical of Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and is a natural for steak houses, matching perfectly with a marbled rib eye.