April 22, 2026
Late, even budburst — the cold hung on at 200–500 m and kept the vines asleep an extra week. I don't mind; slow starts tend to finish right.
2026 Vintage
Willow Creek Zinfandel
Paso Robles, USA
About this Crew
Revealed on enrollment
Winemaker
A working estate in Paso Robles, USA — Zinfandel farmed on calcareous shale and limestone over clay, warm days, dramatic cool nights off the pacific. In the Crew model the winemaker stays anonymous until you enroll; until then the platform stands behind the data, the track record, and the samples. You meet them, and see the name, when you commit.
The history.
These vines sit on calcareous shale and limestone over clay at 200–500 m. The estate has farmed Paso Robles, California for generations; we kept the old blocks and rebuilt the cellar around gravity.
What this vintage is showing so far.
“Late budburst this year — warm days, dramatic cool nights off the pacific kept the vines asleep an extra week. I don't mind. Fruit that comes in slow tends to come in right.”
— the winemaker, updated this month
Philosophy.
Whole bunches when the stems are ripe, destemmed when they're not. Native ferment, long and slow. warm days, dramatic cool nights off the pacific does most of the shaping — restraint does the rest.
The year ahead
Every shipment, every sample, every pick.
Real dates as they're known. Updated as the vintage progresses.
May 2026
Flowering update
Fruit set, first yield estimate.
August 2026
Verijuice ships
Pressed from green fruit, shipped to every member.
September 2026
Pick expected
Livestream from dawn. Date confirmed 48 hours ahead.
December 2026
Post-ferment sample
Your wine at its youngest, weeks after pressing.
March 2027
First barrel sample
A pull from the vessel where your wine lives.
May 2027
Blend trial
Vote on the final cuvée with the Crew.
August 2027
Bottling
Livestream from the bottling line.
October 2027
Wine arrives
Your bottles, allocated pro-rata to your vines.
May 2026
Flowering update
Fruit set, first yield estimate.
August 2026
Verijuice ships
Pressed from green fruit, shipped to every member.
September 2026
Pick expected
Livestream from dawn. Date confirmed 48 hours ahead.
December 2026
Post-ferment sample
Your wine at its youngest, weeks after pressing.
March 2027
First barrel sample
A pull from the vessel where your wine lives.
May 2027
Blend trial
Vote on the final cuvée with the Crew.
August 2027
Bottling
Livestream from the bottling line.
October 2027
Wine arrives
Your bottles, allocated pro-rata to your vines.
Meet the current Crew
18
members
12
cities
5
countries represented
15 yrs
average tenure in wine
No individual profiles — privacy matters inside the Crew. You'll meet each other once you're in.
How it's priced
By the vine.
The winemaker sets the price per vine. Buy as few as 5 — choose how many in the next step. Your bottles are allocated pro-rata to your vines.
Willow Creek Zinfandel
Priced by the vine · 5-vine minimum
$65 / vine
From $325 · 5 vines · USD
- A share of the lot, by the vine (5-vine minimum)
- Samples across the season: verijuice, post-ferment, barrel, finished wine
- A vote at every fork — pick date, oak, where the blend lands
- Your bottles at release, allocated pro-rata to your vines
- Livestream access to every moment
103 vines left
Pickup or ship
How your wine reaches you.
Swing by the tasting room when the next shipment is ready. Free. For everyone else, ship is the default and equally smooth.
Ship to my address
Standard carrier, adult signature required. Flat fee per shipment. You can switch the destination per shipment at any time.
Ships to: US
Choose at signup. Switch per shipment anytime.
Recent updates
From the rows.
April 2, 2026
Finished pruning the home block today. My hands are reminding me how many cuts that is. The oldest vines on calcareous shale and limestone over clay get pruned last, by me, every year.
March 16, 2026
Reservoir check came back lower than I'd like. We'll dry-farm the old vines and water only the young ones. Less wine, but the right wine.
Join this Crew.
One year of your life, inside one vineyard's year. You'll follow the winemaker from bud break to bottle.