Viticulture briefs: Truett-Hurst reports lower sales

Truett-Hurst reports ?lower sales last quarter

Healdsburg wine company ?Truett-Hurst Inc. reported last week that its net sales slightly decreased last quarter compared to the same period a year earlier.

The company said it had ?$5.7 million in sales for the three months ending Dec. 31, down ?1 percent from the period in 2016. Truett-Hurst reported a gross profit of $1.8 million for the quarter, a ?10 percent drop from the previous year.

It also noted in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that a Sonoma County Superior Court judge on Nov. 20 dismissed a court case against it by the parent company of Mendocino Wine Co. Mendocino Wine had alleged that Truett-Hurst helped winemaker Paul Dolan breach his fiduciary duties with the Ukiah winery.

The company’s stock closed Friday at $1.88 per share.

Judges selected for Sonoma ?County Barrel Auction

The Sonoma County Vintners trade group has selected a panel of wine experts for evaluating the wine futures that will be offered at the 2018 Sonoma County Barrel Auction, scheduled for April 20 at the MacMurray Estate Vineyards in Healdsburg.

The seven include six master sommeliers and a master of wine, all of whom will begin double blind tastings of lots early next month.

They will judge each entry for quality and ensure each varietal is a true representation of its appellation.

They include Randall Bertao of Los Altos Golf & Country Club in Los Altos; Sandy Block of Legal Sea Foods in Boston; Evan Goldstein of Full Circle Wine Solutions Inc. in San Francisco; Peter Granoff of the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant & Wine Bar in San Francisco; David Keck of Goodnight Hospitality in Houston; Kyungmoon Kim of The Modern in New York; and Madeline Triffon of Plum Markets in Detroit.

Napa’s Burgess Cellars promotes winemaker

Burgess Cellars of Napa Valley has promoted winemaker Kelly Woods to the position of winemaker-?general manager. Woods has served as head winemaker of the 45-year-old family-owned estate winery since 2013 and will now oversee all departments.

A UC Davis graduate, Woods helped improve the winery’s fermentation and aging protocols.

Her new role will include a focus on hospitality, sales, marketing and administration for the winery located on the western hillside of Howell Mountain.

“When I was hiring for the position of winemaker back in 2012, I was trying to find a candidate that would grow into an upper management position once they learned the company,” said owner Steven Burgess in a statement. “Kelly’s wisdom and span of control has steadily grown here; she has truly earned this official promotion.”

Compiled by Bill Swindell. Submit items to bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com.