Arrow&Branch Investor Weekend Kicks Off!

So, we headed to Napa at the end of June for what turned out to be one of the most interesting and memorable wine-related trips Dio and I have ever undertaken. In previous posts, I’ve discussed plenty about the myriad of wineries, vineyards and restaurants we enjoyed taking in with our friends Rami and Keiko while we were there. However, the entire reason for what stands as our fifth trip to the region was to attend the “Investor Grand Opening Celebration” at Arrow&Branch Winery.

Over the course of three days, the two of us took part in a number of private experiences, all designed especially for those who had chosen to financially back A&B’s latest (and perhaps most impressive) expansion yet. Private tours, intimate gatherings and exclusive tastings of brand-new wines were all on the menu, so to speak. These were all invitation-only happenings, so we were on our own for them, meeting up with Rami and Keiko during our free time.

I thought I’d give you a series of snapshots (both verbal and actual) of what it’s like to attend a multifaceted event of this type, as it was fascinating and illuminating.

We’d received our invitations back in April 2024 but had known about the celebration a few months prior to that, so by the time it came to fly to California we’d had plenty of time to get excited about the trip. We arrived on Thursday, June 27th, and woke up the next morning ready to go for an almost insanely full day of fine wines and food.

First up was a tasting at Anomaly Vineyards (which you can read about here), followed by a lunch centered around the wines of Wow and Flutter Winery (which you can read about here, followed immediately by another tasting at the bewitching Bella Oaks property (which you can read about here).

I think even diehard wine lovers and foodies might find an itinerary like that exhausting. But we were just getting started!

WINE AND CANAPÉS!

Next, we headed back to our hotel to change into what we’d be wearing for dinner later that evening at The French Laundry with Rami and Keiko. But before that, we had one more very important stop to make: the Welcome Reception at the home of the Contursi’s, owners of A&B, as well as highly respected international rare coin collectors and dealers.

We’d been to this home before, back in 2023, for our very first Arrow&Branch tasting, but that was just the two of us. This event was billed as “Join our family winery investors and Rare Coin Fund investors for wine and canapés before your dinner reservations.” We arrived a few minutes after things had gotten underway, and here’s what we saw as we arrived:

Our friend Michael Ploetz, A&B’s Vice President of Hospitality and Sales smiled as he handed us both glasses of a quite delicious NV Clotilde Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut. Then we headed to the back deck, which was filled with people who greeted us warmly. This was definitely a very festive celebration for all involved. Steve Contursi made some brief remarks welcoming everyone, introducing himself and his family, and thanking all in attendance for believing in A&B enough to invest in their substantial growth. He spoke a bit about all the upcoming events we had to look forward to over the next few days and gave us a quick status update on the new winery.

Then Dio and I wandered around, mingling and getting to know many of the other investors a bit, none of whom we had ever met prior to this gathering. We realized we were the only folks there from Georgia, let alone Atlanta. Most were from California while several were from Texas and various other states.

But how cool is it that almost immediately we met some fellow CellarTracker members? This was the first time that had ever happened in real life (or IRL, as the kids say). I certainly know other people who use that site, but in all of those previous instances, I knew the folks already and only later learned they were members.

That evening, I actually recognized the person’s username, because we own a number of the exact same wines and wind up posting tasting notes on many of the same things. He goes by the handle “Geaux Tigers” on the site, but his actual name is Michael Cromwell (fear not, he gave me permission to reveal this info here!). It was a really fun surprise.

He recognized my username too, so of course we wound up talking about the tastings each of us had done up to that point in the trip. We both also came to learn there were other investors who used CellarTracker as well. When our discussion turned to that night’s dinner plans and I mentioned that we were headed to The French Laundry, it turned out they had reservations there for the very next night. Like minds, I guess?

We also got to hang a bit with Michael Ploetz and meet his wife Mariesa for the first time. Here’s a photo of Michael, Dio and myself from that reception.

Over the course of this event, we tried all of the featured Arrow&Branch wines: two reds and a white. They included the 2017 Black Label, the 2019 Right Bank Blend and the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc.

All of them were wonderful and treats to try, but I opted not to make any detailed notes about each one as our focus was on socializing.

After making the rounds and chatting with as many fellow attendees as we could, it was time to head to dinner (which you can read about here.)

The next morning we were up fairly early to tour the brand-new winery, taste their latest offerings, and even get an up-close look at an insanely valuable rare coins. All that and more in my next post!