Our favorite picture is on our website with Nate, below left in shadow paying respect to a sleeping vine in the Wagram. In the background you have to imagine a steep drop off toward an unseen valley below. Over the years on these visits, we have noticed that most decent vineyards are not planted on flat ground. Many are on hills. In cases, the steeper the better. In fact, we like seeing vineyards on hills from the slow perspective of a bike ride. Nature’s details stay with you at that speed. At Steep Hill, we’re not going to bring you a sample of commercial malbec from Mendoza, a silly pinot grigio or a pink rose with a social comment in the name. Instead, we want to focus on less obvious trends – a graceful, unoaked Cesanese from Lazio or a Muscadet that aged over four years on its lees or maybe a Spanish field blend raised in amphora. Of the eight original growers we sell in NYC, five farm under 10 hectares. Those average under 3500 cases in production. They make wine from a sense of tradition and family. We do hope we will have enough wine to sell. That may require more bike rides up steep hills. But if you’ll contact us, we can show you a few of our discoveries. Cheers