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Life moves us as we sculpt it. Synchronicity finds me today with my family in Sonoma County and knee-deep in wine. My family of 4 is a creative team, with backgrounds ranging from fine art, business, music, technology, publishing, healthcare and digital media. I began as an obsessed classical & jazz trombonist, playing with some greats (Woody Herman Orchestra, Air Force Jazz Band, etc.). In the dirt, I was an organic farmer, guided by the Integrated Pest Management research developed at Cornell University. I left western New York with a BS in engineering and crawled westward, following the high-speed paper airplane my resume had become. Technology ensnared me - medical reference labs, satellite technology, complex audio systems (go see a baseball game at Coors Field in Denver and let me know if the sound system is the best in the league like they say it is.) A little time in Utah, hanging out with some renowned pathologists and Harvard case-wielding grad school taskmasters (sorry, Erik. I’m kidding!)...some more time in Colorado as a performing artist and venue provider for punk rock, installation art and positive hip hop culture...

My family and I aggregated ourselves in Denver and came to the Golden State in 2003 amid 15 inches of wet snow. I’ve worked for wine companies (for free and for pay) in the Alexander, Napa, Dry Creek and Silicon Valleys. I consult in several facets of the industry (startup, strategy, compliance, collecting, learning).  I’ve built and modified some incredible wine collections. I’ve judged wine competitions, blogged, been on boards and in wine education societies. I’m a director for Family Winemakers of California. Still a musician/producer, leveraging the Internet as a storefront and listening room. Working on two books. Occasionally sleeping.

The world seems ready for new and exciting wine stuff and it’s an honor to help friends get going as they help me in turn. Simple Math Cellars arose as the result of being in the right place at the right time; one client’s problem became a mutual opportunity, and here we are today - a growing wine company with a fine start and a bright future.

I have 60 seconds to make a first impression. I won’t waste that time describing soil types.

The more people I meet, the more idea of Simple Math is clicking because it’s not about what’s on the tech sheet but what’s in the glass - yum or yuck. That’s it. Value is everyone’s privilege; this is one place to get it.  

Simple Math isn’t just logic - it’s a respectful way of operating in the world.

Thanks for being a part of this collaborative effort.  

Warm regards,   

Christian

2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir:

• Fat fruit, good carry, long finish. Nice bright black/blue fruit up front, cola nut, nice palate.  ~ Tastingroom.com

2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir:

• Brooding, initially sporting aromas of dark cherries, earth and peat, later becoming smoky and tarry. Dark red cherry essence with toasted oak and spice in the background. Nicely balanced and very Russian River Valley in character. Good.        ~ Rusty Gaffney, The Prince of Pinot, PinotFile.com
• And belying the complexity of their wines, the π-adorned Simple Math Cellars derived a winning formula for their first Family Winemakers appearance, with their 2008 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast and a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mayacamas Mountains that portends to age logarithmically.”    ~ D. Marc Capobianco, Wine Program Director, Sostevinonobile, a Wine Bar opening soon in San Francisco
• Light in color - nice! Pomegranate and eucalyptus aromas open to light strawberry flavors with backnotes of toasted hazelnuts on the finish. Pale hued. Herbal nose repeats on the palate with tart red fruit flavors and earthiness mid to late.   ~ collected comments from the 9th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout, San Francisco 2011
•   Medium-deep ruby color; deep, spicy dark cherry aromas with herbal, cinnamon notes; forward, lush, dark berry flavors with herbal and spice notes. Good structure and balance; long finish. Deep and spicy Pinot with lots of room to grow.     Score: 92     The Pinot Report

2008 Napa Valley Pinot  

• Medium-deep ruby color; deep, spicy dark cherry aromas with complex herbal notes; lush, dark cherry flavors with herbal and earthy notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, lush and spicy Pinot with both size and finesse.   Score: 90     The Pinot Report
• “B+” (Bronze Medal Plus) - American Wine Society  
• Cherry and caramel deliciousness! Balanced with good fruit.  SCORE: 4.5 out of 5 stars   Leta S. - Bottlenotes.com
• Floral, oak, berry, black raspberry nose; red berry, black raspberry palate; medium finish.  86  rjonwine.com

2007 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

•  88 points. “The math gets easy when the wine is likeable, and this mid-priced Cabernet is endowed with cherryish fruit and graphite-like notes by way of a certain complexity in both nose and flavor. Quite full in body and plump on the palate, it will be seen as a bit over the top by some but well-liked by others.”    Charles Olken, The Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine 2010
• “B+” (Bronze Medal Plus) - American Wine Society
• A nice cabernet for drinking now. It’s rich in berries, cherries, currants and oak, with smooth tannins and soft acidity. Shows an elaboration that makes it upscale and elegant. - Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast

2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot

• Medium-deep ruby color; bright, spicy cherry and raspberry fruit aromas; forward, fruity, lush cherry and berry flavors with really nice spicy, cinnamon notes; silky texture, sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Bright, forward and spicy Pinot – great for the table.     Score: 91     The Pinot Report
• “B” (Bronze Medal) - American Wine Society  
• Pale hue, Herbal nose. Earthy notes combine with the red fruit flavors. Smooth texture. Smoky and nice camp fire aspects to the finish. Light in color. Pomegranate and eucalyptus on the nose. Light strawberry flavors with toasted hazelnut notes on the finish.  ~ collected comments from the 9th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout, San Francisco 2011

2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

• No hard angles here. The surface is smooth; the pepper bisects a deep core of coffee, black beans and the blackest of berries. I like this wine - its solution is easy to figure out and the sum is drinkability.”  SCORE: 90 points. Meredith May, the Tasting Panel Magazine
• “B” (Bronze Medal) - American Wine Society  
• Black fruit, menthol nose; black fruit, menthol palate; medium finish.   86  rjonwine.com

2008 Sonoma County Chardonnay     

• Silver Medal, Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition 2010
• “B” (Bronze Medal) - American Wine Society    

(2008) Napa Valley Cabernet offers you likeable aroma, balance, finish, fruity flavors, smooth tannins, structure, and delicious taste.

SCORE: 4.5 out of 5    Juwanna, Walla Walla, WA - eBacchus.com

Our wine friends served up this marvelous and outstanding Cab. I agree with (mostly) what the winemaker and the other tasting note writers are saying. Outstanding taste, fruits, tannins, finish, etc.   winefan1 - eBacchus.com

(2007 Sonoma County Cab)             

Simple Math Cellars hit a home run with this Cab. The nose greets you (with) ripe fruits, elegant body, velvety tannins, and a tasty, complex finish

SCORE: 4.5 out of 5       Carl M, Los Angeles - eBacchus.com

Wow, yes, what a real delectable Cabernet Sauvignon should taste like. In addition to delicious taste, fruits and flavors, this Cab offers lengthy and rich finish, beautiful nose and body, complex harmony, elegant balance, wine is deep & mouth-filling with smooth tannins. A wine to remember!   KristinaC - eBacchus.com

Tasted by BigBoy_Sonoma on 3/19/2011 & rated 90 points: Dark fruit, tobacco, cassis and hint of smokey oak on the finish. Nice complexity. (49 views)