As of today, Wednesday February 27, 2019, we have experienced the worst flooding that has affected the Russian River area in 24 years. The rain is still falling and therefore the waters have not yet crested.
Initial impact on our business is grave. We cellar all our wine underneath the estate house. From what we can see, since we cannot even access the cellar at this time, is that much of our inventory is under water. This is a major catastrophe for the business and the real extent of the loss is not yet fully known.
Our tasting room is flooded nearly to the ceiling. The Mercedes Riverblock vines—and the Miracle Mile—are underwater by feet, not inches, of water. The river has submerged most of our property, yet luckily most of our living space remains unaffected. We are safe and our pets Sadie and Ricky are safe and accounted for. The extended Gracianna family is OK. We are all OK. We are just trying to cope with what this flooding means for us moving forward.
So for now, all we can do is say keep safe yourself if you are in an area affected by the massive amounts of rain and/or flooding. Our thoughts are with our neighbors on Westside Road and the many communities that are also under water. We will keep you posted as we discover the full extent of this event.
Ironically we were preparing our Spring 2019 newsletter as this disaster unfolded. For those of you who have made appointments starting in the spring, we will reach out to you directly. For our Medallion Wine Club members who just this morning received a message from us about your Spring club, please stay tuned for more information. We will figure this all out.
We are deeply disappointed with watching the river flow through our livelihood. Unfortunately, and in general, flood insurance covers building losses but not commercial content.
And although we know this major loss might dishearten some, we plan to figure out how to continue.
As always we are grateful for your continued support and for many of you who have already reached out to us with your love and kindness during this difficult time.
