Current status: drowning in emails but sipping great wine

Hi Wine Friends,

I think I jinxed myself this week by telling so many of you how surprisingly calm and organized I was feeling. Her Way is now in full-on pre-production mode, as the countdown is on to drive down to Sonoma and Napa on May 26 to shoot our first two episodes—which is wildly exciting… and also generating a truly staggering number of emails.

While confirming episode guests, hopping on pre-interview Zooms, and coordinating lodging—with the help of our incredible all-female production team!!—I’m also mapping outfits to shoot in (a wardrobe designer is definitely going in the season two budget, y’all), crafting interview questions (so I show up on set sounding like a well-spoken sommelier rather than a sleep-deprived gremlin), and doing my best to keep Arden running smoothly in the meantime…

All this to say: I got to this weekend and had zero idea what I was going to write to you today. So in the interest of not wasting your time, I’ll keep it simple. Here are the wines I loved most this week and why—and a reminder to follow along on Instagram as we head into production in just a few short weeks!

And if you want to help us actually finish this season (next stop: Washington and Oregon!), we’re still raising funds here. No amount is too small, and we’re grateful for every penny.

Wines I loved this week:

🍷 Bergström ‘Old Stones’ Chardonnay
If you follow Arden on social, you know we’re celebrating Oregon Wine Month by featuring a different iconic producer each week with a full flight by the glass. We kicked things off with Bergström, and if you’ve been around me for more than five minutes, you already know I’m a die-hard fan of Josh and Caroline. They’re two of the most generous humans in the business—and they make damn good wine.
This Chardonnay is aged on the lees (aka dead yeast cells) from past vintages, solera-style, which gives it this incredible depth—yeasty, savory, rich—but without any heavy oak or butter. Just pure, textural, umami magic. A true Oregon classic.

🍾 Bérêche ‘Rive Gauche’ Champagne
I swear I’m not trying to turn every newsletter into a Champagne manifesto—but I didn’t even choose this one! We (Team Arden) were at Hundred Suns on Sunday to kick off the blending process for our very own Arden Pinot Noir (!!), and Grant and Renée greeted us with this absolute stunner.

Bérêche is one of the most beloved grower-producers in Champagne, based in the Montagne de Reims. But this particular cuvée—Rive Gauche—is sourced from the left bank of the Marne River and made entirely from Pinot Meunier. It’s plush, blue-fruited, and dense in all the right ways, with just enough lift to keep things lively. This bottle happened to be made from 2012 and 2013 fruit, so it had evolved into this silky, delicate sparkle with layers of richness and a finish that just wouldn’t quit.

🍇 Armstrong Vineyard Pinot Noir
Okay, this one’s a cheat—it wasn’t one wine, it was twelve. I was invited to a seminar at The Wine Yard (home of Division Winemaking Co.) to taste different producers and vintages from a single site: Armstrong Vineyard, in Ribbon Ridge right on the border of the Chehalem Mountains.
Owned by Doug and Michele Ackerman, this 12-acre site is Pinot paradise, supplying grapes to Division, Vincent Wine Company, and Red Electric (Doug and Michelle’s own label, made by Oregon icon John Grochau). We tasted across the 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2023 vintages and it was wild to see how one site could yield such distinct styles. My personal faves? Division’s 2016, Vincent’s 2021, and Red Electric’s 2018. If you see Armstrong Vineyard Pinot on a shelf, grab it.

That’s all I’ve got this week. As you’re reading this, I’m heading down to Sonoma to scout locations for our official shoot. I’ll have more to share next week, but thanks—truly—for being part of the journey.

Cheers,
Kelsey