We’re always please to hear good news about our clients. Most recently Cabot Vineyards earned a 90-point score from Robert Parker on their Kimberly’s Syrah.

Here’s the full article:

ORLEANS — Cabot Vineyards has caught the attention of Robert Parker, world-renowned wine critic and editor of The Wine Advocate. Parker awarded a score of 90, for an “outstanding or special effort,” to Cabot’s 2006 Kimberly’s Syrah.

Winemaker John Cabot said he was surprised and pleased by the favorable review.

“Our wines are the first wines grown and produced in Humboldt County to be reviewed by Parker,” Cabot said. “The county’s potential to produce great wines is finally getting discovered on a larger scale.”

TIME Magazine calls Parker the most influential voice in the wine industry worldwide. Parker samples 10,000 wines a year for The Wine Advocate, an international magazine in circulation for more than 30 years. In his tasting notes, Parker wrote: “ The Kimberly’s Syrah exhibits plenty of earth, cassis, roasted herb, and crushed berry characteristics in an elegant, layered, medium to full-bodied, attractive, soft style.”

According to Parker’s scoring system for The Wine Advocate, “90-100 is equivalent to an ‘A’ grade and is given only for an outstanding or special effort. Wines in this category are the very best produced of their type.” Located in Orleans along the Klamath River valley, Cabot Vineyards is the northernmost vineyard and winery in California. It is owned by John and Kimberly Cabot, Humboldt State graduates who started as organic farmers selling their produce at farmers’ markets. They started making wine in 2001 and won their first gold medal by 2002.

“The 2006 Kimberly’s Syrah is made from organic Syrah grapes grown in Orleans that we planted in 2003,” Cabot said. “ The vineyard is very rocky and the grapes are small and concentrated. We also coferment organic Viognier with the Syrah, which aids in stabilizing the abundant color in Syrah. It’s amazing that a white grape can help make Syrah more colorful. The Viognier also boosts the aromatics in the wine with its tropical and floral nose.”

The 2006 Kimberly’s Syrah and other award-winning varietals are available in area markets, wine sho ps, restaurants and online at http:// www.cabotvineyards. com. Seven new wines are set for release next spring.

Cabot Vineyards can be reached at 530-469-3397.

We’ve enjoyed working with John and Kimberly Cabot since they started making wine several years ago. Since then, they’ve grown slowly and steadily, with the quality and diversity of their wine constantly improving.

For our part, we’ve helped their brand evolve and, with it, the primary point of contact with their customers — the label itself.

The initial label featured an image of the local salmon. It’s an iconic symbol for the Klamath River in Humboldt County, where Cabot Vineyards is located. And it started to support our brand image that relied heavily on this unique location. After all, the vineyard site, the appellation — or terroir — is very important to those who appreciate fine wine.

None of us, however, could anticipate the reception among wine-shop owners, who couldn’t get around the idea of a fish on a bottle of red wine.

So our follow-up label featured the elements of a topographic map of the region. We wanted to convey the rugged, steep terrain. And we wanted the Cabot name to be featured prominently as a wine buyer approached the bottle among many others on the shelf.

Design-wise, we believe it was a big improvement. Unfortunately, the execution of the printing itself was not on par with the high quality of the wine.

So with our third and latest pass, you’ll see that the label’s unique texture on an uncoated paper stock really does lend a sense of elegance and sophistication, while doing a much better job of conveying the feel of their remote location in the middle of dense, steep forests. Rub your fingertips across the label and you get a sense that this bottle of wine has a unique story behind it.

Directing a brand image is a constant challenge. You ask: How has the brand changed?  How is it being received?  What elements are working well?  And which can we improve upon?

Our work with Cabot Vineyards has served as a powerful reminder that brands are alive. They’re dynamic. And as brand architects, our job is to continually check in to ensure that the ever-changing brand is being expressed to its full capacity.